American Marketing Association

Yesterday I spoke at the American Marketing Association conference in Atlanta, with content from my book about building brand experiences.

What an experience! I had a ball.

The conference was filled with marketing executives, market researchers, agency partners, and valued suppliers -- one person more insightful and intelligent than the next.

The key note speeches were amazing, the best I've heard quite honestly at a conference. And the networking events were just that - networking events. Everyone was so eager to meet each other, there were no clusters of people hanging with their own posses. We were all there to meet each other and share experiences.

I spent a lot of time talking about "need vs. want" and how that's what distinguishes a product from a brand. We need products, but we want brands. I need a cup of coffee in the morning to get me going, but I want a Starbucks. Can't always explain why, it's the emotional connection that consumers make with a brand that creates that want. It's up to the marketers to create that emotional connection through a compelling brand experience. Ahh, the magic of marketing.

You can read about my presentation here, where a marketing blogger covered my content almost word for word. So appreciate that!

After my presentation, I did a few video interviews both alone and with another author. That was great fun -- I'll post them as soon as they go live.

My message to you? Attend industry conferences! You can learn so much, and you get to meet so many interesting people. We all traded business cards and twitter handles, so I know we'll stay in touch.

I always say that marketing is a team sport - just proved it to myself this week!

What's your experience? Jim