Are You Ready for the 00s to be Over?
Karen Albritton
2009/2010 Triangle AMA President

Last week’s Time Magazine proclaimed the last ten years as the “Decade from Hell.” When you think back on the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack that started the decade and the economic meltdown that ended it, you can understand why there might not be much fondness for the “aughts.”

What a tumultuous decade for marketers. We started out with a cold dose of reality brought on by the dot-com bust and vowed never to be sucked in by irrational exuberance only to have the rug pulled out from under us when the brick and mortar housing market collapsed. Amidst the economic turmoil, we have seen the traditional marketing channels like advertising and direct marketing be forever changed.

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November Meeting Recap: Creating the Blackberry Tribe
Meredith McMillian

The November luncheon featured Paul Kalbfleish of Blackberry speaking about Building the Blackberry Tribe. The event drew a great crowd, over 130 guests and was moderated by Alan Quarry of Quarry Integrated Communications. Paul Kalbfleish, VP of Creative Marketing, has been with Research In Motion (RIM) for over nine years. He is in charge of injecting personality into the brand, selling the brand, and making it a part of a consumer’s life.

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December Luncheon: How to Brand a State: Building the North Carolina Brand

With so much to offer our state has earned the destination as one of the Top 10 most visited states in the USA. The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development offer marketing and promotional programs to bolster our state’s economy. From leisure travel, group tours, meetings and conventions, sports and film production; North Carolina’s vast beauty, scenic byways, historic relevance and culture makes our state a prime destination.

Lynn Minges is the Assistant Secretary of Tourism, Marketing, and Global Branding for the North Carolina Department of Commerce and provides leadership and strategic direction for the state’s tourism, film, sports, and wine industries while marketing the state as the preferred location for domestic and international business. Lynn will explain how the state’s brand represents everyone’s interest within the state and how it helps secure our future in North Carolina. The brand of the state includes its strategy, history, development, adaptation and relevance.

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Member Recognition

The following members are recognized for their contributions to the chapter.

Meredith McMillian
Meredith has been a key volunteer helping with several chapter events and functions over the past few months. She volunteered her time to staff the chapter's booth at the recent Internet Summit. As a member of the PR Committee, Meredith has assisted with generating awareness of chapter events and achievements with local media. Also Meredith has authored several blog posts on chapter meetings and other events of interest in the Triangle. The board recognizes Meredith for her dedication and assistance with these important efforts and thanks her for her time and effort. Meredith is a Consultant with Arex Corp., a Japanese PR firm.

Marissa Keller-Gusman
Marissa is the driving force behind the newly formed Technology Marketing Special Interest Group (SIG). A member of the Newsletter and Social Media Committee over the past year, Marissa expressed her interest in starting the SIG and last month she held the first meeting. The SIG meets the second Thursday of each month in RTP at Syncfusion, Inc. where Marissa is the Marketing Manager.

Troy Knight
Troy serves as Vice President of Sponsorships for the Triangle AMA board. A new board member this year, Troy has been active signing up new sponsors and maintaining relationships with existing ones. Troy also was able to negotiate sponsorships with the Internet Summit and Social Media Business Forum creating registration discounts for members. Troy is the Managing Director of Design & Gaming for Vaco, LLC. Congradulations to Meredith, Marissa and Troy for their hard work!