Atlanta's Marketing Center

Where is Mobile Phone Technology Going?

If you're like me, then you see mobile phones as marketing devices that can deliver strong messages to your customer and prospect bases. 

There's a mobile technology event planned (called "The Future of Wireless Communications") that will attempt to shed some light on the directions developing along with practical applications.  The event will attempt to answer such questions as:

-When will we have control over key elements of buying and using their mobile phone?
-Where is mobility really going?
-Is it a phone or a TV set?
-What opportunities still exist for entrepreneurs?

Join the MIT Enterprise Forum as Moderator Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal, and cellular thought leaders including Ralph de la Vega, President, ATT Mobility; Phillip Alvelda of MobiTV; and Braxton Jarratt of Clearleap all share their perspectives on the developments.  Here's the information and signup for the event-

When: Monday, November 24th, 5:45 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Location: Studios of Georgia Public Broadcasting, 260 14th Street, NW,Atlanta, Georgia 30318
Cost: $25-$45; register at website here.

Atlanta Lawn Care at its Best

True, there are a lot of professional lawn care specialists in the Atlanta area...but none are better than the folks at Stop-n-Stare.  Headquartered out of Stone Mountain, the company has significantly grown largely due to old-fashioned hard work and dedication.

The company's owner/operator, William Fogel, has been in the business before college and has continued the work his brother started back in 2002.  I don't know about you, but just a few years ago, it was easy to find lawn care specialists who charged a lot and didn't seem to offer much back (I had a problem with a fertilizer specialist who fit this profile).

You won't have the same problem with Stop-n-Stare.  As Atlanta lawn care professionals go, you can't go wrong.  Visit their website at www.stop-n-stare.com to learn about all their services and give them a try.

Another Social Media Event

Here are some questions that have become more pressing in the small/mid business arena lately. Perhaps you've already asked yourself these-

- MySpace and Facebook …why have they become so important to so many people?

- Word of Mouth Marketing: Are people chatting about MY brand? What are they saying? And can I actually influence what they think about my product?

- How should we harness social media, viral and word of mouth (WOM) to impact consumers and build our brand?

In case you can't make the Trevelino Keller Social Media event tomorrow, you still have hope. The AMA (American Marketing Association) Atlanta is going to have a special event on this hot social marketing topic on Thursday, November 20th from 11:15a – 2p @ The Mansion on Peachtree.

The event is simply called "Social Media and Viral/Word of Mouth Marketing" and they're bringing out all the 'big guns' for it. Included on the panel will be-
1) Mike Haines, Director of Advertising, Facebook
2) Julie Saxon, Director of Advertising, MySpace
3) Joe Gallagher, Vice President/Multi Media Sales, The Wall Street Journal/ WSJ.com
4) Tracy Frank, Director of Advertising, BzzAgent
5) Ashley Quincey, Director of Business Development, Mzinga

 The objective is to learn about the best practices for deploying effective marketing programs from top properties in this field so that you can achieve your brand’s goals and objectives. I encourage you to sign up for it. Below is the meeting information and link-

What: AMA – Atlanta Chapter Next Generation Marketing luncheon

Topic: Best Practices for Marketing through Social Media Communities and Viral/Word of Moutt

When: Thursday, November 20, 2009, 11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Where: The Mansion on Peachtree… 3376 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30326

Click here to sign up

Form vs. Function

In the marketing and advertising world, there's a range of thought which follows any creative vocation ... form versus function.  Generally speaking, marketing is more about "function" and advertising heavier on the "form". 

What this means is that marketing is more concerned about the utility...whether or not what you're doing is producing the desired effect.  Advertising on the other hand, is more concerned about how it looks...whether something is attractive, alluring, stylish.

Large companies have a marketing department as well as an advertising department, with the marketing group generally setting a plan and directing.  Mid-size companies might have a marketing director or manager that outsources advertising work to an ad agency.  Smaller companies (5-50 employees) have a choice to make.  Typically at that level they don't have a full-time marketing manager nor advertising resource...and so they probably need to outsource this work.

For these companies I would suggest finding a resource that can bring both elements ... marketing and advertising to the table.  Generally marketing consultants have an advertising resource that they can bring but I've found that advertising agencies don't necessarily have a marketing connection.  How does your firm operate?