Bill Kircos

The 2011 IABC Phoenix Copper Quill Awards banquet and ceremony will be held Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Desert Botanical Garden.

The keynote address will be by Bill Kircos, General Manager, Marketing at Intel. Bill Kircos manages the marketing efforts for Intel Corporation’s Netbook and Tablet Group, overseeing customer sales and support, product feature planning and introductions and communications worldwide.  He has been with Intel for almost 15 years, and has more than 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications fields.  Kircos was a lead communications manager for the company’s initial social media foray in 2004, and managed that effort until assuming his current role.
 
Kircos will share case studies and talk about how Intel has shifted its marketing, employee communications and public relations efforts to focus more around innovation and technology leadership, versus just a specific product during his keynote presentation.  He will walk through how Intel created a marketing theme and built what the company calls 360 degree, integrated communications plans to ensure every audience – from employees and financial analysts to consumers and customers – receives a consistent message about the Intel brand promise, which then “lifts” its product portfolio.

For full details, pricing and to reserve your seat visit www.iabcphoenix.com.

That’s not what this post is about. It’s about Human Nature.

As you may know, leaving the Biltmore after a big event is a nightmare. You can count on sitting in your car in gridlock for easily 20 mins+. Am I the only one who can’t figure out why in these situations, you sit motionless and then suddenly drive with little interruption?

Anyway, we reach the bottom of the sixth floor where we could exit to the left or right. Two cars were backed up around the curve, to the right. To the left there were no cars and one of the attendants was aggressively waiving for us to follow his lead. Want to guess what two of the next people did?  The safe and familiar thing, turning right, because that’s where you’re “supposed” to turn. Sure enough, the next car and I dashed to the left and we scooped past four floors of traffic.

Seth Godin has been writing a lot lately about the fact that with “the new normal” comes some painful realities. The model we were taught in school and early in our career was to keep our heads down and do what the others do.  That model has been smashed beyond repair by the technology age.  Great lives and careers are now based on having the courage to think independently, make your own decisions and not be a sheep.

If you don’t want to start your own company then go work for one that just started. Isn’t that more risk?  Not really.  There’s infinitely more opportunity and reward . Deluding yourself into thinking you have security at one of the bigger agencies is just that, delusional. The way those bigger companies got to be big was by putting money before people, and not batting an eyelash at triggering layoffs when an account walks out the door. This doesn’t only apply to our industry. The concept of the 25 year employee getting the gold watch is like a scene out of Happy Days. Be cool, don’t always follow and you won’t jump the shark.

The event is Thursday, April 28. Information is available online and you can register here.

• The AMA Spectrum Awards deadline for entries is 5pm today. The event takes place on May 11th and keynote speaker is Jay Baer.

• Got Plans this afternoon after lunch? AAF Metro Phoenix says there is still time to sign up for an Educational Workshop on Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation and Confidentiality Provisions today.
  

This workshop, led by Attorney Peter Borns of Ryley, Carlock & Applewhite, will provide an overview of restrictive covenants under Arizona law, including: (1) the differences between non-compete, non-solicitation and confidentiality provisions, (2) the general circumstances in which these provisions are enforceable, (3) the tests to determine the permitted scope of such provisions, and (4) examples from recent cases. Both employers and employees may benefit from attending.

Location: 1 N. Central Ave., #100, Phoenix
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Sign up and for more info here.

• How attractions and destinations are leveraging social media
• How to extend your brand experience on the web
• How to drive repeat sales and customer engagement via social media channels

The event includes the panel discussion, a mixer and tickets to that night’s game vs the Minnesota Timberwolves is April 11 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at US Airways Center. Registration is available online and more information is available by contacting Mandy Medsker at mmedsker@suns.com.

Date: Thursday, April 14, 2011
Time: 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Details: Generally, our breakfasts focus on a panel of media from a specific outlet giving pitching tips and sharing best practices. This time, we are kicking things up a notch!

We are pleased to announce that this media breakfast will welcome the news directors from stations across the Valley (aka – the bosses), who will share with guests details of their lives in the local television industry and then join in a moderated panel focusing on the future of local news in Arizona.
After the panel, as always, there will be plenty of time for questions with each of our panelists as well as networking time with colleagues and friends in attendance.

This will be a very special event – one that will appeal to everyone from our New Pros to our Master practitioner and everyone in between. If you have a question you would like considered for the panel, please send it to Alison Bailin at abailin@hmapr.com by Friday, April 8, 2011.

And, as a special treat, our event hosts from the Phoenix Convention Center will be offering all interested guests special, custom, provide tours of the Center immediately following the event.

Panelists:
* Mark Casey, News Director, 12 News
* Brad Remington, Executive News Director, 3 TV
*More panelists to follow including news directors from other local television stations*

Location: Executive Conference Center (ECC) at the Phoenix Convention Center
Address: 100 N. Third St., Phoenix, AZ 85004

Important Directions/Parking Instructions: The PRSA Media Breakfast will take place at the Executive Conference Center Downtown Phoenix, which is located on the 2nd Floor of the Phoenix Convention Center West Building. The main entrance is at the corner of 2nd St. & Adams across from the Hyatt Regency Hotel (physical address is 100 N. Third St., Phoenix, AZ 85004). It is in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, just a block south of the Republic Media Building. Parking is available in the Convention Center West Garage (enter at the southeast corner of 2nd St. & Monroe, see link to parking map). The garage may display a $12 special event parking sign but Media Breakfast attendees will receive a discounted parking rate of $6 when they mention that they are here for the PRSA Media Breakfast.

Cost:
$15 for members who register in advance or $20 for members at the door
$20 for non-members who register in advance or $25 for non-members at the door

*Please note that online registration will close at 12 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2011 in order to place the breakfast order*

But Arnie Kuehn and Vertical Measures do, and they’re willing to show you at their Content Marketing Workshop on April . It’s a full day of content strategies, development and marketing, covering everything from research to creation and promotion to distribution and link building.

They’ll even have a section on how to measure any of your content campaigns. Usually priced at $495/person, the code vm4friends gives you lucky readers a chance to save 40%.

And this isn’t one of those completely virtual workshops where you leave with nothing but notes. All attendees will receive a:

• workbook including the presentation and exercises,
• free copy of Arnie’s upcoming book Accelerate!
• free Business Blogging How-To Guide
• free Facebook Marketing How-To Guide
• free Twitter for Business Marketing How-To Guide
• free Keyword Research How-To Guide
• free Local Search Marketing How-To Guide

- plus several concrete ideas, resources and tools for your business.

Seats are limited. Register now, and be sure to use vm4friends for 40% off.

Happy content marketing!

The thrust of the article was that after the recession hit, many legal Top Gunners dropped their price to $990. Thankfully many of those top shelf lawyers are now charging as much as $1,250 a bottle. Wow, talk about a hangover.

My studio has had the (sincere) pleasure of working with some of the top attorneys in Phoenix. So this post bears no reflection on them. It actually has nothing to do with lawyers at all. Hell, who among us wouldn’t charge $20 a minute if we could get away with it? More on that in a few weeks.

I’m actually poking fun at the clients. Let me get this straight. During the stormiest economic climate anyone on this planet has ever faced, top tier executives at Fortune 500 companies like GE and DuPont were ok with retaining counsel for $990, but heaven forbid, not $1,000? Hmmm, if you move that decimal doesn’t $990 look suspiciously like 99 cents, as in the STORE?

We all know that people allow themselves to be seduced by arbitrary numbers and shiny price tags. Hence the timeless .99 phenomenon that stretches from candy bars and oil changes to big screen TV’s and cars. I don’t know about you, but I have heard many times over the years that “just because you know B-C marketing doesn’t mean you can do B-B.” There is an undeniable hint of condescension attached to that theory as if selling professional services is any harder than clothes, coffee or fitness club memberships. It’s not.

Whoever makes major purchases while wearing a tie or pantyhose has a reputation, salary, bonus, mortgage, family (and ego) to protect. You think only facts drive those career decisions? What salesperson will deny that the personal relationship is central to the sale. That whining and dining still works.  How many deals are cut out on golf courses and in strip clubs? That’s why stadium luxury boxes were invented.

People have always bought with their hearts and brains and they always will. Great marketing is about appealing to both organs. A $990 lawyer proves that.

But I can’t get away. No matter how many times we in the industry may scoff at the idea, personal branding is real and people are interested in learning about how to be better. I’ve been asked by ASU Lodestar Center to give a presentation on this very topic (I have lots of “what not to do” stories) and would like to share with you my thoughts on how all of this works.

Personal Branding Rule #1
Find something you can do that people will pay for.

Personal Branding Rule #2
Become extremely familiar with the topic/service/product you provide.

Personal Branding Rule #3
Do that thing really, really well.

Personal Branding Rule #4
Live, eat, sleep and breathe that thing.

Personal Branding Rule #5
Change when necessary.

And the three anti rules:

Personal Branding Anti Rule #1
What you are good at, what you love to do and what people pay you to do might be three different things. Don’t forcibly combine them.

Personal Branding Anti Rule #2
Promoting yourself is NOT personal branding. It’s self promotion.

Personal Branding Anti Rule #3
There is no spoon.

The simple premise is that if you want to be seen as a green PR expert, you should talk, act, look and walk like a green PR expert. (If you want to be known as someone who wears funny tshirts and barefoot shoes, let me know).

Confused? Me too. Most personal branding blogs I’ve forced myself to read say very little about subject matter knowledge and next to nothing about experience. They wrongly proclaim, like too many companies with not-so-great products do, that your outward appearance is all (potential) customers need to see in order for you to be held in high esteem.

This makes most of these blogs absolutely worthless. Personal branding is not empowerment, but it’s part of it; personal branding is not claiming to be an expert, but being an expert is part of it; personal branding is not latching on to every new trend in an effort to be hip, but some will tell you it’s part of it. Personal branding is about presenting the best parts of yourself in the best possible light to as many people as necessary as often as possible.

Anything else is a waste of time and money.

• How to differentiate your organization or client from the rest of the green market.
• Consumer trends towards sustainable products and services.
• Social responsibility, green washing and green marketing.
• What metrics can PR pros use to measure sustainability practices?
• How do these measures translate into bottom-line customers or dollars for organizations?

Our panelists include:

• Kristin Heggli, Director of PR, Hotel Valley Ho
• Tom Waldek, Executive Director, Keep Phoenix Beautiful
• Tishin Donkersley, Editor-in-Chief, Green Living Magazine AZ
• Iaim Hamp, Community Program Rep – Arizona Green Team, Wells Fargo

WHEN: Wednesday, March 16

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Disability Empowerment Center (DO NOT GO TO THE UNIVERSITY CLUB!)

5025 E. Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85034

COST: $25 members, $40 non-members; $45 all walk-ins

REGISTER: Click here to register. Online registration deadline is March 14.