Turning It Up To 11
By Brian Blake
President, AMAOKC
As I was preparing to lead our chapter last spring, I met with our Board of Directors to put together a chapter plan. I suggested to them then that I wanted us to "Turn It Up To 11" in everything we did. "Maximum Effort = Maximum Reward," I said. I should have known this exceptional group of individuals would take it to heart!
Here are some of the things we have initiated, completed or dominated over the last 12 months:
- AMAOKC has renewed energy, and to reflect this shift, we felt a new logo was in order. It's bold, it's alive and it's awesome.
- A new, interactive website with blog, job listings, extensive calendar features, the ability to pay for luncheons online and a history of past events.
- A social media presence on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
- MofO Mashups - Each quarter, we honored one of our own as a "Marketer of Oklahoma" (MofO). AMAOKC partnered with other local professional organizations to make the events a great opportunity for networking.
- Fundraisers - In the fall, we donated to Infant Crisis Services. At Christmas, we helped the YWCA. In the spring, we raised over $2,500 for the family of Whitney Fleming.
- AMA Leadership Summit - Not only did we send three additional board members to the summit, our incoming president and president-elect each spoke during sessions about Programming and Special Events. That's right... OKC was nationally recognized again for programs!
- Collegiate events - Not one, but two phenomenal events this year. In the fall, we prepared the students for what the "real world" is like. In the spring, we took them on an "Agency Crawl." Both programs were a hit.
- We set a new record for sponsorships, both cash and in-kind.
- The Past-President's Council was founded and will be alive and kicking in the fall.
- Governor Mary Fallin declared the week of June 6 "Marketing Week" in the state of Oklahoma... Which happens to coincide with the AMAOKC's Excellence in Marketing Awards program on Thursday, June 9.
Of course, programming is the engine that drives our chapter, and one would be hard-pressed to find a broader range of speakers and topics than what the AMA OKC provided this year:
- Infant Crisis Services – Nonprofit marketing
- COOP Ale Works – Grassroots marketing
- HubSpot – Inbound marketing
- Blogging Panel Discussion
- OKC Barons - Sports marketing
- Superbowl Ad Review
- Mayor Mick Cornett - Marketing OKC
- MicroSoft – Marketing in Virtual Worlds
- Scott Townsend – QR Codes
What a year it’s been! Turn It Up To 11, indeed.
And this leads us to our last meeting of the fiscal year… The AMA OKC Excellence in Marketing Awards program on June 9. I’m looking forward to seeing what insightful, creative and results-oriented programs our members have worked on over the last year and to see who is crowned “Best of the Best”. This is always an impressive show.
I hope all our members and non-member friends will be able to join us to celebrate the marketing genius here inOklahoma City , meet the new board of directors and say a special thank you to the 2010-2011 board for Turning It Up To 11 and ripping the knob off. It’s an exciting time to be inOklahoma City … And an even better time to be a part of the AMA!
Brian Blake
Owner of B2 Design (The Marketing Department for Small Businesses) and the Director of Marketing for Robyn Promotions, this seasoned professional has over 15 years experience in all aspects of marketing and communications. He has served on the board of the OKC chapter since 2001.
