Transcript

Hi, I’m Hami Arrington, 2021-2022 AMA Houston president. I’d like to welcome you to the new board year and take a moment to introduce myself. I’m thrilled that you’re part of the AMA community. Without our members and attendees, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.

In addition to our monthly luncheons, happy hours, and Academies, we have a lot of exciting events and programs planned for this year including the launch of Co-Groups. These are small, community groups that provide a deeper human connection with like-minded professionals.

We’re also bringing back Marketing Edge, our one day conference. It’s happening this January and we’ll be covering the hottest topics with national level speakers.

AMA Gives Back will be putting on a fun Casino Night this spring. And, of course, the largest award show in Texas, the Crystal Awards will be back in full force this May.

To get all the information on all of these events, visit our website. As you can see, we’re hard at work serving you, our members. If you’d like to be on one of these committees and help out, send an email to Michelle Davis, our Director of Volunteers.

If you want to talk to me for any reason, send me a note at president@amahouston.org.

I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!

The post A Video Message from 2021-2022 AMA Houston President Hami Arrington appeared first on AMA Houston.

Guest post by Vlad Vidaeff, AMA Houston President-Elect

As a brand guardian, you have dedicated yourself to protecting your company’s brand by wielding the three branding swords: brand voice, brand assets, and brand values. This is a duty given to marketing professionals who have gained years of experience in brand management. Let’s imagine that you’ve joined a new company. Let’s also assume that branding is not an area of expertise for most in the company—including senior management. How do you ensure that your brand receives the respect and integration it deserves, company-wide? Let’s begin our training.

Establish the Foundation

One of the beauties of working for an organization is the wide breadth of skill sets and strengths that your coworkers bring to the table. If we all had the same strengths and weaknesses, the business would fail quite quickly. Depending on the size of your company, you may have a sizable chunk of your company that works outside of marketing. How do you reinforce the importance of brand guardianship to an audience that may not understand much when it comes to marketing? First, by setting the foundation.

Brand management, in a sense, is all about the long-term. Forgetting about your brand principles can lead to some short-term gains in some situations. But it will always come back to haunt you. Educate your coworkers by showing them what your audience cares about. What are their desires, pain points, and interests? Any time you can bring in numbers, whether through surveys you’ve conducted or focus groups, for example, you will only bolster your points. Reinforcement is key.

Create a Presentation

Reinforcement verbally makes an impact. However, crystallizing the importance of brand guardianship with clear examples and convincing language is just as important. Develop a presentation which is digestible and compelling. Explain what the three branding swords are and why they’re important. Put into perspective why it all matters—especially on the bottom line. Nothing speaks to the C-suite more than numbers. Set some time aside where you can present everything to key stakeholders and save some time for questions. They will appreciate your efforts.

Be Passionate

Wielding all three branding swords simultaneously takes expertise and grace. Three swords at once, in harmony, is no small feat. When solemnly taking your oath as a brand guardian, at times, you may face resistance. A lack of understanding. That is normal and do not let it sway you from your principles. Stay passionate and advocate for the importance of effective brand management. Your efforts will pay off in the long-term and make a significant impact on the effectiveness of your company’s marketing campaigns.

Wielding the three branding swords is not always a solo pursuit. Depending on the size of your marketing department, you may have some fellow warriors by your side. As a brand guardian, you have an honorable duty that you will embrace for many years to come. On to the battlefield!

Vlad Vidaeff serves on the board of AMA Houston as the president-elect. As a content creator, strategist, and leader, he specializes in areas of digital marketing including social media, email marketing, blogs, brand management, and web copy. With experience on both the agency and client side, Vlad has collaborated with companies in industries such as real estate, healthcare, retail, e-commerce, non-profit, hospitality, and professional services. He is an avid sports fan, a movie junkie, and a frequent live music goer.

To stay up-to-date on everything happening at AMA Houston, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram!

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Guest post by Rebecca Silva, Chair of Social Media

Where would I be today if it were not for having great mentors?

Anyone who knows me knows that everything I do in my career is authentic, from the heart, and with the intent of making the world a better place. In my role as Chair of Social Media for the American Marketing Association of Houston, it’s my job to communicate the value we offer the Marketing community to the external audience. The most important way for me to do that, is to offer my complete support to the AMA Houston Mentorship program.

Once upon a time, I was finishing college with a degree in Marketing with minors in Economics and International Business. No one in my family ever put any particular value on education or professional achievement. I hadn’t set out to prove anything or be different or do better than anyone. I just figured when you graduated from high school you went to college, and that was that.

At the time, the economy was in terrible shape. I snatched the first job in Marketing I could find, packed up a moving van, and headed to Houston, Texas. Thinking that I would succeed like I always had and go live my big girl life, it never occurred to me that it was too good to be true. The company I had moved for was seriously unethical and the job did not work out. Obviously, it was just a matter of time until I found a better paying job at a better company who would treat me like I was the most wonderful thing since sliced bread. Spoiler alert: that’s not how it happened.

Holding down three jobs and applying for every halfway decent looking job I could find, doing the best I could with what I had to work with, it seemed like it was never going to get any easier. Even when I did find a good starter job, I thought my whole career was always going to be an endless cycle of working so hard for so little and that it was all just a giant waste of time.

Enter: my mentors. I met one of my two mentors through a professional networking event, and one through a lucky encounter.

My former boss invited me to a networking event and introduced me to Mike in 2015, who did Marketing for an oil & gas filtration equipment company. Over the years, he and I got together occasionally and talked about Marketing, our careers, our lives… He was always there to give me advice and guidance on a problem at work, point me to a resource to improve my skills as a young marketer, or refer me to someone who could help me with an issue. We became great friends, but I wouldn’t have known a mentor from a marshmallow at the time.

During the 2017 World Series I walked past a gentleman in an Astros hat in a restaurant on the way to the restroom. I said “hey, nice hat!” and went on about my evening, but later he and I struck up a conversation about the Astros, our careers, our lives… That’s how I met Gary. He and I got together every few weeks thereafter, especially when I had a situation at work that I did not know how to manage. On more than one occasion he has helped me with projects and presentations for work. He always gave me the benefit of his experience, and the mentorship relationship is more clearly defined, though we are also good friends.

Mike and Gary are two of the most important people in my life. Whenever anything good or bad happens with my career, they are the first people I call. They are both my mentors in different ways, providing different intangible value from different perspectives. Having people in my corner, there to support me through my career path, who are genuinely invested in my success, has been invaluable in ways I did not understand until I progressed much further in my professional life. Nothing would be the same without their help.

My career is going better than I ever thought it would be at this stage. The work I do fulfills me professionally and personally. I’ve discovered what I love to do and am learning more each day on how to go further and further.

Young marketers need hands-on training and work experience to get to the next stage of their careers, but they also need someone they can trust backing them up. I implore every young marketer out there to find a good mentor, within the marketing community or outside of it, and accept their advice for their own good.

You may ask, what can I offer a mentor in return? The answer is that you can be successful. What a mentor gets out of the relationship is the benefit of passing on their knowledge and wisdom, and watching you do great things that they can be proud of.

The only warning I may give you, is to treat the relationship with respect, and every relationship is different.

Listen to what they have to say.

Honor their time.

Be gracious and thankful.

Communicate regularly.

Consider why they are investing in you.

Not every experienced marketer you meet will be interested in becoming a mentor, to you or anyone else. Rather than go search for someone you want to mentor you, as though you’re selling yourself as a mentee they didn’t know they wanted, focus on being the kind of young professional a good mentor would be interested in. As they say, when the student is ready, the master will appear.

It helps greatly when you know of someone that is looking for their future mentee to come up, which is where the AMA Houston Mentorship Program can help. We know how to help a mentor and mentee start off on the right foot and spark up a great relationship. There is no better way to get on the fast track to a successful future.

The post The Right Mentor Can Make the Difference in Your Marketing Career appeared first on AMA Houston.

This month we’re recognizing our Mentorship Program Chair, Shanthi Subramanian, as Board Member of the Month. We’d like you all to get to know her a bit better.

Shanthi, what’s your real-life Marketing Job?

I’m a Marketing Strategist at EY.

Why do you volunteer for AMA?

I value the opportunity to connect with and learn from the best marketers in the city. AMA members are my go-to community for when I am looking for a resource to get my job done, network and build my career. I am lucky to have many of the board members as my friends.

Will you share a hobby or something you enjoy doing outside of work and AMA?

I love to hike and currently have a goal to hike every state park in Texas. 

If you’d like to know more about the Mentorship program Shanthi chairs for AMA Houston, you can learn more here.

The post Meet our August Board Member of the Month- Shanthi Subramanian appeared first on AMA Houston.

We learned a lot from Dr. Stephen Klineberg, founding director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, and Edelman Houston’s Roxanna Ulrich.

We also recognized Penny Todd Scholarship recipient, Ana Paola Torres, a marketing major at the University of Houston.

We hope you can join us online for next month’s lunch.

The post Pictures from our August 2021 Lunch appeared first on AMA Houston.

AMA Scholarship Honors the Late Penny Todd, a Marketing Visionary, Past AMA Houston President

HOUSTON – MARCH 8, 2021 – AMA Houston, the leading educational information, career-building, and networking resource for Houston’s marketing professionals, today announced that Ana Paola Torres, a marketing major at the University of Houston, is the recipient of the 2021 Penny Todd Scholarship. Torres will receive $5,000 to continue her studies.

“To be selected as the 2021 Penny Todd Scholarship recipient is such an honor,” Torres said. “It is also really special that this is a marketing scholarship. I am passionate about marketing, particularly about understanding people, cultures, and behaviors. As a leader and member of AMA-University of Houston, I have enjoyed working with and meeting other marketing students, and I am thankful to AMA Houston for this opportunity.”

Entering her senior year, Torres is looking forward to being back on campus after a year spent attending class and extracurricular activities virtually because of COVID-19.“

This year, everything has been online—classes, AMA, and even my work as a social media specialist. I love meeting new people and can’t wait to have that opportunity again,” she shared.

This past year, Torres served as Director of Corporate Relations for the AMA, University of Houston chapter, and worked to build and maintain relationships between companies and the chapter. In addition to her marketing studies, Torres works as the marketing manager of Spa World overseeing all of their social media and online marketing. After graduation in 2022, Torres plans to attend graduate school ideally in another country to pursue her passion for different cultures and lifestyles.

“The pool of Penny Todd scholarship applicants were again impressive this year representing the talented marketing ecosystem in Houston,” said 2020–2021 AMA Houston President Emily Rhodes. “We are proud of Ana Paola Torres, the outstanding work she has already accomplished and will undoubtedly go on to do. You represent the future of marketing that Penny Todd championed. Congratulations from the entire AMA Houston Chapter.”

Penny Todd was a visionary leader in the Houston marketing community and made a huge impact on the future of marketing. Her belief in the powerful and important role marketers play in business and society is central to AMA Houston. As the 2007–2008 president of AMA Houston, Penny tenaciously sought ways to support marketing students and non-profit marketers by launching the AMA Houston Gives Back Program. After her passing in 2016, in an effort to honor Penny and build on her philanthropic vision, AMA Houston established the Penny Todd Scholarship, awarding more than $26,000 to deserving marketing students since.

The scholarship is open to Houston-area undergraduate college students studying marketing or a related field and is funded by corporate and individual donations made year-round. Donations are accepted on the AMA Houston website.

About AMA Houston
AMA Houston is the leading educational information, career-building, and networking resource for Houston’s marketing professionals and has been serving marketing professionals for more than 60 years. AMA Houston is one of the nation’s largest chapters and a repeat Chapter Excellence Award winner including a Silver winner in 2019. To learn more about the AMA or to join Houston’s largest marketing professional organization, visit https://www.amahouston.org/

MEDIA CONTACT:
Carrie Ward, PR for AMA Houston, media@amahouston.org, 832-407-5347

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Camila and I am a Senior at the University of Houston-Downtown. I am a marketing major and have a passion and love for marketing that I discovered in my last years of high school. I initially discovered this because I was very into fashion, and later got exposed to the “business side” of fashion where I discovered the power of marketing and all of the intricate details that come into putting a campaign together and executing it. 

In addition to being a student, do you also have a professional job?

I do also work. I am currently working in the Student Activities department at my university. I run the Instagram page!

Why did you decide to apply for the AMA scholarship?

I decided to apply for the AMA scholarship because I had been involved with AMA for a while and it was going to be very difficult for me to continue developing professionally by being involved in school as much as I was. With my passion for marketing and being so close to AMA as a student, I was encouraged to apply to the scholarship.

How has the scholarship impacted you?

The Penny Todd Scholarship has made a huge impact on my education. I’m grateful for the scholarship because it has helped me pay for my education as opposed to me having a full-time job that would prevent me from being involved in the student organizations I am so lucky to be a part of. I am able to continue to focus on my professional development, community and civic engagement, and other things that have been a huge contribution to my growth, that I would have otherwise had to let go of this school year. 

Can you share any advice with students who are planning to apply for scholarships?

The advice I would give any student who is planning to apply for the scholarship is to showcase your passions, skills, and experiences in a way that is unique to you. You, more than anyone, know your potential, your strengths, and the things that make you authentic. Don’t be afraid to be different and be proud of all that you have accomplished and experienced. Stay true to yourself, your goals, and your happiness by following the things that give you a purpose, that inspire you, and that continuously empower you to grow and be authentic.

You could be the next Penny Todd scholarship winner. Check out the online application to find out eligibility criteria and more. 

You can make a lasting difference in a student’s life by making an individual contribution to the Penny Todd scholarship fund.

This year, the application window will close on May 14. Thank you for your support!

To stay up-to-date on everything happening at AMA Houston, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram!

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When TikTok was made globally available in 2018, it was generally perceived by United States users as somewhere for Gen Z teenagers and some Millennials to make silly videos as a way to get attention. It seemed outrageous to many that the platform was valid enough to be worth a billion dollars and would likely never have any serious applications for businesses to successfully market their brands. This is an effusion of the longstanding and long-lamented respect and culture gap of perceived superiority by older generations, to which they are entitled to believe, but to which no one else is required to subscribe. The notion that today’s young people are addicted to technology, lack proper social skills, expect too much from companies, and cannot communicate professionally is reflective of how every generation since the beginning of time has criticized its successors.  

In reality, the ripple effect of the Gen Z population in the workforce is expediting the rate of adoption of technology across the board that advances loyalty to brands that reach consumers and other businesses through authenticity. Such a shift in marketing practices has been on the rise for a decade as businesses have had to become more creative with their messaging and show more of their organizational philosophy to engage with their primary target markets. A TikTok “star” can arise from thin air by doing something fun on the platform and elevate to global celebrity status overnight.

Nathan Apodaca was longboarding to his job, having a few sips of Ocean Spray juice on his way when he decided to make a TikTok video because, why not? People started emulating his activity, bringing Ocean Spray major publicity and brand awareness. Now he has a new truck, a house, sponsorships, and a huge following for future activity. The audience identified with Apodaca’s video in a way that resonated to bring notoriety to the platform and resulted in a completely changed life for Apodaca.  

TikTok user _taintedlyric_ began by posting videos of himself in different hats and different personas, sharing goofy moments of his family, singing, and other silly, fun things. Why? For the same reason every TikToker TikToks. One day, a soldier sent him a letter explaining how he was so appreciative of Tainted Lyric’s content for helping him get through the personal challenges of his deployment. He even wanted Tainted Lyric to have a patch that he had won during his service. Tainted Lyric was floored by the gesture and made a special, authentic, non-branded post in hopes of reaching this soldier to thank him. The change in depth of these messages is staggering and speaks to the value that TikTok has to offer the world.  

TikTok allows people to elevate their everyday life stories. That is valuable to businesses that want to reach real people who will be advocates for what they believe in. When brand values and personal values align, an opportunity arises for the brand and the influencer to collaborate. Ready or not, this shift in marketing strategy has arrived.

Rebecca L. Silva serves on the board of AMA Houston as a director for the Job Forward Group and has been an AMA Houston member for six years. Employed by STEM staffing firm Computer Futures, Rebecca carries out authentic branding and marketing strategies to raise the standard of acceptable transparency and service in the technology industry.  She holds an MBA in Management & Strategy, and a BBA in Marketing. Her inspiration to write this piece came from her desire to provide unemployed marketers with a competitive edge in the changing landscape of professional marketing, as related to social media and content strategies.  

To stay up-to-date on everything happening at AMA Houston, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram!

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Today, we turn our attention to Ray Smith. Ray Smith holds a degree in Audio Engineering from MediaTech Institute – Houston. He has a huge passion for helping businesses reach and grow their audience using podcast-based interviews. In 2018, he co-founded Speakerbox Media, a full-service podcast production company that helps B2B businesses launch, edit, and manage their podcasts. He is a book, coffee, and hip-hop enthusiast, a proud introvert and lefty, and can be found creating something new every day.

1. Tell us a little bit about you! What work do you do, and where do you work?

I’m an Executive Producer and Managing Partner at Speakerbox Media, a full-service podcast production company specializing in helping B2B businesses launch, edit, and manage their podcasts. 

I’m married to my beautiful wife Sarah, and we have a spoiled Miniature Schnauzer named Tyson. We recently moved to Downtown Houston from the tiny city of Rosenberg,, where we both met and grew up.  

2. What is the most fulfilling part of your work? Or, what do you enjoy most about the work that you do?

It might sound cliché, but I love to hear my clients say WOW when they hear their podcast back for the first time. My team and I put a lot of effort and energy into bringing their stories to life through our work. Every podcast is a journey and a process that takes a lot of time and energy. So, seeing their wide-eyed grins, laughter, and over-the-top excitement is beyond fulfilling to me.   

3. Has there been a significant experience you have had that has impacted your journey to this point?

Simply put, it took a long time to build confidence in an industry where, at times, I was the only person of color in the room. I haven’t always felt respected or seen as an innovator or creative. However, along the way, I have met some amazing people who believed in, valued, and supported me from the beginning. Jason Pizzitola of Pizzitola Design Co. and Terri Hoffman of Marketing Refresh have been massive pillars of support for myself and my business. They have helped me break through many barriers and roadblocks that I’ve faced as a new business owner, from negotiating high-level contracts to organizing my business assets. I’m light years ahead of where I should be, thanks to them sharing their knowledge and experience with me simply because they wanted to see me do well. 

4. As a Black marketing professional, what is the most important message that you would choose to share with your industry at large?

You can’t have diversity in any organization until you have diversity within its leadership. The people making the decisions should look like the people who are impacted by those decisions. Inclusion isn’t just about placing more people of color in advertisements but also allowing them a seat at the table of decision.  

5. Who/what motivates and inspires you?

I grew up in an area where I didn’t see many people of color making an honest living outside of basketball and hip-hop. I want to be a role model for the next young creative kid like myself. I was an introverted kid, often playing by myself, building, creating, or learning something new. I didn’t fit the mold of my environment, and I know that there is a kid out there struggling to find their place in the world because they don’t either. There is so much creativity and talent that goes unnoticed, undeveloped, and unseen simply because people of color are underrepresented. That’s what motivates me to get up every day and do the work that I do. I want to show up as myself every day, contribute to creating meaningful work, and be part of breaking down these barriers for people of color. 

You can further connect with Ray here:

Email

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

It is our hope that by highlighting just a small fraction of the stories of Black marketing professionals in our communities, you are encouraged and inspired to hear more stories from people from all walks of life. We are all better when we make sure that the voices that surround us are diverse in perspective, experience, and story.

The History of Black History Month, Revisited:

In September of 1915, Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-educated historian and minister Jesse E. Mooreland created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). In 1926, The Association for the Study of Negro Life & History designated the second week in February as National Negro History week. This week was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. As the popularity of Negro History Week began to grow among colleges and was fueled by the Civil Rights Movement, Black History Month was designated by President Gerald Ford in 1976. The tradition of designating and  celebrating Black History Month has been continued by every US President since, with each  year’s celebration holding its own theme.

Catrina Ballard is an entrepreneur who believes that connection is at the heart of significant progress and accomplishment, professionally and personally. She is a Team Coach who consults with businesses to improve employee communication, culture, and retention through the company she owns, Happy Teams. Catrina has a diverse professional background that includes experience in the fields of counseling and psychology, higher education, and entrepreneurship, which give her a unique perspective and approach to her work. Catrina holds a M.S. Ed. From Baylor University in Educational Psychology and is an Enneagram 4. She is a huge sports junkie, hates scary movies, and genuinely values your story.

To stay up-to-date on everything happening at AMA Houston, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram!

The post Black History Month Feature, Black Marketing Contributions (Part II) appeared first on AMA Houston.

AMA Houston Opens 2021 Crystal Award Nominations

10 New Categories Added; Limited Capacity In-Person Gala Planned on May 19 for Crystal Awards’ 35th Anniversary

HOUSTON – MARCH 8, 2021 – AMA Houston, the leading educational information, career-building, and networking resource for Houston’s marketing professionals, today announced that 2021 Crystal Awards entries are now being accepted through April 16, 2021. 

“For decades, the Crystal Awards have given the Houston marketing community a reason to celebrate our craft,” said Emily Rhodes, AMA Houston President. “This year we all deserve to look back and congratulate ourselves for all wins, big and small. In fact, we know some of the best marketing came out of plans that COVID-19 upended so the Crystal Awards team created a new category called the Resiliency Award. AMA Houston wants to celebrate you and can’t wait to see all of the amazing marketing from 2020.”

In the more than 90 award categories are 10 new options including Virtual Conference or Gala; Political Marketing; Account-Based Marketing; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and more. To learn more and to enter outstanding work from 2020 in marketing, advertising, web, social media, public relations, and communications, visit www.crystalawards.org.

Finalists will be announced on May 5, 2021, with winners honored at the 2021 Crystal Awards Gala on May 19 at the famed Armadillo Palace. This year, AMA will celebrate diversity and resiliency with an outdoor event that includes live entertainment and the awards show. 

“After a year of virtual events, we are ready to have a safe in-person gala for this year’s awards. While in-person capacity will be limited, we‘ve planned an engaging virtual component for our marketers joining the party online,” said Rhodes. “We’ll be celebrating the beauty of Houston’s diversity including the cuisine, live entertainment, and flourishing business landscape, which have all given rise to a creative and thriving marketing community. Houston marketers, dust off your boots for a fantastic celebration of the Crystal Awards’ 35th year.”

Partnership opportunities are available at a variety of levels. Learn more about this once-a-year opportunity to gain visibility in front of the city’s top marketers at https://crystalawards.org/partners/.

About AMA Houston
AMA Houston is the leading educational information, career-building, and networking resource for Houston’s marketing professionals and has been serving marketing professionals for more than 60 years. AMA Houston is one of the nation’s largest chapters and a repeat Chapter Excellence Award winner including a Silver winner in 2019. To learn more about the AMA or to join Houston’s largest marketing professional organization, visit https://www.amahouston.org/

MEDIA CONTACT:
Carrie Ward, PR for AMA Houston, media@amahouston.org, 832-407-5347

The post AMA Houston Crystal Award Nominations Press Release appeared first on AMA Houston.