Advertising Week: Day 1

I’m so thrilled to be attending the eighth annual Advertising Week here in NYC.  As a story person, I LOVE conferences, guest speakers, and panels.  The “slice of life” and perspective they offer can be so inspiring and fortifying.

Due to the hour-long process to attain my badge (seriously!), I only attended one panel– Moms & The New Zeitgeist– which offered fascinating perspective on the mom demographic from the SVP of Marketing at Walmart, a Today Show producer, and more.  The panelists stressed the importance of engaging and keeping the dialogue rolling.  The issue is not so much creating the message, but getting the message through to moms whose time and focus are generally spread thin.  The other key takeaway is the value of the authentic message.  ”Moms are not all the same!” said working mom/panelist Katherine Wintsch, founder of the Mom Complex.  Walmart’s Tony Rogers also mentioned referred multiple times to the Old Spice Guy campaigns, as well as my favorite Walmart spot (see below) as efforts that aim to infuse authenticity into the message.  This sentiment can also be applied to social media– don’t slam them with posts but take the time to interact and engage.

I’m looking forward to the Best Places to Work Luncheon and 7×7 tomorrow!  Stay tuned.

– Carrie Knfiic