Posts Tagged ‘Event’

Crazy? Hardly! These Twin Cities-area marketing professionals were all eager to listen to local-girl-done-well-for-herself, Porter Gale – VP of Marketing at the brand innovator, Virgin America Airlines.  And as the photo gallery shows, a good time was had by all.

Some of you may remember when, once upon a time, she was at Martin Williams. Indeed, some of her old cronies were in attendance to help keep her on her toes. On this day, she flew in from San Francisco to talk about how her company uses interactive channels, including social media, to make limited marketing dollars go, well, farther.

If you’ve flown in the last 20 years or so, your airline experience may have focused on enduring the process of getting to your destination rather than enjoying the journey. One of the things Minneapolis advertising legend Ray Mithun used to say is: “If 13 is unlucky for someone, it must be lucky for someone else. We decided, at the start of our business, to be someone else.”

While Gale did not refer to this tenet of the agency that bears Mithun’s name, the point is: in an industry full of brand mediocrity, Virgin America decided to be lucky number 13. The heart of its marketing strategy, according to Gale, is to position the airline as different from anything else in the category. The company’s goals are to create an airline people love and to reinvent travel.

When Virgin America profiled its customers, the company realized its best customers are opinion leaders who enjoy using social media and other new technology. So it is using this information to help distance itself from the competition and chart a new course for airline travelers by using three innovative social media marketing approaches.

Create buzz-worthy experiences
Engage customers and listen to them
Connect with customers on a genuine level rather than “marketing at them”

Gale’s slide set and the podcast from her presentation both provide details on how Virgin America executes on these approaches. Check the resources section next time you visit this website, as they should be available soon. Perhaps some ideas may translate well to your company and industry? Or spark creative marketing ideas of your own gucci handbags ?

She left lots of time for questions and answers. And audience members responded by asking her to elaborate on many different  topics. Following are selected insights on social media shared by Gale.

On customer relationships

“Social media should be authentic, real and honest. People should follow because they want to.”

On celebrity endorsements

“Most of the people fly Virgin already and just do it for ticket trades. We look for natural relationships matched to a purposeful reason for the endorsement.”

On co-branding partnership opportunities

“We don’t have an coach handbags agency helping source our partnerships. We believe in ‘less is more’ and ‘going deep rather than broad.’ Chemistry and fit is important to us, as is having a fair and equitable relationship.”

On marketing team structure

“Sir Richard (Richard Branson, major shareholder and corporate “celebrity”) is a risk taker. If you believe in taking risks, you need to empower your people.”

On measuring ROI

“Our guests are using social media. Since they will talk, we joined the conversation. We look at how our social media strategy affects gucci handbags customer relationship management.”

On the pace of change

“If someone says they are social media experts, you should question them.”

Which memorable concepts did you take away? What quotable quotes made an impression on you? Why was listening to Porter Gale and schmoozing with your MIMA colleagues the best use of your time on one of the few remaining warm, yet bug-free evenings left to enjoy this spring? Please share your comments.

More Branson Articles

For our 10th birthday we had to do something special and yet different, so it was decided to create an all-singing, all-dancing performance that fully captures our personality! Starring Australian Artist of the Decade Delta Goodrem, the iconic Tap Dogs, Sir Richard Branson, CEO John Borghetti, and a huge Virgin Blue team all choreographed by the legendary Dein Perry – Enjoy!
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Life training

Life training is a practice with the aim of helping clients determine and achieve personal goals. Life coaches use multiple techniques which will help clients with the process of setting and reaching goals. Coaching isn’t focused at psychological illness and coaches are neither therapists nor experts.

Life training has its roots in executive training, which itself drew on systems developed in management consulting and leadership training.[citation needed] Life training also draws inspiration from disciplines including sociology, psychology, positive adult development, career support, mentoring and other types of counseling. Recent life training may also be traced to the teaching of Benjamin Karter, a college football coach turned inspirational spokesman of the late seventies and early eighties. The coach may apply mentoring, values assessment, behaviour modification, behaviour modeling, goal-setting and other methodologies in helping their clients.

Government bodies have not found it important to provide a regulatory standard for life training, nor does any state body rule the education or training standard for the life training industry ; the title of’coach’ can be employed by any service provider. Multiple training schools and training programs are available, allowing for many options ( and sometimes causing perplexity ) when an individual comes to a decision to gain’certification’ or a’credential’ as they apply to the training industry. Multiple certificates and certificate designations are available in the industry.

Some assert that life training is similar to psychotherapy without limitations, oversight or regulation. The State legislature of Colorado, after holding a hearing on such concerns, disagreed, claiming that training is unlike treatment because it doesn’t focus on examining nor diagnosing the past. Instead training concentrates on effecting change in a customer’s current and future behaviour. In addition, life training doesn’t dig into diagnosing psychological illness or dysfunction.

According to a survey of training clients,’sounding board’ and’motivator’ were the top roles selected for a coach. Clients are on the lookout for a coach’to really hear them and give fair feedback.’ The top 3 issues in which clients seek help are time management, career and business.

It doesn’t occur very often where you get the opportunity to learn directly from some of the Earth’s top thinkers and business leaders .. But that’s's precisely the chance I wanted to share with you today!

Calgary, Canada will see some of the most brilliant minds in business, life training, and community evolution come together from Sep 30th to October 3rd. This 4-day convention has been dubbed ‘The Event of the Decade’, and it will certainly blow the mind of every single person who has got the opportunity to attend it.

Engage Today brings together top business leaders to explore how they can use business and commerce to make the catalyst for positive economic, social and environmental change.

The theme to be tranported by the speakers and coaches at this event can be summed up as the following : ‘by engaging business, bodies and individuals in our community, we create the agent for positive change from an economic, social and environmental perspective.’

Using their setups to make positive change in the world is the hardest challenge for business owners, entrepreneurs and financiers.
Fervour to make a difference and create change in the world isn’t enough, we also face the problems of a way to utilize our resources effectively to fire up the passion and enthusiasm to bring out that change.

By joining and collaborating in the Engage Today seminars, the international business, investment and non-profit communities will be provided with the opportunity to see first-hand what number of the world’s leaders are making important change through their affiliations.
Whether or not you are the CEO of a major international company, the owner of a home business, a sole proprietor or anywhere in between, you may learn how to bring about change and ignite your eagerness

Engage Today will draw attendees together from around the world to be electrified, empowered and educated on how they can use business and commerce for the good of the local and worldwide community.

Keynote speakers include, but is not restricted to :

Sir Richard Branson, president and founding father of Virgin Group.
Its 2 hundred companies employ fifty thousand folks in twenty-nine nations in the aviation, entertainment, hospitality and leisure, telecomms, financial services, health and wellness and clean energy industries.
Richard in 2004 launched Virgin unite to pull together the Group’s international resources and staff.

Virgin combine has fostered new entrepreneurs through the Branson college of Entrepreneurship in SA and has additionally helped in creating sustainable health clinics all over Africa.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Meeting attendees, from leaders of international firms to home entrepreneurs and sole owners, will have the special opportunity to hear the Tibetan religious leader speak in a private presentation at the school of Calgary.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey. An internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational advisor and writer, Dr. Covey has sold over 20 million books in 38 languages, including the 1 Most Influential Business Book of the 20 th Century, The 7 Habits of highly effective folks. Recognized as one of Time mag’s twenty-five most influential American citizens, Dr. Stephen R. Covey has dedicated his life to demonstrating how every person can control their destiny.

Janet Bray Attwood is an idealist leader and world humanitarian.
Janet is the co-writer of the Manhattan Times bestseller The passion Test – The easy path to Discovering Your Life’s Purpose.

Together with her co-writer Chris Attwood, they have trained more than 450 enthusiasm Test Facilitators globally.
She earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her work with children and teenagers in detention centers and homeless women and men in transition.

Bryan Adams and K.D. Lang. Exclusive concerts by these award-winning musicians are planned as part of the meeting.

Engage Today is the invention of Greg Habstritt, founder and president of SimpleWealth and the genuine Equity Group of firms. With more than 20 years of entrepreneurial and investment experience, Greg has founded, built and sold more than a dozen firms ; become a millionaire with 4 businesses in four industries ; and received many awards, including Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

For more info, go to www.engagetodayevent.com.

If for any basis you may not be in a position to attend the live event in Canada, you can still participate in the FREE training calls, so you’ll be able to tap into the wisdom of world famous super-achievers, expand your thinking, possibly transform your life and even make a significance difference to the world .

And at this time the world is in need of individuals, like you, who want to make a major difference!

Find More Branson Articles

In the same tradition as the traveling road shows during the glory days of the Grand Ole Opry, the Louisiana Hayride and the first Branson music shows, the award-winning Branson On The Road® keeps you tapping, laughing and smiling. Young and old cheer for more at the end of each performance. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and humming a tune under your breath. Once you see Branson On The Road® you will come back again and again. For booking information contact The Images Agency at (414) 727-6588
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Chocolate isn’t a Food, but an Experience

Few words evoke the emotional enthusiasm people feel toward chocolate. It has a treasured place in our personal collection of memories – the Easter baskets, the birthday treats, the candy displays at Christmas, the heart that told you someone loves you.

It started young. During our special times, chocolate was there – an integral part of the event. One taste of chocolate (or even the thought alone) makes the mouth water and the emotional associations rush in. It brings back the multitude of fondly-remembered feel-good experiences we didn’t want to end.

So a great-testing piece of chocolate inevitably makes us happy inside. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that’s reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. That’s why, even at times when we’re feeling down, anything chocolate feels so comforting.

Chocolate is Meant to be Shared

My favorite career was owning The Chocolate Factory in Branson, Missouri. Making chocolate inspired me; it’s so apparent that it makes a person’s soul happy. My passion led me to create 300 new chocolate products and 26 different flavored fudges (one of which won the title, “World’s Best Chocolate” in 1986).

Out of that grew the Chocolate Fantasy events, which are used as non-profit fundraisers. People can’t resist the 30 to 40 different kinds of chocolate creations offered. It combines three great things – chocolate, fun, and doing well through the charity. As crowd-pleasing and impressive as those events are, these same techniques can be accomplished by a rank beginner. With equally enthusiastic reactions.

Making chocolate goodies with others improves the flavor – as well as the enjoyment.

Visualize your whole family gathered around in the kitchen, making gourmet chocolates together. Smell that wonderful chocolate aroma, feel the rich texture of gourmet chocolate goodies in your fingers.

Now that’s fun! And you’re all creating memories you’ll never forget, at the same time.

You Can “Do this at Home”

The Old Time Chocolate Cookbook I wrote shows how to make truly gourmet chocolate in your own home, using the tools you’ve already got. Without prior experience, anyone can create professional-quality results your friends will rave about. You’ll reveal out-of-the-ordinary chocolate expertise. All because you grasp the subtle differences of taste and texture between your gourmet concoctions, and what is sold at the store.

Learn tricks that the pros know. For instance, did you know you must NEVER introduce water into the chocolate during the manufacturing stage? A few drops of water will turn a pot of chocolate into the consistency of modeling clay. Why not try a recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving?

Chocolate Toffee

2 cups granulated sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup dark corn syrup

dash salt

½ cup whipping cream

½ stick (¼ cup) butter

Line an 8-inch baking pan with buttered foil. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Begin cooking over medium heat, lowering heat as candy thickens. Cook to 250 degrees F. Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Break into bite-sized pieces or cut and wrap in plastic film.

Check out other chocolate recipes, tricks, and lore from my book at

http://oldtymechocolate.com/home.php.

Dazzle your friends and family with your chocolate proficiency. It’s sure to raise your reputation, along with your social standing. Best of all, you’ll find yourself as welcome as the chocolate masterpieces you create. It’s all in knowing how.