Blog
Kim Trent – A Shift in Knox County
To kick-off the first KAMA luncheon of 2012, we were delighted to have Kim Trent, Executive Director of Knox Heritage, speak on behalf of her organization. Knox Heritage works to preserve structures and places with historic or cultural significance in Knox County. Founded on April 1, 1974, Kim joked that “fools did rush in” on that fateful day. With a board of directors of 30 community leaders, Knox Heritage provides education for the community and is truly a preservation based economic development organization. In a nutshell, Kim...
read moreBlack Friday is Like Zombie Apocalypse
As I was waiting in line at the cash registers at Wal-Mart at 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25, I saw this tweet from @LauraLPotts: “Black Friday is like zombie apocalypse: you’re either one of them, or you’re locked inside praying that loved ones don’t get trampled.” Of course, I was “one of them.” I arrived at Wal-Mart in Oak Ridge at 8:30 p.m. the night before Black Friday with a team of five. We all had our hit list, cell phones charged, tennis shoes laced up tight, credit cards in pocket, and white knuckles clasping buggies. A...
read moreEvan Carroll – Mobile Happens!
Click here to download Evan’s presentation (2MB PDF). Mobile technology. It’s one of the most accessible and fastest growing communication tools of our time—as many as 24 percent of people even go so far as to describe their iPhone as an extension of their brain or body. The current push many marketing strategies are making into the mobile world has made this topic highly relevant to members of the Knoxville American Marketing Association. That’s why taking advantage of these trends and statistics was the focus of KAMA’s November...
read moreSwag Happens: Stephen A. Burroughs Talks Marketing
“When Stephen A. Burroughs was in the womb his mother could feel his beard kicking.” The Knoxville chapter of the American Marketing Association hosted viral Internet sensation and local personal injury attorney, Stephen A. Burroughs at its October luncheon at The Orangery. KAMA’s theme this year is “Shift Happens,” because it’s not business as usual any more, due to changes in demographics, economics and technology. Burroughs was speaking to the change in his marketing strategy and the impact the recently launched Facebook...
read moreThe Art of Conversation: Social Media for B2B Communications
“Markets are conversations.” –The Cluetrain Manifesto Facebook has more than 800 million users.Twitter has 200 million users. Google+ just hit the 50 million user mark, making it the fastest growing website ever. Moms and Millennials, Boomers and Tweens – everybody’s texting, tweeting, posting and blogging via desktops, laptops and mobile devices. And brands are falling all over themselves in the mad dash to reach consumers via social networks and join the conversation. But what about business-to-business communications? How...
read moreAngel Martinez discusses marketing to the Hispanic community at KAMA September 14th luncheon
We have officially kicked off the KAMA 2011-2012 season, and we started off with a bang! The featured speaker at our September 14th luncheon, Angel Martinez, was not only interesting, knowledgeable, and full of great ideas, he was entertaining and engaging as well. Before he could begin his presentation, he said he needed to get his “prop.” The “prop” turned out to be a beautiful black cowboy hat he perched atop his head. Combine that with his authentic bolo tie, and we all knew we were dealing with a true Texan. Angel is a fifth...
read moreBeginning of the End of the Personal Computer?
It’s hard to believe I’m writing this article as I never thought I would see the day when the PC would become the senior citizen of our hardware community. Some PCs are enjoying their golden years such as the hip granddad known as the Apple Macintosh (he prefers being called “Mac”). He has such cute grandkids, too: iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Other PCs aren’t enjoying their twilight years as much. Old Hewlett-Packard (“HP” thank you very much) isn’t doing so well considering two of his grandkids, the rambunctious TouchPad and his...
read moreHealthcare Marketing: Making An Emotional Connection
When it comes to choosing hospitals and healthcare providers, consumers think with their hearts. Regardless of the research and statistics, the industry citations and even the insurance coverage, people consistently make life-and-death decisions based on the emotional connections they form with caregivers. Patients don’t want to hear only about equipment and research, they also want to know how it affects them in a profoundly personal way. The challenge for clients is to keep the message patient-centered and communicate the benefit in...
read moreSHIFT Happens
It’s 2011. We’re three years into this economic slowdown and now the Fed is telling us to bunker down until mid-2013. With deficit ceilings being raised, US credit being downgraded, and the Dow Jones Average convulsing on a daily basis, we have to admit our business environment is challenging to say the least. Heck, its downright hard to get a new customer these days. What marketing has any measurable effectiveness anymore? It seems like we keep doing more of it with less resources and fewer returns. At the Knoxville American...
read moreA Helping Hand: How Authenticity Facilitates Public Relations
Public relations is human dynamics. It’s the bridge between a brand and its consumers. Sometimes it’s a difficult bridge to build when the brand is intent on self-promotion and hard-line marketing. But when there’s a story to tell that resonates with the public, when the brand is sincere, and the message rings true, public relations happens organically, and the bridge becomes a smooth connection. Home Federal Bank is building bridges in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1924, Home Federal is Knoxville’s largest locally owned...
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