Alternative Brand Marketing takes center stage at the '09 American Advertising Federation Conference

Some of the world's best marketers will descend on Washington DC one week from today to talk about what's new in marketing. The answer? Seemingly everything!

As Brand Marketers begin their summer planning season they are faced with more challenges than ever:

-Consumers are shaken and aren't spending what they once did.

-Brands are not hitting their profit goals and are cutting marketing expenditures.

-Some of the strongest retailers in the world are getting stronger - gaining leverage over the brands

-Turnover is rampant as brands are firing their agencies & some agencies are firing their brands

And oh, lets not forget that now, more than ever in history, the ‘TRADITIONAL' marketing mix is changing. Not ‘changing' as in, just talking about it - now its really changing and the money is shifting.
This seems to be the most talked about topic in anticipation of the conference. So much so that a special session titled ‘Alternative Brand Marketing? Is there such a thing anymore"' will be held next Friday June 5th.

The panel will be moderated by Brian F. Martin CEO & Founder, Brand Connections and will include:

Paul Chibe, Vice President, North America, Consumer Marketing, Wm. Wrigley Jr.

Jon Gieselman, Senior Vice President, Advertising & Public Relations, DIRECTV

Eric Hirshberg, President, Chief Creative Officer, Deutsch LA

Ryan Schinman, CEO/President, Platinum Rye Entertainment

The American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation (AAF), headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as the "Unifying Voice for Advertising." The AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 40,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the country. Through its 225 college chapters, the AAF provides 7,500 advertising students with real-world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America. The AAF also has nearly 100 blue-chip corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies, comprising the nation's leading brands and corporations.