Software Council of Southern California

Five years ago, nobody knew what web logging was. Today there are an estimated ten-million blog sites! They have influenced our Presidential election, may have cost Dan Rather his job, and are now beginning to totally redefine the relationship between companies and their clients. Blogs represent an intimate, immediate, two-way relationship between a firm and the rest of the world that has never before been possible. The blogging phenomenon is so new that we are just beginning to understand how to use them as marketing tools, but there are firms that are already using blogs effectively to drive sales and maintain valuable customer relationships. On the other hand, blogs can also be a weapon that could destroy your brand or your entire company, and you may not even know about it until it’s too late.

This program will share some effective, real-world examples of various types of blogging techniques that will reach and move your audience. An industry expert will act as the moderator as well as overview the concept of blogging as a marketing tool. You will then hear what a panel of industry professionals suggest, and then hear from some companies about how they used blogs to cut through the clutter and reach their marketplace without spending the big bucks.

Panelists

Moderator: Phil Becker: Managing Partner for The Venture Group

About the Panel

Jason Cieslak, Executive Director, Interactive Media, Siegel & Gale
Jason's responsibilities include the oversight of Siegel & Gale's Interactive Media practice, which includes Interactive Strategy & Concept Development, Information Architecture & Process Simplification, User Experience Design & Development, Usability Testing, Content Strategy & Development, and Online Brand Training initiatives company-wide.

Since joining the firm in 1996, Jason has led a variety of interactive assignments including online strategies for Capital Research, Experian, Jiffy Lube, Mentor and StorageTek as well as user experience design and development for Countrywide, eBates, Ford, Rockwell and Transmeta. More recently, Jason has also managed initiatives for clients such as CureSearch, Lexus, Jiffy Lube, Nestle FoodServices, U3, and Sony PlayStation. Before managing interactive media assignments, Jason led brand strategy engagements for CB Richard Ellis, EMJ and StorageTek.

Prior to joining Siegel & Gale, Jason was the marketing director for Lee & Associates, San Diego. There he established a full-service marketing department that developed regional advertising, marketing collateral, standardized proposal systems, electronic presentations, and network support systems for the company's regional offices. He also led the company's corporate initiative to design and implement a database management system that seamlessly integrated a variety of databases among the company's 16 offices.

Jason is also a frequent speaker and panelist at industry and trade conferences and has been featured at Internet World, CTI Expo, PCIA GlobalXchange, and The American Marketing Association.

Jason attended the University of California, Riverside, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration.

Siegel & Gale is a leading strategic branding and internet consulting firm who has been helping clients define, de-commoditize, and dramatize the unique value of their brands for over 35 years. Clients include a wide range of organizations in the high tech, financial services, health care, and consumer product sectors, including Adobe, American Express, Boise, FileNet, Microsoft, Nestle FoodServices, Peregrine Systems, and Yahoo!

Chris Barnes: Business Development Manager for ExactTarget
Christopher Barnes has 15 years experience in helping corporations grow sales, retain clients, and improve profitability. Currently, Mr. Barnes serves as a Director of Business Development for Exact Target Email Solutions. Based in Indianapolis, Exact Target was voted by Forester as the number one technology solution for email marketing. Currently they have over 3000 clients and 300 agencies under annual contract. Barnes also co-founded a successful six year old Los Angeles interactive marketing agency where his clients benefited by his expertise in developing and deploying integrated marketing strategies. He was instrumental in acquiring key accounts such as Nissan Motors, Lexus, and 20th Century Fox. Mr. Barnes' insights into new marketing solutions help lead this company's drive into CD-ROM and web development. His duties included the development of strategic alliances and building and motivating a sales team to reach specified sales goals.

He previously worked for Ivy Hill a division of Time Warner, as a print salesman providing turnkey CD-ROM packaging and replication solutions for the Software Industry. His clients included Activision, Havas Interactive, Knowledge Adventure, and Sierra OnLine, among others.

Mr. Barnes is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. In his spare time, Mr. Barnes develops mentoring groups in the Los Angeles area. Mr. Barnes also speaks at trade shows and business schools by invitation on the subject of Interactive Marketing and Permission Email Strategies.

Eric Schwartzman: Managing Director, Schwartzman & Associates, Inc.
Eric Schwartzman is the former director of promotions at Rogers & Cowan. Schwartzman & Associates, Inc. was established in 1999 to offer technology, media and entertainment clients responsible, senior-level public relations counsel. With nearly two decades experience as a marketing professional on the client and agency side, Eric is a known advocate and early adopter of leading edge technologies, who hasn't lost the sight of basics. His Spinfluencer blog reports on how public relations, the news media and emerging technologies influence perception and shape popular opinion, and his “On the Record…Online” podcast features discussion with leading journalists about how they use technology to cover the news.