• Upcoming Events
• Spring Membership Drive
• Letter from President-Elect, Nick Iannitto
• Call for Volunteers
• Emerging Marketing Open House

Be Sure to Sign Up for our Upcoming Events

Achievement in Marketing Awards Banquet
For years, awards programs have awarded out-of-the-box creative. Yet, marketing and consumer strategy have never been more important than they are today. AIM rewards what’s behind the creative: the behind-the-scenes strategy that creates awareness, customer attention and results. Because strategy is king. And results pay the bills. So celebrate with your colleagues, network with your peers and drink with your friends at the 2009 Achievement in Marketing Awards program. Be sure to register by May 8th to receive the early registration discount. For more information, please click
here.

May Business-to-Business SIG Meeting
Be sure to join us on Tuesday, May 19th for the May meeting of the B2B SIG. We are delighted to welcome Ms. Melissa Gutierrez, Vice President of Nationwide Better Health, as our guest speaker. Ms. Gutierrez will be sharing how Nationwide Better Health has managed the challenges of marketing during a down economy. B2B SIG Chair Steve Bell will also provide a short presentation of lessons learned from the Forrester Marketing Forum. The event is $5 for members, $15 for non-members.

Click here for more information on all upcoming events.

Spring Membership Drive: New Members Wanted!

Are you ready to join an outstanding professional association that will help propel your marketing career and save some money?

If you’re not already a member, consider joining the Columbus American Marketing Association during its Spring Membership Drive, now through June 10.

If you join during this drive:

• The $30 application fee is waived (member and chapter fees still apply)
• Receive a free $20 Prepaid MasterCard
• Get free access to a new members-only Webcast titled: Destination: Success. Taking Control of your Career in the New World of Work, featuring an expert panel versed in career trend

Through your membership in the American Marketing Association, you can take advantage of a multitude of resources to help you grow both personally and professionally:

• Hundreds of relevant marketing events, workshops, seminars and members-only activities are held locally, regionally and nationally to provide relevant information related to your profession.
• MarketingPower.com, the premier resource for news and information on the marketing profession, including publication archives, topical reviews and white papers, and directories of top companies in the marketing profession.
• Important connections and networking opportunities available through local chapter events, shared interest groups, and national meetings.
• Free Webcasts on the latest marketing trends and technology through MarketingPower.com.
• Discounted member rates for Columbus AMA Luncheons (A savings of $165 over the course of a year).
• Members receive 20 issues of Marketing News (a $100 value).
• Professional and academic members receive one free professional publication of their choice. Among the offerings are the Journal of Marketing, Marketing Management and Marketing Health Services (a $70 value).

Ready to join? Click here, then go to “Membership” and then “Click to Join.”

Letter from President-Elect, Nick Iannitto

If you listen to the media, there isn’t much reason to celebrate. We’re in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Unemployment is sky high. Those that have jobs fear losing them, along with their homes, and are buried in credit card debt. And the marketing department always gets axed when times are bad. It’s time to stop drinking the doom and gloom Kool-Aid and keep moving forward. The truth is now has never been a better time to be a marketer. The internet has exploded with opportunities, from Twitter to Facebook to every possible blog you can imagine. TV is becoming more interactive and integrated with technology from Google to really trace a consumer’s buying habits. As we
look ahead, Columbus AMA will be there for you every step of the way.

We’re going to bring the hottest speakers, the hottest companies and the hottest topics to keep you alive and well in 2009 and beyond. The latest marketing strategies will be available to you. The best opportunities to get you out of the unemployment line will be given to you. The high level contacts to increase business development opportunities will be found right here at Columbus AMA. All we ask is that you sign up to become a member.

We want to make this as painless as possible, so we’re going to slash $30 offer your initial application to Columbus AMA from now until June 11th. The membership will give you easy access to the educational and networking opportunities you seek. Plus, as a member you have free access to hundreds of webinars you can’t get any other way. We’re also going to give your personal or business bank account a little stimulus plan by reducing the cost of all events that Columbus AMA has for you, as long as you’re a member.

Yes, now is the time to be a marketer, and Columbus AMA will do its part by moving forward and giving you the arsenal of marketing knowledge and opportunity you’ll need to dominate in the industry. Your path of success starts by contacting our Vice-President of Membership, Alisa Nass to learn more about specific opportunities for volunteering.

I look forward to meeting you and can’t wait to help make this the best year for your career.

Warmest Regards,
Nick Iannitto
President-Elect
Columbus AMA

Volunteers Needed

We are always looking for enthusiastic people for the following committees:

• The Achievement in Marketing Awards
• Membership
• Professional Development
• Programming
• Communications
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
• Sponsorship
• Community Relations

Please contact Nancy Bohman to learn more about specific opportunities for volunteering.

Emerging Marketing 15th Anniversary and Open House

Fifteen’s not old. Not really. Not in most cultures, anyway. But in this business, with agencies folding every day, sticking around for a decade and a half is pretty exciting news. And since we’d never let a milestone like this go unrecognized, we’re throwing a party.

So come help us celebrate our 15th Anniversary and Open House.

We’re only inviting our favorite people: clients, friends, clients who are friends, and friends who are not yet clients. We’ll have plenty of food, plenty of drinks, lots of cool people to talk to, and we’ll be giving out special 15th-anniversary gifts. Come check out our new third-floor creative studio, play some foosball, or just hang out.

The party starts at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2009.

Visit www.360em.com for more details + directions to our event.

Please RSVP to fifteen@360em.com

Emerging Marketing
29 West Third Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201 / 614.923.6000