Tuesday, August 20, 2013

BANG!






















A poem about the passing and memory of James O'C Morgan (July 21, 1918 - August 20, 2013)


Bang!

Game Over. Or so it seems.
Tommy Murphy is outraged;
“It isn’t fair” he screams.
Once again the result is staged,
Yet we execute each play:
Run, cut, fake and catch the Pass.
Another Cereal Bowl in the books on a fine Autumn day
With time left over to go to 5 o’clock Mass.

In the cold grey dawn,
The rules are never disputed.
Like Kennedys on the lawn;
Roses are red, Weeds are rooted,
In the end it doesn’t matter if you win.
All the world is a stage;
The play is the thing;.
The best of times at such an age.

It’s how you play the game you see;
No effort goes unrewarded, stay on the field.
What happens under the Buckeye tree,
You think isn’t fair but in time it may be revealed;
In Shoreway seminars to and from Edgewater Drive,
Or in Reading the newspaper before you arrive,
Or between those hours - Nine until Five.
 
Type, Keyline, Flap and Tissue,
Caxton Building loading dock
Delivered right, that’s the issue.
East Side, West Side all around the clock
Attention to production and design,
Annual Reports arrived last night.
Photography and Illustration with a fine line
Because of Jim, the job is done right (and on time).

We are the dreamers of dreams 
And we cherish each moment as it goes by.
Life is too short but the legacy lives in the gleams
Of Sons and Daughters who wonder why
The great man passes.  
Murph was right: It isn’t fair.
The great man passes.
Bang! All of us were there.











Friday, August 9, 2013

Managing Your Online Reputation

I find myself at a workshop this week. The venue is an exclusive suburban place. The Missouri Athletic Club West. It is an addition to the clubby and traditional downtown facility. It’s more family friendly, accessible, pool, dining, meeting rooms and overall a nice venue.  Attendees gathered for coffee at 7:30 a.m. and the small talk among strangers reveals an almost predictable new reality. Several of the guests used GPS on their smart phones to find the place. One even commented that the place was not particularly well reviewed regarding service and food. Upon further discussion, the report was coming from someone who had, in a hurry checked it out online. It turns out the statement he made, was based on two comments on a site like Yelp! (Note: I say“like Yelp!” because the workshop participant I just met couldn’t recall what review site he was even referring to). Therein lies the rub: an unfortunate broadcast based on two actively dissatisfied customers. I spent the morning and lunch at the place and frankly it was more than adequate and worthy of possitve reviews from me. I was not moved enough to the point of trying to sway public opinion online, however. (Damage done. Hopefully the good experiences will outweigh the bad and the club will take appropriate action to maintain its brand and reputation.)     

The  2013 Local Consumer Review Survey by Myles Anderson of BrightLocal  recently published on SearchEngineLand among other findings:
  • Far more people state that they trust online reviews as much or more than personal recommendations.
  • The trust in online reviews is growing.
  • Consumers are viewing far fewer reviews before making their buying decisions.
  • So you might conclude: It's more critical than ever to manage your online reputation, since people are reading fewer reviews, and basing decisions on them.

 As an interesting coincidence, an online publisher called me from an industry association that very afternoon to ask me if I could contribute an article to advise members of a distributor network how to manage their online reputation. As it happens, this industry association had identified this topic out of necessity as members have found themselves victims of newly empowered (and unfiltered) online reviewers.

Something to think about. Your communication strategies need to include the digital and online realities. The sources will vary as will the quality and trustworthiness.  How will you manage your online reputation?     

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Elephant Jokes


Q: What do you do with a elephant with 3 balls?
A: Walk him and pitch to the bear


Q: What do you call an elephant wearing pink earmuffs and a dress?
A: Anything you want, it can't hear you.


Q: Why do elephants drink so much?
A: To try to forget.


Q: Why did the Elephant stand on the marshmallow?
A: So she wouldn't fall in the hot chocolate.


Q: How do you get down from an elephant?
A: You don't, you get down from a duck.


Q: Why are elephants wrinkled?
A: Have you ever tried to iron one?


Q: How do you shoot a blue elephant?
A: With a blue elephant gun, of course.


Q: How do you shoot a red elephant?
A: No, not with a red elephant gun. You strangle him until he turns blue, and then shoot him with a blue elephant gun.


Q: How many elephants can you get into a VW Beetle?
A: Four. Two in the front and two in the back. 


Q: How do you put an elephant into a fridge?
A: Open the VW door, take the elephant out, close the VW door, open the fridge, put the elephant inside, close the fridge.


Q: How do you know if there is an elephant in your fridge?
A: Footprints in the butter.


Q: How do you know if there are 2 elephants in your fridge?
A: Two sets of footprints in the butter.


Q: How do you know if there are 3 elephants in your fridge?
A: Can't get the fridge door closed.


Q: How do you know if there are 4 elephants in your fridge?
A: There's a VW Beetle parked outside it.


Q: How do you get Tarzan in the fridge?
A: Open door, get two VW's out, put tarzan in, close door.


Q: How do you get two Tarzans in the fridge?
A: You can't, silly. There is only one Tarzan!


Q: What did the fifth elephant in the VW bug discover?
A: The sun roof.


Q: How many giraffes can you fit in a VW bug?
A: None, the elephants are in there!


Q: What do you call two elephants on a bicycle?
A: Optimistic!


Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into the city?
A: Free Parking.


Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into work?
A: Sole use of the elevator.


Q: How do you know if there is an elephant in the pub?
A: It's bike is outside.


Q: How do you know if there are two elephants in the pub?
A: There is a dent in the cross-bar.


Q: How do you know if there are three elephants in the pub?
A: Stand on the bike and have a look in the window.


Q: How many elephants does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Don't be silly, elephants can't change light bulbs.


Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a kangaroo?
A: Bloody great holes all over Australia.


Q: How do you know if there is an elephant under the bed?
A: Your nose is touching the ceiling.


Q: Why do elephants wear sandals?
A: So that they don't sink in the sand.


Q: Why do ostriches stick their head in the ground?
A: To look for the elephants who forgot to wear their sandals.


Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw 1,000 elephants coming over the hill?
A: "Look, there's 1,000 elephants coming over the hill."


Q: What did Jane say?
A: Here come the blueberries. (Jane was color blind)


Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw 1,000 elephants with sunglasses on, coming over the hill?
A: Nothing, he didn't recognize them.


Q: How do you make a elephant float?
A: Well, you take an elephant, add chocolate ice-cream, and some bananas,.....


Q: How do you get an elephant on top of an oak tree?
A: Stand him on an acorn and wait fifty years.


Q: What if you don't want to wait fifty years?
A: Parachute him from an airplane.


Q: Why isn't it safe to climb oak trees between 2 and 4 in the afternoon?
A: That's when the elephants are skydiving.


Q: Why do ducks have flat feet?
A: From stamp out forest fires.


Q: Why do elephants have flat feet?
A: From stamping out flaming ducks.


Q: Why are elephants feet shaped that way?
A: To fit on lily pads.


Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?
A: Time to get a new fence.


Q: What do you know when you see three elephants walking down the street wearing pink sweatshirts?
A: They're all on the same team.


Q: How do you know if there's an elephant in bed with you?
A: She has a big 'E' on her pajama jacket pocket.


Q: How do you know if an elephant is hiding under your bed?
A: Your nose is almost touching the ceiling.

Q: What do you call an elephant who is an expert on skin disorders?
A: A pachydermatoligist.


Q: How do you stop an elephant from charging?
A: Take away his credit cards.


Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a hooker?
A: A two-ton pickup.


Q: Why do elephants have trunks?
A: Because they would look silly with glove compartments.


Q: What do you give a seasick elephant?
A: Lots of room.


Q: How many elephants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Two, but you need a real big bulb.


Q: What has two tails, two trunks and five feet?
A: An elephant with spare parts


Q: Why did the elephant cross the road?
A: To pick up the squashed chicken.


Q: What is more difficult than getting an elephant into the back seat of your car?
A: Getting TWO elephants into the back seat of your car!


Q: What is more difficult than getting 2 elephants in the back seat of your car?
A: Getting a pregnant elephant in the back seat of your car!!


Q: What's more difficult than getting a pregnant elephant in the back seat of your car?
A: Getting an elephant pregnant in the back seat of your car!


Q: What happens when an elephant sits in front of you at the movies?
A: You miss most of the picture!


Q: What's big and green and slimy, and hangs from tall trees?
A: Elephant boogers.


Q: What is beautiful, gray and wears glass slippers?
A: Cinderelephant.


Q: What is the difference between a sorority girl and an elephant?
A: About 40 lbs. Q: How do you equalize the two? A: Feed the elephant.  


Q: What has 2 grey legs and 2 brown legs?
A: An elephant with diarrhea.



Q: How is an elephant like an apricot?
A: They are both gray. Well, except the apricot.

Q: What’s the difference between a dozen eggs and an elephant?
A: If you don’t know, I’m sure not going to send you to the store for a dozen eggs!

Q: What the difference between a herd of elephants and a bunch of grapes?
A: Grapes are purple, elephants are gray.

Q: What do you call an elephant that rides a bus?
A: A passenger.

Q: Why don’t African elephants like to play cards?
A: Because of all the cheetahs.

Q: What’s the difference between an African elephant and an Indian elephant?
A: About 3,000 miles.

Q: What did the peanut say to the elephant?
A: Nothing: peanuts can’t talk.

Q: What did the grape say when the elephant stepped on it?
A: Nothing: it just let out a little whine..

Q: What’s gray on the inside and red and white on the outside?
A: Campbell’s Cream Of Elephant Soup.

Q: What do you know when you see three elephants walking down the street wearing pink sweatshirts?
A: They’re all on the same team.

Q: What’s gray and has four legs and a trunk?
A: A mouse going on vacation.

Q: What do you call an elephant with a machine gun?
A: “Sir”.

Q: Why do elephants drink so much?
A: To try to forget.

Q: What’s gray and puts out forest fires?
A: Smokey The Elephant.

Q: What do you get when you cross elephants with peanut butter?
A: Elephants that stick to the roof of your mouth.

Q: Why did the elephant wear red sneakers?
A: So he could hide in the apple tree.

Q: Why do elephants paint their toenails red?
A: To hide in cherry trees.

Q: What do you get if you cross an elephant with a kangaroo?
A: Big holes all over Australia.

Q: What kind of elephants live at the North Pole?
A: Cold ones.

Q: What’s convenient and weighs 20,000 pounds?
A: An elephant six-pack.

Q: How do elephants talk to each other?
A: By ’elephone.

Q: Why do elephants have cracks between their toes?
A: For carrying their library cards.

Q: What’s gray, has large wings, a long nose, and gives money to elephants?
A: The Tusk Fairy.

Q: Where do elephants with skin problems go?
A: Pachydermatologists.

Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinoceros?
A: Eliphino

Q: What’s the difference between an elephant and a piece of paper?
A: You can’t make a paper airplane out of an elephant.

Q: How do you make an elephant float?
A: Take two scoops of ice cream, some soda, and one elephant.

Q: How can you tell if there’s an elephant in the ice cream shop?
A: His bike is outside.

Q: How can you tell if there are two elephants in the ice cream shop?
A: There’s a dent in the cross-bar.

Q: How can you tell if there are three elephants in the ice cream shop?
A: Stand on the bike and have a look in the window.

Q: Why are elephants so wrinkled?
A: Have you ever tried to iron one?

Q: Why do elephants have trunks?
A: Because they don’t have pockets.

Q: Why do elephants have wrinkled knees?
A: From playing marbles.

Q: Why are elephants large, gray and wrinkled?
A: If they were small, round and white, they’d be aspirins.

Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?
A: Time to get a new fence.

Q: What time is it when an elephant sit on your sofa?
A: Time to get a new sofa.

Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your toilet?
A: Time to run away.

Q: Where do you find elephants?
A: It depends on where you left them.

Q: What do you say when an elephant sneezes?
A: “Gesundheit”.

Q: What goes, “Clomp, clomp, clomp, squish, clomp, clomp, clomp, squish?”
A: An elephant with a wet sneaker.

Q: Why did the elephant cross the road?
A: It was the chicken’s day off.

Q: What would happen if an elephant sat in front of you at the movies?
A: You would miss most of the show.

Q: What is the biggest type of ant?
A: An eleph-ant.

Q: What’s as big as an elephant, but doesn’t weigh anything?
A: An elephant’s shadow.

Q: Why were the elephants kicked out of the swimming pool?
A: They couldn’t keep their trunks up.

Q: Why wasn’t the elephant allowed on the airplane?
A: Because his trunk wouldn’t fit under the seat.

Q: Why were the elephants the last animals off the ark?
A: Because they had to pack their trunks.

Q: Why did the elephant paint her toenails all different colors?
A: So she could hide in a bag of m&m’s.

Q: What would you get if you crossed two fish with two elephants?
A: A pair of swimming trunks.

Q: What should you do to a blue elephant?
A: Cheer it up.

Q: What should you do to a red elephant?
A: Quit telling it dirty jokes.

Q: What should you do to a yellow elephant?
A: Teach it to be brave.

Q: What should you do to a white elephant?
A: Hold its nose until it turns blue, then follow the directions for a blue elephant.

Q: What should you do to a green elephant?
A
1: Wait until it gets ripe.

Q: How does an elephant get out of a phone booth?
A: Same way she got in.

Q: Why don’t elephants ride bicycles?
A: They don’t have thumbs to ring the bell.

Q: What weighs 5,000 pounds and wears glass slippers?
A: Cinderelephant!

Q: What has 6 legs, 3 ears, 4 tusks, and 2 trunks?
A: An elephant with spare parts.

Q: What’s large and gray and goes around and around in circles?
A: An elephant stuck in a revolving door.

Q: What do elephants have that no other animals have?
A: Baby elephants.

Q: Why do elephants stomp on people?
A: They like the squishy feeling between their toes.

Q: What game do elephants like to play most?
A: Squash!

Q: What did the cat say to the elephant?
A: “Meow!”

Q: Why do elephants paint the soles of their feet yellow?
A: So they can hide upside-down in the custard.

Q: Did you ever find an elephant in your custard?
A: No? Well, it must work.

Q: How does an astronomer catch an elephant?
A: With a telescope, a matchbox, and a pair of tweezers. Go to the jungle, and when you see an elephant, turn the telescope the wrong way around and look through it. The elephant will now be so small that you can pick it up with the tweezers and put it in the matchbox.

Q: How do you get an elephant into a matchbox?
A: Take out all the matches first.

Q: How do you get an elephant out of the water?
A: Wet.

Q: How do you get two elephants out of the water?
A: One by one.

Q: How do you smuggle an elephant across the border?
A: Put a slice of bread on each side, and call him “lunch”.

Q: How do you shoot a blue elephant?A: With a blue elephant gun, of course.

Q: How do you shoot a yellow elephant?
A: Wait for it to run away.

Q: What was the elephant doing on the freeway?
A: About 5 miles per hour.

Q: What do you call two elephants on a bicycle?
A: Optimistic!

Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into the city?
A: Free parking.

Q: What do you get if you take an elephant into work?
A: Sole use of the elevator.

Q: Why do elephants wear tiny green hats?
A: To sneak across a pool table without being seen.

Q: How many elephants does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Don’t be stupid, elephants can’t change light bulbs!

Q: How do you know if an elephant’s been sleeping in your bed?
A: Peanut shells under the pillow.

Q: How do you know if there’s an elephant in your bed right now?
A: He has a big ‘E’ on his pajamas’ jacket pocket.

Q: How do you know if there’s an elephant under the bed?
A: Your nose is touching the ceiling.

Q: How do you get an elephant on top of an oak tree?
A: Stand him on an acorn and wait fifty years.

Q: What if you don’t want to wait fifty years?
A: Parachute him from an airplane.

Q: Why isn’t it safe to climb oak trees between 2 and 4 in the afternoon?
A: Because that is when the elephants practice their parachute jumping.

Q: What do you give a seasick elephant?
A: Lots of room.

Q: What do elephants do for laughs?
A: They tell people jokes.


Q: How do you make Elephant Jello?
A: Read the directions on the box.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Mnemonic Pairings

I often find myself meeting people playing golf, usually at my home nine-hole municipal course in Creve Coeur. Thinking in terms of a mnemonic devices to remember names on the golf course started as a practical thing. It turned into an interesting game of trivia. With the help of Google and Wikipedia here are some examples of pairings I can recall having encountered as partners on the links:

Martin & Lewis - (The golfers were Marty and Louis) but to remember them I thought of Martin and Lewis, the comedy team of singer Dean Martin, straight man and Jerry Lewis, comedic foil.
Tom & Jerry – Tom and Jerry animated cartoon created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, centering on a rivalry between a cat (Tom) and a mouse (Jerry) whose chases include slapstick comedy.

Ben & Jerry – Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company founded in 1978 and headquartered in Burlington, Vermont.

Tyler & Perry -  Tyler Perry is movie actor best known for both creating and performing (in drag) the Madea character, a large, in-charge, tough elderly black woman.
Tommy & John – Tommy John, the player and the surgery a procedure first performed in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe, and is named after major league pitcher Tommy John, whose 288 career victories among the top left-handed pitchers of all time.

John, Paul and George – My playing partners on a weekend round as luck would have it. “I guess I’m Ringo,” I offered, to which my playing partners recognized ourselves at the fab four Beatles.
John and Paul – If George can’t make it, the pairing is more Papal than pop. Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church 1978 to his death in 2005.

Mark and Dave – For these two IT guys, I haven’t concocted a mnemonic device to remember their names because to me, they are Mutt & Jeff  (a popular newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907).
I usually only have to remember two names because I am either playing with a friend or alone when paired up with a two-some, but one day I might find myself on a busy day playing with the three musketeers, the three stooges or maybe Peter Paul and Mary.   

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

AMA STL Program Recap 2012-13

This has been a year of diverse programming. In addition to the programming listed here, we implemented a Research Special Interest Group (SIG), Business to Business Social Media Special Interest Group and continue to support the St. Charles sub-chapter activities. We hosted a New Member Breakfast. We also cooperated in joint efforts in St. Louis chapters with  two other professional associations - the Business Marketing Association (BMA) for our holiday event/screening of SKYFALL 007 and our April joint program with the Public Relations Society of American (PRSA). The American Marketing Association of St. Louis delivers great programming and seeks to promote marketing by connecting, informing, and advancing. What that really means is that we want to be better marketers, learn, network and grow as professionals. We set a goal to attract over 1,000 members and guests to our programs for the year.  


July 1, 2012 - Golf Outing at CCGC - Our fiscal year began as we kicked off the year with our annual golf outing at Creve Coeur Golf Course. Golfers braved temperatures over 100 degrees and others joined us for lunch-only that day. 30 Golfers.  

August 16, 2012 - The Voice of the Customer - Lon Zimmerman's presentation highlighted how corporations and organizations are finding value by listening to the customer. He included examples of ways it helps improve operations, sharpen marketing activities, increase customer satisfaction, various methodologies for gathering data and conducting research. 74 attended this event in August.

September 12, 2012 - Speed Networking at Llyweln's Pub in Webster Groves began at 5:30 p.m. This after-hours event of meeting offered members, guests and others interested in connecting and advancing their profession and/or career. “Bring your best elevator speech and plenty of business cards.”  50 people participated in this event.   
 
September 20, 2012 – Kraftig Launch Story Executives of the William K. Busch Brewing Company want you to know two things: They have no association with Anheuser-Busch InBev, even though their company's namesake and chairman is a great-grandson of A-B founder Adolphus Busch. And they are not setting out to make craft beers. William K. "Billy" Busch and Michael J. Brooks, Executive Advisor and partner to the company were on hand to give an inside look at the brewery's success since it the November 2011 product launches of Kräftig Lager and Kräftig Light  (pronounced CREF-tig, it is German for "powerful"). 74 attended this event.
 
October 18, 2012 - Lessons from the Unconscious Mind for Healthcare Marketers Phil Smith, Executive Creative Director of Prairie Dog/TCG discussed how a growing body of evidence pointing to the unconscious as a dominant influencer of consumer behavior. Yet most marketing, particularly in healthcare, rely on traditional (conscious) qualitative research. Based on insights from recent leaders in this marketing movement, How Customers Think, Buyology, and The Culture Code, he exposed gaps in current practices and illustrated opportunities with work from national brands. “Join us as we expose the comical flaws in conventional focus group research and reconsider the truths in modern marketing.” 62 attended this event.

October 26, 2012 – Marketing Research SIG  Wally Balden, Delve - The first presentation meeting of the St. Louis AMA featured Wally Balden, Managing Director of Online Research for Delve,  a marketing research firm based in St. Louis.  Mr. Belden presented how to use online marketing research tools to address shortcomings of more traditional marketing research tools.  Mr. Belden discussed how mobile research capabilities can provide feedback at any time from anyplace.  22 people attended this event. 

November 15, 2012 - Sports Business Jim Woodcock of Fleishman-Hillard Jim leads the FH sports business practice which combines its global network with a seasoned point of view forged by dozens of professionals and decades of sports industry expertise. Senior Vice President Jim Woodcock leads Sports-related client work which includes planning and counsel to league and team executives, representation of ownership, crisis communications, branding, social media strategy, public affairs, media training, and global marketing and expansion. 46 attended this event.

November 29, 2012 - SKYFALL 007 - A special joint networking and social event presented by the St. Louis chapters of American Marketing Association and the Business Marketing Association at the Werhenberg Five Star Lounge and Theater in Des Peres,, MO members and guests gathered to enjoy the lastest Bond film. 50 people attended this exclusive event in the 5 star lounge and upscale theater experience.

January 17, 2013 - Stephen Reynolds, Director of Marketing and Player Development – Ameristar Casino. You can feel the excitement from miles away. Beyond the kinetic, high-speed flashing lights, the 74,000 square-foot porte cochère at Ameristar Casino Resort Spa the action inside. The stunning stained-glass skylights, 130,000-square foot casino and the Victorian design you can get insight into the latest, most popular slot and video poker machines, a wide variety of table games and one of the last live poker rooms in the market. Stephen provided insight into marketing the games, as well as the special player events offered at Ameristar. He also shared the strategy behind the advertising for Ameristar. 50 attended this event.

January 25, 2013 – Marketing Research SIG  Megg Withinton, President of Aspect Market Intelligence, gave a presentation of what the purpose of intel is and what it entails.  Ms. Withinton  discussed how competitive intelligence and traditional marketing research come into play.  We also had a discussion among the attendees how what competitive intelligence tools they use and how they use them.  24 people attended this event.

February 22, 2013 – Remarkable Leadership - the 52nd Annual Conference theme at Missouri History Museum at Forest Park (Event is from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 and includes company tours of Group 360, Lockerdome, Stealth Creative and Manifest Digital – formerly 4orce). Master of Ceremonies, Bill Ellis (Branding for Results) hosted the morning sessions. The program included presentations from Andrew Grinch, Associate AD, University of Missouri Athletic Department (rebranding the Mizzou Tigers as they enter the SEC); Nancy Schnoebelen, Director of Advancement Communications and Barb Meyer, Vice President Marketing and Communications (crisis communications after St. John’s Mercy in Joplin was destroyed in a tornado in May 2011); Eliot Robia, Market Strategist from Pixel Farm of Minneapolis (the emerging trends in Social Media); and Keynote speaker Kevin Eikenberry, author of Remarkable Leadership. Lunch and breakout round-table opportunities will be in meeting room adjacent to the Lee Auditorium immediately following the keynote speaker. 100 people attended this event in spite of difficult weather conditions.

March 21, 2013 - Elizabeth Frantz, Social Media Editor at Better Homes and Gardens, our speaker from Better Homes and Gardens, the magazine, which is still read by more 7.5 million people. Our March speaker shared with us how the brand that began in 1922 is responding to the digital age in a big way. “If you are interested in cooking, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating, entertaining or just want to hear about a remarkable brand and where it is headed, don’t miss this special event.” 54 attended this event.

April 18, 2013 – Pew State of the Media report with Amy Mitchell (acting director) and panel (Jim Steward, DICOM; Denise Bentele, Common Ground; Jill Gainer) at UMSL/WMU facility on Olive next to channel 9 and around the corner from the Fabulous Fox Theater. Afternoon function from 4:30-6:30 p.m. - a special joint presentation of the St. Louis Chapters of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 110 attended this event.

April 26, 2013 – Marketing Research SIG  Sean Jordan, Research Director of The Research and Planning Group, used examples of comic book superheroes and how they join forces to introduce how marketing researchers can combine qualitative and quantitative to increase the effectiveness of their research.   Mr. Jordan presented how individually quant and qual have different strengths and weaknesses.  By showing examples of how The Research and Planning Group combined the two methods to increase the effectiveness of the research. 10 people attended this event.

May 16, 2013 – Dan Curran of Manifest Digital will stood in for Jim Holbrook. Executive Vice President of Marketing, Post Holdings Post is a leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded ready-to-eat cereals.Post has leveraged the strength of its brands, category expertise, and over a century of institutional knowledge to create a diverse portfolio of cereals that enhance the lives of consumers, bringing quality foods to the breakfast table since the company's founding in 1897. Post's portfolio of brands includes diverse offerings such as Honey Bunches of Oats®, Pebbles®, Post Selects®, Great Grains®, Spoon Size® Shredded Wheat, Post® Raisin Bran, Grape-Nuts®, and Honeycomb®. 75 attended this event.

June  20, 2013 – LockerDome founder Gabe Lozano – LockerDome is social media for your sports life and has more than 8 million users and counting. CEO Gabe Lozano started out building websites for amateur and youth sports leagues. His company, LockerDome, eventually captured the interest of St. Louis investors like Jim McKelvey, the co-founder of mobile payment Square, Jack Dorsey, Twiter co-founder and a few others and In 2013 LockerDome established an advertising partnership with USA Today. LockerDome is an amazing story of success in St. Louis. 75 attended this event.

July 5, 2013 - Golf Outing at CCGC - Our new fiscal year begins as we kicked off the year with our annual golf outing at Creve Coeur Golf Course. Sponsors include Creatives-on-Call, iDream Solutions, MarketVolt and Sandbox Creative. $40 pays for a full afternoon that includes lunch, golf (nine holes), cart and prizes. Lunch begins at 11:30, shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Golfer or not, guests and members are also invited to an awards ceremony and networking event at MarketVolt beginning at approximately 4:00 p.m. 40 golfers an 15 guests for lunch and/or post round awards reception.

August 15, 2013 Biz Library’s Chris Osborne  VP of Marketing Chris Osborn will present Biz Library solutions to training on workplace training and development. BizLibrary is a leading provider of comprehensive learning and talent management solutions specifically designed for small and mid-sized organizations. The award-winning online content libraries include streaming videos, interactive e-learning courses, custom courses, reference materials and e-books. Additionally, cloud-hosted LMS, Performance Management and Social Learning applications help organizations streamline and simplify important talent management processes. 90+ estimated attendance.  


 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Molloy Wins


Annual AMA Golf Event
Mike Molloy wins Traveling Trophy
 
40 golfers and 10-15 others participated in the 2013 Golf Event at Creve Coeur Golf Course and MarketVolt corporate offices on Olde Cabin Road. We enjoyed a glorious day of sunshine and golf on Friday July 5th. Mike Molloy prevailed as champion with a low score of 38 at the tight municipal nine-hole track.  Mike was awarded the traveling trophy and pledged to defend his title next year.  About half of the golfers (by show of hands) had participated in this event before while half indicated this was their first time participating.

The event owes a debt of gratitude to committee volunteers Bud Menzel (Treetop Enterprises), Jamie Collins (Kent Precision Foods), Dave Cox and Bethany Kellogg (Sandbox Creative), Pat Hawn (MarketVolt), Jeff Snell (iDream Solutions), Kelly Wiethuchter (Centro) and chairman Wes Morgan (Morgan Studio/East). A special thanks to the golf course who again provided tournament conditions and first-rate services to our group. 

The American Marketing Association of St. Louis also grateful acknowledges the sponsors Creatives-on-Call, MarketVolt, Sandbox Creative, iDream Solutions and Morgan Studio/East. Golfers, luncheon guests, volunteers and post-game reception/networking guests enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon with temperatures in the 80s. Among the field were teams from Digital Intersection (including the remarkable swing of young Eric Mastis), Bolt Restoration (featuring the Purcell brothers), Kent Precision Foods (best dressed team in knickers and caps) and Sandbox Creative (with clients from Unico and CitiMortgage) and Victor Technologies (featuring Tony “Tiger”Tatar).

Among those returning golfers were Bob Mogley of Stealth Creative, Bob Bishop of Bishop & Partners, John Grizzell (Grizzell and Company), Annie McBride (Annie M. Creative), Tom Shaughnessy (Group 360), Rowdy Jones (Compear Design). Michelle Yates (The Lawrence Group), Jeff and Sarah Kirtley (Val Pak). Among the first timers were Nate Bookout (Neu Concept Productions), Don Vail (Horizon Point Strategies), Perry Drake (UMSL professor) and Todd Purcell (recent MBA) and Joyce Bruno who won “longest drive” with a little help from a friendly cart path bounce.
 


The event tees up a new year for the St. Louis Chapter of the American Marketing Association. It is a tribute to our tradition of advancing the study, practice of marketing and connecting marketers. Thanks to all who participated, volunteered and supported this 15th annual AMA golf event at Creve Coeur Golf Course!