The AMA Spark Awards recognize the most effective marketing campaigns in South Carolina and awards seven companies and one individual that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and programs in the previous calendar year. The entries are judged on the ability to show results through clearly defined objectives strategies and tactics. Entries may be submitted at the Charleston AMA website.

Winners will be announced and awards presented at the Sparks Awards Soiree November 12, 2009 6pm at The American Theater. Tickets to the Soiree can be purchased on the Charleston AMA website and are $25 for members and $40 for nonmembers. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Garrigan at 843.693.4183 or info@charlestonama.org.

Name:

In two sentences, tell us about your company/position:
Blackbaud is the leading global provider of software and services designed specifically for nonprofit organizations. I oversee the company’s global philanthropic and volunteerism initiatives, relying on my 17 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations to help the company and our employees make a difference in the world.

What is the best advice you could give a younger marketer?
Get as much diverse experience as you can before you decide to specialize in any one thing. In support of that, look for ways to add to your experience through volunteerism and personal activities. Often these opportunities allow you to challenge yourself in ways that might not be possible in whatever job you might hold at the moment.

What is your favorite website or who is your favorite person to follow on Twitter?
I love www.audible.com, more for the service it provides than the actual website. I’ve turned my daily commute into extra “reading” time.

Why are you a member of Charleston AMA?
I first got involved in the AMA on the national level, through Blackbaud’s support of the AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference. We invest in the work done by the AMA Foundation as a way to support the profession and encourage the development of additional resources for nonprofit marketers. Through the AMA, I have developed many wonderful relationships with marketing colleagues both locally and nationally. This past summer, I joined the board of the AMA Foundation.

Are you an inspired marketer in Charleston? If so, show us! Charleston AMA is officially kicking off its photo contest this Wednesday, August 19.

The rules are simple:

- Take a picture of what inspires you as a marketer or what inspires you about Charleston.
- Submit your photo via Twitpic to Charleston AMA’s Twitter account: @CharlestonAMA

Our September event speaker, Noah Everett (who happens to be the creator of Twitpic) will pick his favorite! The winner will receive 4 tickets to the next Pecha Kucha event! http://pechakuchacharleston.wordpress.com/

Pecha Kucha is an informal forum for creative people to meet, network and show their work in public. Tickets will be supplied by Parliament – Charleston’s creative cluster group.

Deadline for photo entries is Wednesday, September 9, at 5:00 p.m. Don’t miss your chance to win tickets to one of the hottest creative events in Charleston!

Noah Everett Creator of TwitPic

Join the Charleston Chapter of the American Marketing Association on Thursday, Sept. 10, as we welcome Noah Everett, creator of TwitPic, a program used by more than 3.5 million people to share photos across Twitter’s Web and mobile-based platforms.

A new resident of Charleston, Noah will share how his program built upon one of the most powerful social media networks today and how you can use these tools to accomplish your marketing objectives.

Networking will begin at 4 p.m. and Noah’s presentation will begin shortly after.

AMA members are invited to stay for an exclusive reception with Noah on the Aqua Terrace from 5-6 p.m. Each member will be given a ticket for one free drink from the bar. Become a member of Charleston AMA between September 8 and 10 to get into this event, plus get $30 off your membership and a $20 prepaid gift card. Join at www.marketingpower.com/join

$15 AMA Members/Students 
$25 non-members

BIO:
In February of 2008, Noah Everett created TwitPic, initially built to allow him and his friends to share photos. In just over a year, TwitPic has grown to a user community of near two million and has helped revolutionize how information is shared across social media platforms.

When the US Airways flight went down in the Hudson River, some of the first photos were shared from TwitPic. “That’s when I noticed TwitPic was much bigger than I realized—it was breaking ground in the industry, and how breaking news is communicated to the masses,” said Everett.

CVENT LINKS:
Invitation
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,M3,7c3417bd-a538-445b-968b-729537e99777

Registration
http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?4W,M3,7c3417bd-a538-445b-968b-729537e99777

AMA – Quarterly Breakfast Meetings
August 18, 2009

The American Marketing Association welcomes you to join us for Coffee Talk, a series of morning meetings created to encourage networking and provide an informal forum to discuss marketing’s role in a variety of industries. Each quarter, we will select a different industry and invite a guest speaker to facilitate group discussion. Open to both AMA members and non-members, this new satellite program offers an opportunity for marketing professionals in Charleston to get together and learn from each other, while also enjoying a cup of coffee!

The next Coffee Talk is scheduled for August 18 at the East Bay Coffee House (159 East Bay Street) from 9:00 – 10:00 am. The focus will be on the events industry and Becca Gosnell, event planning extraordinaire, will be on-hand to facilitate discussion, answer questions, and share her experience. Mark your calendars now and RSVP to info@charlestonama.org. We look forward to seeing you!

DATE: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
LOCATION: East Bay Coffee House
TOPIC: Event planning
SPEAKER: Becca Gosnell

AGENDA:
9:00 – 9:30 Sign-in and networking
9:30 – 10:00 Open discussion with guest speaker
10:00 – 10:15 Wrap-up: AMA overview and announcements

Join Dianne Culhane this Thursday at our monthly AMA luncheon as she discusses Collaborative Strategic Planning, Culture Change and Sustainability.

Culhane, a sustainability leader, change agent and communicator, is a pioneer specializing in a collaborative leadership practices and communication for sustainable results.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one our industry’s leaders. And, if you’re an AMA member, you’ll receive the opportunity to chat with Dianne in more depth immediately after the presentation ends. Come with some of your best questions and keep the conversation going. We hope to see everyone there!

Dianne’s Bio
Dianne Culhane began her career at The Coca-Cola Company in 1985 as Creative Director. Most recently, she led the development of the foundational architecture for the company brand. After 22 years with this global enterprise, she is now in private practice, helping organizations and corporate clients improve their creative, collaborative and sustainable leadership.

“One of my favorite projects was being involved with the Coca-Cola Company’s development of its “Manifesto for Growth”—their 10-year strategic plan. What made this so exciting was the ability to reinvent a 120-year-old enterprise and do it in a way that accessed the collective genius of top leadership and built ownership for the plan throughout the global organization” says Culhane.

Learn more about the event and register.

Don’t Blow Your Chance

I used to get worked up over meeting someone for the first time. That old axiom that you only get one chance to make a first impression was tucked into the corners of my mind and controlled my actions in mishievous ways: fumbled words, cracking voice and awkward mannerisms.

I still get nervous about introductions, but I’ve learned to control it  mostly by thinking ahead about what I will say, paying more attention to the other person and relying on social skills and experience I’ve accumulated over the years.

Professional communicators would do well to adopt the same strategy when it comes to writing headlines, teasers and leads for our work. Think ahead about what we want to say, pay attention to our audience and rely on our skills and experience.

If we did, we wouldn’t produce drivel like this subhead from a recent press release annoucing the merger of two global consulting firms:

Combined Company Positioned for Sustainable Growth and Profitability with a Broader Portfolio and Wider Geographic Footprint

This jargon-laden statement could have been written about any merger anywhere in the world. It says nothing. It’s lazy. It’s unimaginative. It leaves a poor first impression. My guess is that few people wanted to read further, fearing they might stumble over a stray mission statement or vision.

Contrast that subhead with this teaser for an intranet story written by one of my colleagues. The story, frankly, was a fairly routine account of an annual awards dinner, but check out how the writer draws readers into it (I replaced some names for the sake of propriety):

SVP Jane Smith’s closing remarks: “Just over a year ago, I was outside the XYZ Companies, looking in. Let me tell you what I saw…”

I can imagine employees reading this teaser and thinking, “Tell us! Tell us what you saw, Jane Smith! We want to know how we look to the outside world.” It’s a short, fairly simple subhead, but it gets the job done. The writer picked out just the right thing to say (a senior vice president delivered some unique insight about the company), put herself in the audience’s place (what would compel them to read the piece?) and relied on her skills and experience to write a compelling 25-word introduction.

You have limited opportunities to make good first impressions on your audiences. Don’t blow your chance.

During the presentation, Cynthia had everyone in the room take her “Turbulence Navigation” test. Read the statements below and rank yourself between 1-10 (10 being you agree strongly with the statement):

1. I believe my cup “runth over.”
2. Have you ever recreated yourself?
3. I know my assets, liabilities, pros/cons of my unique environment and use them to refine the situation.
4. I look through other people’s eyes to see what I cannot see.
5. I pursue the advantage of alliances.
6. I hang with people who are what I want to be.
7. Carpe articulum.

I think a lot of us can learn from the results of this test. Are we really willing to learn from others and form strategic partnerships to offset some of our weaknesses? Do you want to know more about this topic? Contact Cynthia and continue to join us at our upcoming monthly luncheons to learn from other marketing consultants and experts. Our next event will be Thursday, August 7.

Cynthia has an extensive background in qualitative research design and facilitation, marketing strategy and planning, sponsorship and cause branding. But enough about her bio; let’s get to know her a little more with a few fun facts:

What had been your most memorable career experience?
Landing a $15 million deal for the American Cancer Society

What was your favorite project you have worked on?
Head and Neck Cancer Alliance

What is your favorite kind of music and why?
Jazz … I like the energy of it.

What is something people may not know about you?
I try to do something each year that challenges my physical courage…hang gliding, bungee jumping, holding pythons…

Needless to say, that takes courage! Join us July 9th at our new venue - Marriott on Lockwood - at noon sharp. Prices are slighly different this time because of the venue change. Members/Students – $15; Nonmembers – $25

Learn more about the July luncheon.

SUMMER SOCIAL: THERE’S ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT SO RESERVE YOURS NOW!

Do you need a break from the daily grind? Kick your weekend off early and enjoy some fun in the sun networking with your fellow marketing professionals aboard the Carolina Girl.

You’ll be greeted on the dock with a signature summer cocktail, sponsored by Firefly vodka, and experience a variety of polynesian treats provided by a new

caterer in town, Heights of Charleston. Enjoy two hours of unlimited drinks from Icebox Bartending Services.

Bring your cards and be ready to network! Promote yourself, tell fellow marketers about what you do, and discover ways we can all work together to help each other through these tough times.

Space is limited, so RSVP now to reserve your sunny spot on the yacht’s top deck.
Sunglasses required!

Kick your weekend off early and enjoy some fun in the sun networking with your fellow marketing professionals aboard the Carolina Girl.

When: Tomorrow, Thursday, June 18

Where: Ripley Marina, 56 Ashley Point Drive, Charleston, SC 29407 (Google Map)

Cost: $15 Member; $30 Non-Member

Register Now or Visit or Event Website

Hope to see everyone tomorrow!