Promo Power 2003: Insights on using promotions as a strategic marketing tool

As the marketing world continues to evolve, the role of promotions has moved from a tactical afterthought to a core strategic platform. As budgets tighten, smart marketers want to measure their return on investment rather than blow their money on branding and advertising efforts that do not tie back to sales.

To help marketers identify and negotiate with partners and increase the impact of promotional marketing programmes, a two-day workshop(September 10-11, 2003) with four internationally renowned speakers and three Indian experts, has been organised in Delhi by Kidstuff Promos & Events. To be held at Intercontinental Park Royal, in Nehru Place, Delhi, this workshop will provide key information on how to think about promotions differently.

In his workshop, Russell Weiner, director, marketing, Pepsi Cola - North America, will outline his "Think Big - Win Big" process. He will demonstrate how the technique works for smaller budgets and share the working of one of the biggest promotions of the year in the US - Pepsi's Play far a Billion - where consumers play for a billion dollars live on television. The only catch is, they have to match their wits with a chimpanzee.

On his part, Bill Carmody, chief marketing officer, Seismicom, a top brand promotions agency in the US, will share his experiences on various promotions he has worked on. He has spearheaded marketing efforts for clients such as Netscape, Microsoft, Visa, AT&T, Boeing, AOL, Oracle and Pfizer. He has conducted strategic workshops for internationally renowned companies such as Pfizer and Visa as well as top US organisations such as Promo Magazine, Institute for International Research, and the Promotion Marketing Association.

As is evident, the purpose of this workshop is to pinpoint specific marketing and sales methods and ideas that can fit a particular corporate style and its marketplace. There are tons of real ideas used by real companies.

In line with this goal, Betsy Spethmann, senior editor of Promo Magazine since 1996, will take the audience through a comprehensive study of the best promotional campaigns of the year - what set them apart and what made them winners. Dawn Baskin , account director at Zipatoni, one of the largest promo agencies in the US, will unravel Gen Y trends in the US and how they relate to India.

The presentation of international case studies will be rounded off with a panel discussion with three Indian experts who will share their Indian experiences to bolster the case for consumer promotions. © 2003 agencyfaqs!