Get 80% off your next AMA meeting! (Okay, that’s a total lie.)

But you will see Debbie Griesinger from The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City!

Retail is hurting. Consumer sentiment sucks. In this economy, you’d have to be completely nuts to open an outlet mall. But that’s exactly what Horizon Group Properties did in August of 2011. And the project was wildly successful.

General Manager Debbie Griesinger joins our March meeting to explain the strategy behind the opening of The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City. Debbie moved to Oklahoma City in July of 2011 to oversee the city’s latest, greatest retail development. Before entering real estate, Debbie received her Master's Degree in Museum Administration from William & Mary and spent ten years working with Historical Societies throughout the Midwest. She handled daily operations, marketing, membership, PR and research.

Don’t miss this eye-opening presentation from one of OKC’s rising stars. You’ll even buy-one-get-one-free admission! No, not really.

Where marketing success gets toasted.

Success is intoxicating. Almost as intoxicating as dry vermouth with a dash of olive brine. And that’s exactly what we’ll be sipping as we toast 2011’s best marketing during the First Annual Marketini Awards. Think of it as the Excellence in Marketing Awards on a three-day bender. This 60s-themed shindig would make Don Draper drool - and not from acute liver failure. They say marketing is all about generating buzz. At the Marketinis, there’ll be plenty of buzz for everyone.
 
Call for Entries: February 17th 2012 | Entry Deadline: March 9th 2012

Keep an eye out for information about entering, categories and pricing.

 Leave the post-game strategy analysis to the ESPNers, and we'll do what we do best — analyze some ads! All commercials for the big game sold out by January 2, 2012, at an average price of $3.5 million per thirty-second ad, by far the highest rate for Super Bowl Advertising in the event's history. A panel of Oklahoma City's finest marketers will discuss the best and worst Superbowl ads. The panel will include:

Dan Martel: Dan Martel was recently hired as the new senior vice president and chief creative officer at Saxum. Dan has 25 years experience in advertising and has worked with clients like ONEOK, Oklahoma Tourism and the Oklahoma Lottery. Martel started his career with the William Cook agency in Jacksonville, Fla., and worked on various projects for Saatchi & Saatchi, J. Walter Thompson and Tracy Locke. Before joining Saxum, Martel was vice president and chief creative director at Jordan Advertising.

Eric Bruno: Eric Bruno is the managing partner at Now What Research in Boulder, CO. Working at various ad agencies in NYC, Dallas, Chicago, and Boston gave Eric a chance to explore brands from Nike to British Airways, categories from coffee to cars, and clients from Pfizer to ESPN. Eric looks at every opportunity as a chance to learn or do something new.

Malena Lott: Malena Lott is a brand strategist at Athena Institute, a branding consulting firm she started in 2006. She's the author of several novels, and in 2011 started Buzz Books USA, an indie multimedia division, to publish stories in ebook, print and audiobook formats. She also produces and hosts "The Hive," a podcast to celebrate stories in film, television and books. She's branded nearly a hundred and fifty companies and products and is always looking for the next great story.

April Gonzalez: April Gonzalez serves as director of creative services at Chesapeake Energy Corp. Gonzalez has more than 20 years of retail marketing and advertising experience. Before joining Chesapeake, Gonzalez held several communications positions including Director of Marketing Communications for the New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets basketball team, Director of Advertising for Six Flags, Inc., director of marketing communications for SBC Wireless and various positions at Ackerman McQueen Advertising.

Tamara Stanley: Tamara Stanley is senior director of integrated marketing communications for the Oklahoma City-based national headquarters of SONIC®, America's Drive-In®. Named to her position in 2009, Stanley is responsible for leading a team of marketing professionals to identify the best methods to communicate key brand promotional messages to the customer. Stanley has more than 15 years of marketing experience. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as director of segment marketing at SONIC since 2006. She previously worked at Payless ShoeSource as brand manager on the kids’ and men’s brands.

Mandy Vavrinak: Mandy Vavrinak is a public relations and integrated marketing pro who sums up her mission for clients in just a few words: She finds and tells the stories of people,  brands, businesses and places. Socially savvy, bottom-line focused and fueled by lattes and chocolate, this mom of four knows how to dig deep, connect the dots for businesses and media, and use the power of our connected world to its best effect. She owns Crossroads Communications, LLC, a Tulsa-based integrated marketing company she launched in 2003 and she speaks nationally on the topics of Public Relations, Social Media, Integrated Media, and Economic Development.

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