One day of love, happiness, and word of mouth
An absurdly intense, thrilling experience
The Word of Mouth Crash Course is a mix of intense training, a rock show, and a family reunion. You’ve never been to a conference like this before.
You’re going learn from the legends who are leading the word of mouth movement and you’re going to get a hand cramp from all the ideas you write down. You’re going to learn simple, practical, hands-on techniques you can use the next day. You should also expect a live band, fake moustaches — and who knows, maybe someone will blend a rake again.
Our promise: You’ll use what you learn to get more business the very next day, without spending money.
Get simple, hands-on advice from people who’ve really done it. This is a practical, you-can-do-it, blow-your-mind-with-results kind of day.
Make it work for you with real-world case studies from companies just like yours. Make it work with no budget — just brains, vision, energy, and a compelling reason for people to talk about you.
You’re going to learn how love and happiness bring in more customers. And we guarantee you’ll feel lovelier and happier when you get more sales while spending much less on marketing.
Why is it just a one-day conference?
Because we’re going to blow your mind, man.
Because you are going to be so energized, so empowered, so excited to do what you learn — there’s no way you’ll be able to sit still for a second day.
You will run out of this meeting and plan your first big word of mouth campaign. You’ll do it the next day. It’ll be simple, easy, and cheap.
And you’ll get more customers. Immediately. And then you’ll do it again. A little bigger. And again. A lot bigger.
And then you’ll be bringing in more customers for free, every day, because your fans will tell their friends how much they love you.
12 How-To Classes
Simple, hands-on lessons on essential word of mouth skills
How to work with influential talkers
Jake McKee, Ant’s Eye View
Identify influencers and inspire them to talk about you.
How to join conversations about your brand
Jason Duty, Dell
Respond and participate when people start talking about you.
How to create buzzworthy topics
John Moore, Brand Autopsy
Make irresistible, sharable ideas worth talking about.
How to deal with negative word of mouth
Rick Murray, Edelman
Turn around negative buzz and defend your reputation.
How to inspire word of mouth with customer service
Rob La Gesse, Rackspace
Earn trust and generate referrals through amazing service.
How to measure word of mouth
David Rabjohns, MotiveQuest
Track, measure, and learn from your word of mouth.
How to get people talking offline
Geno Church, Brains on Fire
Get people talking in the real world. (‘Cause it’s not all about social media.)
How to get great reviews
Ian Strain-Seymour, Bazaarvoice
Get your fans to post more and better reviews.
How to be amazing in social media
Dave Kerpen, Likeable Media
Use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social tools to start conversations.
How to create word of mouth on zero budget
Saul Colt, FreshBooks
Tips and techniques to create buzz with brains, not bucks.
How to create a fan community
Spike Jones, WCG
Build long-term, sustainable word of mouth communities.
How to stay ethical and out of trouble
Andy Sernovitz, WordofMouth.org
Earn the trust and respect of your talkers with honest word of mouth marketing.
Jake McKee
Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Ant’s Eye View
Before co-founding Ant’s Eye View, Jake was the Global Community Relations Specialist for the LEGO Company, where he spent five years on the front lines of customer-company interaction, specifically working to change the way the company thought about and engaged with their most loyal fans and customers.
Jake has a rich background in customer collaboration, online communities and fan groups, web development, community management, and product development. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in traditional product design.
John Moore
Marketingologist at Brand Autopsy
John Moore believes passion and a sense of purpose fuel successful brand messages, whether delivered via a product, a service, or an experience. His background includes a decade working deep inside the marketing departments at Starbucks Coffee and Whole Foods Market.
Today, John operates the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice, a consultancy helping businesses focus on marketing with authentic passion. John is also the author of two business books: Tribal Knowledge, a business management book, and Tough Love, a business book masquerading as a screenplay.
Rob La Gesse
Director of Social Media at Rackspace Hosting
Father of two, mother of none. Rob has lived across the globe. He has moved back to San Antonio more times than most people move. Now he’s here to stay (so he says!) Rob loves fixing things, which explains his backgrounds in medicine, software quality assurance, and customer care.
Rob now heads up social media efforts at Rackspace. His passion is taking care of customers and he goes to great lengths to do so. From passing out his home telephone number on Twitter, to working around the clock to find customer solutions — Rob is what Fanatical Support is all about!
Geno Church
Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer at Brains On Fire
Geno Church is the Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer at Brains on Fire, but he considers himself more of a pathfinder for the firm’s clients. He’s walked down the path with Fiskars Brands, Best Buy, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the American Booksellers Association, Charleston Parks and Conservancy, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, Love146, and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement).
He likes uncovering the DNA of sustainable word of mouth movements. He’s spoken around the world at places such as the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), American Marketing Association (AMA), and the World Africa Customer Management.
More information about Geno
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Dave Kerpen
CEO at Likeable Media
Dave Kerpen is the co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word of mouth marketing firm. Dave’s book, a New York Times Best Seller, is Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook and Other Social Networks.
Dave is proud of his Likeable business accomplishments, but even more proud of his wife and business partner Carrie and two daughters at home in New York, Charlotte and Kate.
More information about Dave
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Spike Jones
Group Director of Engagement at WCG
Spike Jones was born in Dallas, Texas. Not that you should care, since Spike will never ask you where you’re from, either. The career path goes something like this: Baylor University; a decade at Brains on Fire; SVP of the Customer Experience team at Fleishman-Hillard; and now Group Director, Engagement at WCG.
Spike’s background includes strategic development – from insight to creative execution – of word of mouth programs (both online and off) and social media campaigns for companies including: USAA, AT&T, General Motors, Chevrolet, Dagger Kayaks, Yakima, Fiskars Brands, BMW, Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement), Best Buy, and Gatorade.
Spike also spent a decade at Brains on Fire, helping it grow into one the most sought-after and well-respected word of mouth companies in the industry. In addition, he is a co-author of the book Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable Word of Mouth Movements.
More information about Spike
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Jason Duty
Director of Global Social Outreach Services at Dell
Jason Duty is currently the Director of Dell’s Global Social Outreach Services (SOS) organization and has been at Dell for 12+ years.
Jason has a passion for helping Dell’s customers succeed in their personal and business endeavors, and he’s spent the bulk of his career at Dell in roles that allow him to stay close to his customers and in tune with their needs. It is honestly the best job he’s ever had.
Outside of work, Jason loves to travel (especially to the beach), the outdoors in general, and catching some awesome shows in Austin, TX, the live music capitol of the world.
Rick Murray
President at Edelman PR
Rick’s principal areas of expertise include brand positioning, digital marketing, social business strategy, word-of-mouth marketing, and influencer engagement. Today, he provides strategic and creative counsel to many of Edelman’s top global accounts including RIM, SC Johnson, Pepsico, Groupon, Dairy Management, Humana, and Abbott Labs.
In June 2010 Rick was appointed President of the firm’s Chicago office. Today, Edelman Chicago is the largest PR operation in the Midwest and home to more than 600 people, each of whom are proud to help a wide range of local, national, and multi-national clients with smart, results-driven Consumer Marketing, Corporate Affairs, and Health, Technology, and Digital initiatives. Since joining Edelman in 2001, he has served as General Manager of Edelman’s Diversified Services unit; President of me2revolution (a pioneering social media lab); and President of Edelman Digital, a business that now represents some 15% of Edelman’s global fees.
Rick has previous experience as Executive Vice President of GolinHarris International; and as President of two leading experiential and sales promotion agencies, Motivation Media and The Promotion Network. He started his career in sales and marketing roles at Ocean Spray Cranberries, and then moved to Pepsi-Cola Canada where he directed national marketing efforts for Brand Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and 7-Up.
Rick is a frequent speaker and media spokesman on social media, social networks, word of mouth marketing, and the future of communications. He sits on the Board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, curriculum advisory boards at Auburn and Georgetown Universities, and has been a guest lecturer to undergrad and graduate-level students at leading academic institutions in the US, Canada, and Europe. He holds a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Vermont.
An avid cyclist, amateur chef, and garage-band musician, Rick lives in Northfield, IL with his wife Lea and occasionally, one or more of their three daughters.
David Rabjohns
CEO at MotiveQuest
David Rabjohns is the CEO of MotiveQuest, a social intelligence company.
MotiveQuest uses “Online Anthropology” software to help companies create new products, improve their marketing, and measure their success. Key clients include: Microsoft, Kraft, Novartis, and Audi.
Prior to starting MotiveQuest in 2003, David was the youngest ever account planning EVP at Leo Burnett. David has also worked in marketing and strategy positions at IBM (UK), PepsiCo (Aus), Saatchi & Saatchi (UK), and McConnaughy (US).
David enjoys sailing, racing cars, and travel (he once rode a motorcycle from Sydney to London). He spends his spare time wrangling his two boys, James and Hugh.
Ian Strain-Seymour
Client Partner & Social Commerce Strategist at Bazaarvoice
Ian has been working in the online industry for more than 13 years. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, he led the client services team at Apogee Search, a search and social marketing consultancy. As a special assignment at Apogee, he led the Search Marketing team at Austin vacation rental start-up HomeAway. His focus was helping put a robust SEO measurement and forecasting program in place as well as resolving duplicate content issues caused by acquisitions.
Trained as an architect, Ian attended Georgia Tech’s Master’s of Information Design Technology program, one of the first programs in the country to combine practical hands-on design and development education with a theoretical approach to the emerging worlds of the internet and multimedia.
He split his time creating a taxonomy for an online catalog for Siemens Energy and Automation and working with the Performance Technology Research Lab. This experience led to a role at Macquarium, where he led the Strategic Information Planning team, responsible for strategy, business requirements, information architecture, and user experience.
Frustrated at the lack of good data to assist with strategy and design decisions, Ian made the leap to web analytics by moving to Coremetrics and Austin, TX in 2004. This provided an opportunity to dive deeply into web analytics.
A frequent speaker at conferences, Ian has spoken on web analytics, social media, and SEO at conferences in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Saul Colt
Head of Magic at FreshBooks
Saul Colt is the Head of Magic at Saul! – The Idea Integration Company. Recently named as one of the iMEDIA 25: Internet Marketing Leaders & Innovators, he’s been called Canada’s best community builder/experiential marketer. Even Chris Brogan once referred to Saul as “exactly who you want representing your company.”
In a previous life, Saul was the person who launched Zipcar into the Canadian marketplace, helped grow FreshBooks.com from 250,000 customers to 4.5 million, and even knows what it is like to work for a large corporation from his time in a leadership role at Rogers Communications. Saul loves all people — especially women — and is tired of people asking him to remove his shirt.
Andy Sernovitz
CEO at SocialMedia.org and WordofMouth.org
Andy Sernovitz teaches word of mouth marketing.
He’s the leader of the word of mouth movement, which teaches companies to earn the respect and recommendation of their customers. He’s passionate about marketing ethics and travels the country teaching companies how to be nicer to people.
He runs SocialMedia.org, the community for social media leaders at the world’s greatest brands, and WordofMouth.org, where marketers and entrepreneurs learn to be great at word of mouth marketing.
Andy taught word of mouth marketing at Northwestern University and internet entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business, ran a business incubator, and started half a dozen companies. He created the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and the Association for Interactive Marketing.
More information about Andy
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
12 Real-World Case Studies
Word of mouth success stories from great companies
Discovery Communications
Kristen Variola shares the top 10 ways they get fans excited both online and offline about their hit show Cake Boss.
Maker’s Mark
Doe-Anderson’s Todd Spencer takes us behind the scenes of Maker’s Mark’s legendary ambassador program.
Threadless
Cam Balzer on how they inspire the Threadless community to create such amazing art and share it with the world.
Noodles & Company
Nick Filler explains how they created so much buzz and excitement around a new menu item using a T-shirt and a Sharpie.
WindsorONE
Craig Flynn, Brian Bunt, and Emily Albinski share what has and hasn’t worked during their mad scientist attempts to make lumber go nuclear!
Don’t Mess With Texas
GSD&M’s Tim McClure walks us through how they created one of the most talked about advertising campaigns of all time.
Headsets.com
CEO Mike Faith on how his company grew from zero to $30 million in 10 years by earning the respect and recommendation of their customers.
Movember
Kory Klem explains the tactics and tools that helped them raise over $100 million for men’s health in just 30 days.
Costco
Robin Ross on how Costco creates a million little topics that continue to drive their long-term word of mouth.
Domino’s
Ramon De Leon on how he engages in the non-stop conversation about his brand.
Boeing
Todd Blecher on how Boeing finds and builds on existing buzz to create fantastic word of mouth.
Louisville Slugger
imc2′s Mark McKinney on how Louisville Slugger got a whole city in on a scavenger hunt (and how they helped the whole world witness it.
Cam Balzer
CMO at Threadless.com
Cam Balzer has been making it up as he goes since he jumped onto the interwebs in 1995.
Coding sites led to marketing the sites. Marketing led Cam to search, where he collaborated with clients and early advertising teams at Google, Yahoo, and MSN to deliver more than just relevant clicks. Demanding clients led Cam to social marketing, where the opportunity to truly engage people with amazingly infectious products led him to Threadless where he is currently Chief Marketing Officer.
Craig Flynn
President and CEO at Windsor Mill
Self-proclaimed sales methodology Kool-Aid drinker, Craig has worked with sales organizations across industry, including building materials, software start-ups, hotels, and outdoor apparel and gear. Craig is a certified Miller Heiman Facilitator, WOMM Supergenius speaker, and has been invited to Seth Godin’s “In My Office” meeting.
Craig is CEO at Windsor Holding Company — a manufacturer of trim boards and moldings with 400 employees and manufacturing plants in California, Virginia, and Chile.
Brian Bunt
Director of Marketing at Windsor Mill
Are people talking about you? Brian’s passion is creating talk worthy topics and campaigns. Along the way he has been a speaker at Word of Mouth Supergenius Conference and a talker for Power Messaging & Power Positioning. Brian is an experienced student of WOMM and Miller Heiman sales methodologies. He is currently Director of Marketing for Windsor Holding Company and a partner in The Empty Bin dot com.
Emily Albinski
Design & Brand Strategy at Windsor Mill
Are people getting the right impression? Emily creates unique and memorable images to convey key messages. She has won various accolades for her work, among them: Top prize for LG’s “Design the Future” competition, a collaborative cover feature of ID’s Emerging Talent issue, and a degree from RISD’s European Honors program.
Emily is currently the chick-in-charge of Design & Brand Strategy at Windsor Holding Company and a partner in The Empty Bin dot com.
Mike Faith
CEO/President at Headsets.com
Mike Faith is a serial entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Headsets.com, Inc — America’s largest retailer of headsets. Headsets.com has made three appearances on the Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies list and was twice voted as one of the best places to work in the Bay Area.
Mike started www.reservedinners.com, which holds dinners for celebrities with 100% of the proceeds going to charities. Recent guests of honor have included Sir Richard Branson and General John Abizaid. Mike is a vegan, a chess player, and a Segway polo player.
Robin Ross
Senior Director of Corporate Marketing at Costco
Robin Ross started with Costco in 1993 as refund cashier in Alberta, Canada. Through those 19 years he has held numerous positions in the company in marketing at the store level and the past 11 years at the Regional and Corporate level.
Currently the Senior Director of Corporate Membership and Marketing, Robin is responsible for Costco’s member acquisition and retention, marketing and social media.
Todd Spencer
President & CEO at Doe-Anderson
A true strategic thinker, Todd has always understood the fundamental importance of developing ideas that connect and establish meaningful relationships between consumers and brands. It’s that keen understanding, along with his relentless energy and passion, that has led him to become only the sixth president in Doe-Anderson’s 94-year history.
During his 17 years at Doe, Todd has played a key role in developing breakthrough and effective marketing campaigns for national and international brands. His contributions have helped the agency to expand its client roster with wins on such accounts as Morton’s, Shoney’s, Wendy’s, Papa John’s, Texas Roadhouse, Kohler, National City Bank, Humana, Inc., and additional brand assignments for Beam Global Spirits & Wine.
In his current role as CEO, Todd leads the agency’s entire operation, integrating teams across all disciplines including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, relationship marketing, digital, strategic planning, and media.
Nick Filler
Marketing Manager at Noodles & Company
Nick Filler is currently a Marketing Manager for Noodles & Company, which is all about serving high quality food, fast. It was founded in 1995, by Aaron Kennedy who thought, “Every culture does noodles differently, so why not take the best from each and put them all under one roof?”
Nick has been with Noodles & Company for over two years, and focuses on building the brand through meaningful local restaurant marketing, national promotions, sports sponsorships, and media. Prior to joining Noodles & Company, Nick enjoyed his life in Guam where he worked on a tourist resort and later relocated to Australia to import and redistribute Italian-made coffee machines. Slowly, he ventured back home to Colorado and joined the Fast Casual restaurant marketing world where he served for over four years with Qdoba Mexican Grill and had various marketing roles with the Colorado-based restaurant company.
Over time, he has grown to love the term “marketing guy” and most frequently introduces himself this way (in the proper context, of course). That description means something different to everyone, just like the definition of marketing itself. You can find Nick on the slopes, at an ice rink playing hockey, or frantically planning the bands he’s going to see at the Coachella music festival.
Todd Blecher
Communications/Social Media Director at Boeing
Todd Blecher is a Communications Director in Boeing’s corporate office. He is helping lead the company’s use of digital communications strategies and tools. That effort includes Boeing distributing content through www.boeing.com, www.youtube.com/boeing, www.facebook.com/boeingstore, www.flickr.com/theboeingcompany, @boeing, @boeingairplanes, @boeingdefense, @boeingjapan, and even Sino Weibo.
Blecher has been with Boeing for 14 years, holding media relations positions in Commercial Airplanes, Defense & Space, and Government Operations as well as his current assignment. Prior to joining Boeing he was at Bloomberg News, where he established the organization’s first full-time Pentagon beat. He holds a master’s degree in International Transactions from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Penn State University.
Tim McClure
President & Founder at Mythos Legends / MindMeld Alliance
Tim McClure is a 21st Century legend builder.
In 1971, Tim was one of five University of Texas at Austin graduates who founded GSD&M, one of America’s most successful advertising agencies. GSD&M’s blue chip clients include Southwest Airlines, PGA TOUR, Goodyear, AT&T, Zales, John Deere, Marshalls, AARP, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, ACE Hardware, L.L. Bean, Pulte Group, and the United States Air Force.
In 2001, Tim launched Mythos Legends, a Brand Invention, Evolution, and Legacy company. Mythos has designed the Flagship Fleet of custom jets for Southwest Airlines, created evolutionary branding for Austin: City of Ideas; and recently invented H2Orange — the first purified Texas water that funds academic scholarships for students attending The University of Texas at Austin.
In 2010, Tim launched MindMeld Alliance, a virtual alliance of innovators and collaborators that provide 21st Century solutions to a client’s most challenging marketing problems – from corporate innovation and collaboration strategies to live+mobile+online marketing and social media strategies. MindMeld’s battle cry echoes its bold core purpose: Virtually anything’s possible.™
Tim is a self-described ideanthropist. One of his notable pro bono ideas was naming SafePlace, the merger between Austin’s Center for Battered Women and Rape Crisis Center. Ideas are Tim’s passion.
Kory Klem
Digital Strategist for Movember
As a Digital Strategist for Movember, Kory focuses on mobile, social media, and digital media strategies and partnerships for the world’s leading men’s health charity.
Prior to Movember, Kory served as the General Manager for DECA TV’s men’s network, where he created, launched, and ran community-driven properties such as the Webby award-winning Project Lore. Before DECA TV, Kory was the Director of Content for online video site Revver where he sourced content deals across the digital media landscape with partners ranging from studios to industry-leading individual producers.
Kory began his career working in technology and business development for various startups and agencies in San Francisco. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame.
Ramon De Leon
Maketing Mind at six Chicago Domino’s Pizza stores
In 1986, Ramon De Leon started with Domino’s Pizza in Chicago as a pizza delivery driver.
Twenty-six years later, Ramon is the marketing mind of a six-store Domino’s Pizza franchise in Chicago. His career has also given him the opportunity to work in Mexico as a Business Development Consultant for Domino’s Pizza ’93-‘97. “Extreme passion” and “high energy” are words that best describe his love for the pizza business.
Ramon has been using social media for his business since before the word existed. AOL Instant Messenger was his micro-blog long before Twitter was invented. When Facebook was closed to the general public, Ramon connected with customers in photos and groups.
Ramon was recently awarded “The Chicago Social Media Person of The Year Award” by The Chicago Social Media Marketing Group. His social media strategies were highlighted at Gravity Summit Harvard and streamed live on CNN.com. Domino’s Pizza franchisees around the world seek his social media advice. Ramon’s creative uses of social media and enthusiasm have made him a sought after speaker.
More information about Ramon
Video Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn
Mark McKinney
Chief Strategy Officer at imc2
Sure, you don’t have to have a Ph.D. in psychology to do well in the marketing industry, but as Mark has proven over and over—it sure doesn’t hurt. Especially if you want to help brands completely rethink their approach to connecting with people and breathe new life into the industry.
With a Ph.D. in psychology and a profound love of great, sometimes quirky and always soulful music, Mark is uniquely suited to his role as our chief strategy officer. One part scientist relentlessly experimenting and learning from his studies and observations, and two parts creative genius, crafting inventive solutions for challenges big and small, Mark is always thinking, working and playing with the idea that you can make something better — better for people and better for brands. And he uses his decades of experience to lead our strategy team in creating win-win solutions for clients and their consumers, including Procter & Gamble, Dannon, EMD Serono, and Booz Allen Hamilton, amongst others.
When not leaping tall buildings and keeping the world safe for marketing, you can find Mark at the keyboard where he has authored over 100 published articles in the scientific and lay press, as well as book chapters on the effects of stress on health.
6 Brilliant Authors
Small-group discussions about the big ideas in word of mouth
Bob Pearson
About Bob
Pre-Commerce: How Companies and Customers are Transforming Business Together
Jeanne Bliss
About Jeanne
I Love You More Than My Dog: Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad
Steve Farber
About Steve
The Radical Leap Re-Energized: Doing What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do
Greg Link
About Greg
Smart Trust: Creating Prosperity, Energy, and Joy in a Low-Trust World
Rohit Bhargava
About Rohit
Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action
Rob Fuggetta
About Rob
Brand Advocates: Turning Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful Marketing Force
Bob Pearson
Chief Technology & Media Officer at WCG
Bob Serves as Chief Technology and Media Officer for WCG, a leading independent global communications company.
Bob has a unique combination of social media, marketing, and communciations skills acquired during nearly 25 years at three fortune 500 companies and a major consultancy. He was most recently Vice President of Communities and Conversations at Dell Inc, where he was responsible for developing an industry-leading-approach to the use of social media, as highlighted in Groundswell.
Before joining Dell, Bob worked for Novartis Pharmaceuticals as Head of Global Corporate Communications and as Head of Global Pharma Communications, where he served on the Pharma Executive Committee. Prior to Novartis, Bob was the President of the Americas for GCI and was responsible for creating and building the firm’s global healthcare practice. He was previously Vice President of Global Public Affairs & Media Relations at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi-aventis) and worked at CIBA-Geigy in both communications and field sales.
Bob is a frequent speaker and blogger on social media and his thoughts can be found at the Common Sense blog at www.wcgworld.com. His team has been featured in numerous books and case studies related to their rapid adoption of social media techniques to improve how a company operates internally and externally. His new book, Pre-Commerce, is now available.
Bob has served on a variety of Boards, including CancerCare, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America, and the Dell Foundation. He currently serves on the digital advisory board for Procter & Gamble and serves as an advisor to emerging technology companies, such as www.myedu.com, www.milyoni.com, and www.uservoice.com. He was also past chair of The Emerging Technology Fund Committee for the State of Texas.
Jeanne Bliss
Owner at CustomerBLISS
Jeanne Bliss began her career as a customer service pioneer reporting to the President of Lands’ End, building and developing its landmark customer experience and culture. She then went on to serve as the Chief Customer Officer at Allstate, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker, and Mazda Corporations, reporting to the CEO as the “human duct tape” to unite the silos. In 2006, her book Chief Customer Officer; Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action was published, and immediately became a best seller, creating a roadmap and read by more than 50% of all newly minted customer focus executives.
She is now the president of the consulting firm CustomerBliss, with clients including AAA, Johnson and Johnson, Costco, and Symantec. Jeanne coaches executive teams, lectures around the world, and is frequently quoted by major media. Her second book, I Love You More than My Dog: Five Decisions that Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad, is one of Inc. Magazine’s ten books for business owners, a Business Week best seller, and has most recently been nominated for Best Small Business Book of the year.
More information about Jeanne
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Steve Farber
President & CEO at Extreme Leadership, Inc.
Steve Farber is the president of Extreme Leadership, Incorporated, and the founder of The Extreme Leadership Institute, organizations devoted to the cultivation and development of Extreme Leaders in the business community, non-profits, and education. His third book, Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson In Leadership, was a Wall Street Journal® and USA Today® bestseller. His second book, The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change the World, was hailed as “a playbook for harnessing the power of the human spirit.” And his first book, The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership, is already considered a classic in the leadership field. It received Fast Company magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award and was recently named one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time. His newest edition, The Radical Leap Re-Energized: Doing What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do, is in bookstores now.
In 1989, after having run his own financial services company, Farber devoted his professional life to the field of leadership development and has been at it ever since. He was Director of Service Programs at TMI, an international training consultancy, and then worked for 6 years as Vice President and Official Mouthpiece (that’s what it said on his business card) of The Tom Peters Company where he met several of his mentors including author/gurus Tom Peters, Jim Kouzes, and Terry Pearce.
In 2000, Farber established his own company, Extreme Leadership, Inc, where he is President and CEO. He is also the Co-founder of The Center for Social Profit Leadership, a non-profit organization formed to serve the leadership development needs of social entrepreneurs, and served as Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors of the world-renown, Up With People, a global leadership program for students from 18 to 29 years old.
Coaching and inspiring Extreme Leadership at all organizational levels is Steve’s passion, and he does so with a style that is part strategist, part social commentator, and all energy.
More information about Steve
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Greg Link
Speaker, Co-founder, & author at CoveyLink
Greg Link is Co-founder and Leader of The Global Speed of Trust Practice, a fast growing leadership consultancy committed to influencing influencers to grow their careers and their organizations at “The Speed of Trust.”
A recognized authority on trust and business growth, Link orchestrated the strategy that led Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” to the number one best selling business book of the 20th century according to CEO Magazine, selling over 17 million copies in 38 languages. “The Speed of Trust” is also a global success, #1 Wall Street Journal best seller, and is already translated into 22 languages.
He has taught “Principle-Centered Leadership,” “The Speed of Trust,” and advised executives at numerous leading enterprises, including Boeing, the U.S. Navy, Sony, Chevron, IBM, Microsoft, and many other well-known organizations.
More information about Greg
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Rohit Bhargava
SVP of Global Strategy & Planning at Ogilvy
Rohit Bhargava is a marketing expert and leading voice on how to bring more humanity back to business through social media and storytelling. Rohit is a founding member of the world’s largest team of social media strategists at Ogilvy, and is currently a member of the Global Strategy & Planning group at Ogilvy. He has written nearly 1000 pieces of marketing advice on his personal blog Influential Marketing (including first introducing the idea of Social Media Optimization – SMO) and still wishes he had more time to blog!
Rohit is the best selling author of Personality Not Included, an actually useful (gasp!) book about how to effectively build a brand personality which has been translated into 9 languages. His writing and ideas have been featured in media globally including Fast Company, Inc, PRWeek (UK), MarketingChina, New York Times and other suitably impressive places.
He teaches marketing at Georgetown University and is a frequent “non-obvious” keynote speaker at business events like the World Communication Forum in Davos and TEDx on topics such as creativity, storytelling, business trends, social media, and why marketing is no longer like feeding a baby. Rohit’s second book called Likeonomics will be published globally in May of 2012.
More information about Rohit
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Rob Fuggetta
Founder & CEO at Zuberance
Rob is the driving force behind Zuberance’s vision and strategy. He founded Zuberance in February 2007 because he saw a major opportunity for companies to harness the power of Word of Mouth and social media to drive sales. As CEO, Rob is ultimately responsible for all aspects of Zuberance’s business including product, engineering, operations, customer success, and sales and marketing.
Rob is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley who has played a leadership role in three start-ups including Genuity, which went public in June 2000. Rob was formerly a partner at Regis McKenna Inc., the legendary Silicon Valley marketing and communications firm, where he co-led the global Apple business.
More information about Rob
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Keynote: Colleen Barrett
President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines and co-author of “Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success”
Learn how to inspire employees to earn love from customers and forever change your business from author and former Southwest Airlines President Colleen Barrett.
In this eye-opening and inspiring presentation, Colleen will share the big ideas from her book, Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success.
She’ll talk about what “love” really means for your company, why leading with love isn’t “soft” management, and how to establish a vision and culture that believes in love and sustains it.
About Colleen
Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success
Colleen Barrett
President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines and co-author of “Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success”
Colleen C. Barrett is currently President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines Co., a high-frequency, low-fare, point-to-point airline which prides itself in its excellent Customer Service qualities.
Prior to stepping down as the Company’s President on July 15, 2008, she oversaw management, Leadership, and budget responsibilities over the following areas/groups: the Senior Vice President Marketing (Marketing, Sales & Distribution; Online Marketing; Revenue Management & Pricing); the Senior Vice President Corporate Communications (Pass Bureau; Emergency Response; Public Relations & Community Affairs; Community Relations & Charitable Giving; Employee Communications; Legislative Awareness); the Senior Vice President Chief People & Administration Officer (People [Human Resources]; Leadership Development & Training; Manager in Training programs; University for People; Performance Reviews; Talent Development; Onboarding Program); the Vice President Customer Relations & Rapid Rewards; the Vice President Labor & Employee Relations (Labor & Employment Law; Employee Relations; FMLA/ADA; Labor Relations & Negotiations); the Vice President Reservations; the Director Corporate Security; and the Executive Office Staff. She was also a member of the Company’s Executive Planning Committee, and she chaired numerous special Teams, task forces, and committees relating to Internal and External Southwest Customers. Recently, Colleen co-authored with Ken Blanchard the book Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Success (2010).
Prior to joining Southwest (in 1978), she worked for several years as an Executive Assistant to Herb Kelleher (Southwest’s former Executive Chairman) at his law firm.
For Southwest Airlines, she served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2001 to May 2008 and as Corporate Secretary from March 1978 to May 2008, and she served as Vice President Administration from 1986 to 1990; Executive Vice President Customers from 1990 to 2001; and President from 2001 to July 2008.
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Agenda
Your minute-by-minute guide to the Crash Course
Track 1 |
Track 2 |
Track 3 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30am | Registration, breakfast &, networking | ||
| 8:30am |
Introduction Welcome to the Word of Mouth Crash Course! |
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| 8:50am |
Love or Marketing? How Word of Mouth Will Save Your Brand Andy Sernovitz, author of “Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking” and CEO, WordofMouth.org Your brand isn’t what you say it is — it’s what people tell their friends it is. Word of mouth marketing is the art of creating a company that people love to talk about. When you earn passionate fans who promote you out of love and not for money, you’re rewarded with customers that do your marketing for you, for free, forever. |
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| 9:20am | Switch Rooms! | ||
| 9:35am |
How to work with influential talkers Identify influencers and inspire them to talk about you. |
How to create buzzworthy topics Make irresistible, sharable ideas worth talking about. |
How to create word of mouth on zero budget Tips and techniques to create buzz with brains, not bucks. |
| 10:05am | Switch Rooms! | ||
| 10:15am |
How to get people talking offline Get people talking in the real world. (‘Cause it’s not all about social media.) |
How to be amazing in social media Use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social tools to start conversations. |
How to create a fan community Build long-term, sustainable word of mouth communities. |
| 10:45am | Snack and make friends | ||
| 11:15am |
How to join conversations about your brand Respond and participate when people start talking about you. |
How to deal with negative word of mouth Turn around negative buzz and defend your reputation. |
How to measure word of mouth Track, measure, and learn from your word of mouth. |
| 11:45am | Switch rooms! | ||
| 11:55am |
How to get great reviews Ian Strain-Seymour, Bazaarvoice Get your fans to post more and better reviews. |
How to inspire word of mouth with customer service Earn trust and generate referrals through amazing service. |
How to stay ethical and out of trouble Andy Sernovitz, WordofMouth.org Earn the trust and respect of your talkers with honest word of mouth marketing. |
| 12:25pm | Lunch break: 20 minutes to eat lunch and head to the keynote | ||
| 12:45pm |
Keynote Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines and co-author of “Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success“ Learn how to inspire employees to earn love from customers and forever change your business from author and former Southwest Airlines President Colleen Barrett. |
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| 1:15pm | Switch rooms! | ||
| 1:30pm |
Author Discussion: Bob Pearson Pre-Commerce: How Companies and Customers are Transforming Business Together |
Author Discussion: Steve Farber The Radical Leap Re-Energized: Doing What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do |
Author Discussion: Rohit Bhargava Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action |
| 1:30pm |
Author Discussion: Jeanne Bliss I Love You More Than My Dog: Five Decisions That Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad |
Author Discussion: Greg Link Smart Trust: Creating Prosperity, Energy, and Joy in a Low-Trust World |
Author Discussion: Rob Fuggetta Brand Advocates: Turning Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful Marketing Force |
| 2:00pm | Switch rooms! | ||
| 2:10pm |
Case Study: Noodles & Company Learn how a restaurant specializing in noodles dishes created excitement around their summertime salad. They created a buzz worthy campaign with a T-shirt and a Sharpie. |
Case Study: Maker’s Mark Learn how Maker’s Mark built up their legendary ambassador program. |
Case Study: Threadless Learn how Threadless inspires its community to create such amazing art and share it with the world. |
| 2:40pm | Switch Rooms! | ||
| 2:50pm |
Case Study: WindsorONE Craig Flynn, Brian Bunt and Emily Albinski Learn what’s worked and what hasn’t worked during WindsorONE’s world-wide quest to make lumber hotter than your iPhone. |
Case Study: Discovery Communications Learn the top 10 ways Discovery Communications is getting fans excited about their hit show Cake Boss. |
Case Study: Don’t Mess With Texas Learn how GSD&M created one of the most talked about advertising campaigns of all time. |
| 3:20pm | Snack and make friends | ||
| 3:50pm |
Case Study: Headsets.com Learn how Headsets.com grew from zero to $30 million in 10 years by earning the respect and recommendation of their customers. |
Case Study: Movember Learn how Movember created a movement that raised over $100 million for men’s health in just 30 days. |
Case Study: Costco Learn how Costco creates a million little topics that continue to drive their long-term word of mouth. |
| 4:20pm | Switch rooms! | ||
| 4:30pm |
Case Study: Domino’s Learn how Domino’s engages in the non-stop conversation about their brand. |
Case Study: Boeing Learn how Boeing finds and builds on existing buzz to create fantastic word of mouth. |
Case Study: Louisville Slugger Learn how Louisville Slugger got a whole city in on a scavenger hunt (and how they helped the whole world witness it). |
| 5:00pm | Happy Hour at the AT&T Center, sponsored by OMI with PR Newswire, Bizo, and Kenshoo Social. 
 |
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Jake McKee
Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Ant’s Eye View
Before co-founding Ant’s Eye View, Jake was the Global Community Relations Specialist for the LEGO Company, where he spent five years on the front lines of customer-company interaction, specifically working to change the way the company thought about and engaged with their most loyal fans and customers.
Jake has a rich background in customer collaboration, online communities, and fan groups, and Web development, community management, and product development, and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in traditional product design.
John Moore
Marketingologist at Brand Autopsy
John Moore believes passion and a sense of purpose fuel successful brand messages, whether delivered via a product, a service, or an experience. His background includes a decade working deep inside the marketing departments at Starbucks Coffee and Whole Foods Market.
Today, John operates the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice, a consultancy helping businesses focus on marketing with authentic passion. John is also the author of two business books: Tribal Knowledge, a business management book, and Tough Love, a business book masquerading as a screenplay.
Rob La Gesse
Director of Social Media at Rackspace Hosting
Father of two, mother of none. Rob has lived across the globe. He has moved back to San Antonio more times than most people move. Now he’s here to stay (so he says!) Rob loves fixing things, which explains his backgrounds in medicine, software quality assurance, and customer care.
Rob now heads up social media efforts at Rackspace. His passion is taking care of customers and he goes to great lengths to do so. From passing out his home telephone number on Twitter, to working around the clock to find customer solutions — Rob is what Fanatical Support is all about!
Geno Church
Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer at Brains On Fire
Geno Church is the Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer at Brains on Fire, but he considers himself more of a pathfinder for the firm’s clients. He’s walked down the path with Fiskars Brands, Best Buy, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the American Booksellers Association, Charleston Parks and Conservancy, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, Love146, and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement).
He likes uncovering the DNA of sustainable word of mouth movements. He’s spoken around the world at places such as the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), American Marketing Association (AMA), and the World Africa Customer Management.
More information about Geno
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Dave Kerpen
CEO at Likeable Media
Dave Kerpen is the co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word of mouth marketing firm. Dave’s book, a New York Times Best Seller, is Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook and Other Social Networks.
Dave is proud of his Likeable business accomplishments, but even more proud of his wife and business partner Carrie and two daughters at home in New York, Charlotte and Kate.
More information about Dave
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Spike Jones
Group Director of Engagement at WCG
Spike Jones was born in Dallas, Texas. Not that you should care, since Spike will never ask you where you’re from, either. The career path goes something like this: Baylor University; a decade at Brains on Fire; SVP of the Customer Experience team at Fleishman-Hillard; and now Group Director, Engagement at WCG.
Spike’s background includes strategic development – from insight to creative execution – of word of mouth programs (both online and off) and social media campaigns for companies including: USAA, AT&T, General Motors, Chevrolet, Dagger Kayaks, Yakima, Fiskars Brands, BMW, Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement), Best Buy, and Gatorade.
Spike also spent a decade at Brains on Fire, helping it grow into one the most sought-after and well-respected word of mouth companies in the industry. In addition, he is a co-author of the book Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable Word of Mouth Movements.
More information about Spike
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Jason Duty
Director of Global Social Outreach Services at Dell
Jason Duty is currently the Director of Dell’s Global Social Outreach Services (SOS) organization and has been at Dell for 12+ years.
Jason has a passion for helping Dell’s customers succeed in their personal and business endeavors, and he’s spent the bulk of his career at Dell in roles that allow him to stay close to his customers and in tune with their needs. It is honestly the best job he’s ever had.
Outside of work, Jason loves to travel (especially to the beach), the outdoors in general, and catching some awesome shows in Austin, TX, the live music capitol of the world.
Rick Murray
President at Edelman PR
Rick’s principal areas of expertise include brand positioning, digital marketing, social business strategy, word-of-mouth marketing, and influencer engagement. Today, he provides strategic and creative counsel to many of Edelman’s top global accounts including RIM, SC Johnson, Pepsico, Groupon, Dairy Management, Humana, and Abbott Labs.
In June 2010 Rick was appointed President of the firm’s Chicago office. Today, Edelman Chicago is the largest PR operation in the Midwest and home to more than 600 people, each of whom are proud to help a wide range of local, national, and multi-national clients with smart, results-driven Consumer Marketing, Corporate Affairs, and Health, Technology, and Digital initiatives. Since joining Edelman in 2001, he has served as General Manager of Edelman’s Diversified Services unit; President of me2revolution (a pioneering social media lab); and President of Edelman Digital, a business that now represents some 15% of Edelman’s global fees.
Rick has previous experience as Executive Vice President of GolinHarris International; and as President of two leading experiential and sales promotion agencies, Motivation Media and The Promotion Network. He started his career in sales and marketing roles at Ocean Spray Cranberries, and then moved to Pepsi-Cola Canada where he directed national marketing efforts for Brand Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and 7-Up.
Rick is a frequent speaker and media spokesman on social media, social networks, word of mouth marketing, and the future of communications. He sits on the Board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, curriculum advisory boards at Auburn and Georgetown Universities, and has been a guest lecturer to undergrad and graduate-level students at leading academic institutions in the US, Canada, and Europe. He holds a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Vermont.
An avid cyclist, amateur chef, and garage-band musician, Rick lives in Northfield, IL with his wife Lea and occasionally, one or more of their three daughters.
David Rabjohns
CEO at MotiveQuest
David Rabjohns is the CEO of MotiveQuest, a social intelligence company.
MotiveQuest uses “Online Anthropology” software to help companies create new products, improve their marketing, and measure their success. Key clients include: Microsoft, Kraft, Novartis, and Audi.
Prior to starting MotiveQuest in 2003, David was the youngest ever account planning EVP at Leo Burnett. David has also worked in marketing and strategy positions at IBM (UK), PepsiCo (Aus), Saatchi & Saatchi (UK), and McConnaughy (US).
David enjoys sailing, racing cars, and travel (he once rode a motorcycle from Sydney to London). He spends his spare time wrangling his two boys, James and Hugh.
Ian Strain-Seymour
Client Partner & Social Commerce Strategist at Bazaarvoice
Ian has been working in the online industry for more than 13 years. Prior to joining Bazaarvoice, he led the client services team at Apogee Search, a search and social marketing consultancy. As a special assignment at Apogee, he led the Search Marketing team at Austin vacation rental start-up HomeAway. His focus was helping put a robust SEO measurement and forecasting program in place as well as resolving duplicate content issues caused by acquisitions.
Trained as an architect, Ian attended Georgia Tech’s Master’s of Information Design Technology program, one of the first programs in the country to combine practical hands-on design and development education with a theoretical approach to the emerging worlds of the internet and multimedia.
He split his time creating a taxonomy for an online catalog for Siemens Energy and Automation and working with the Performance Technology Research Lab. This experience led to a role at Macquarium, where he led the Strategic Information Planning team, responsible for strategy, business requirements, information architecture, and user experience.
Frustrated at the lack of good data to assist with strategy and design decisions, Ian made the leap to web analytics by moving to Coremetrics and Austin, TX in 2004. This provided an opportunity to dive deeply into web analytics.
A frequent speaker at conferences, Ian has spoken on web analytics, social media, and SEO at conferences in the US, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Saul Colt
Head of Magic at FreshBooks
Saul Colt is the Head of Magic at Saul! – The Idea Integration Company. Recently named as one of the iMEDIA 25: Internet Marketing Leaders & Innovators, he’s been called Canada’s best community builder/experiential marketer. Even Chris Brogan once referred to Saul as “exactly who you want representing your company.”
In a previous life, Saul was the person who launched Zipcar into the Canadian marketplace, helped grow FreshBooks.com from 250,000 customers to 4.5 million, and even knows what it is like to work for a large corporation from his time in a leadership role at Rogers Communications. Saul loves all people — especially women — and is tired of people asking him to remove his shirt.
Andy Sernovitz
CEO at SocialMedia.org and WordofMouth.org
Andy Sernovitz teaches word of mouth marketing.
He’s the leader of the word of mouth movement, which teaches companies to earn the respect and recommendation of their customers. He’s passionate about marketing ethics and travels the country teaching companies how to be nicer to people.
He runs SocialMedia.org, the community for social media leaders at the world’s greatest brands, and WordofMouth.org, where marketers and entrepreneurs learn to be great at word of mouth marketing.
Andy taught word of mouth marketing at Northwestern University and internet entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business, ran a business incubator, and started half a dozen companies. He created the Word of Mouth Marketing Association and the Association for Interactive Marketing.
More information about Andy
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Cam Balzer
CMO at Threadless.com
Cam Balzer has been making it up as he goes since he jumped onto the interwebs in 1995.
Coding sites led to marketing the sites. Marketing led Cam to search, where he collaborated with clients and early advertising teams at Google, Yahoo, and MSN to deliver more than just relevant clicks. Demanding clients led Cam to social marketing, where the opportunity to truly engage people with amazingly infectious products led him to Threadless where he is currently Chief Marketing Officer.
Craig Flynn
President and CEO at Windsor Mill
Self-proclaimed sales methodology Kool-Aid drinker, Craig has worked with sales organizations across industry, including building materials, software start-ups, hotels, and outdoor apparel and gear. Craig is a certified Miller Heiman Facilitator, WOMM Supergenius speaker, and has been invited to Seth Godin’s “In My Office” meeting.
Craig is CEO at Windsor Holding Company — a manufacturer of trim boards and moldings with 400 employees and manufacturing plants in California, Virginia, and Chile.
Brian Bunt
Director of Marketing at Windsor Mill
Are people talking about you? Brian’s passion is creating talk worthy topics and campaigns. Along the way he has been a speaker at Word of Mouth Supergenius Conference and a talker for Power Messaging & Power Positioning. Brian is an experienced student of WOMM and Miller Heiman sales methodologies. He is currently Director of Marketing for Windsor Holding Company and a partner in The Empty Bin dot com.
Emily Albinski
Design & Brand Strategy at Windsor Mill
Are people getting the right impression? Emily creates unique and memorable images to convey key messages. She has won various accolades for her work, among them: Top prize for LG’s “Design the Future” competition, a collaborative cover feature of ID’s Emerging Talent issue, and a degree from RISD’s European Honors program.
Emily is currently the chick-in-charge of Design & Brand Strategy at Windsor Holding Company and a partner in The Empty Bin dot com.
Mike Faith
CEO/President at Headsets.com
Mike Faith is a serial entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Headsets.com, Inc — America’s largest retailer of headsets. Headsets.com has made three appearances on the Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Companies list and was twice voted as one of the best places to work in the Bay Area.
Mike started www.reservedinners.com, which holds dinners for celebrities with 100% of the proceeds going to charities. Recent guests of honor have included Sir Richard Branson and General John Abizaid. Mike is a vegan, a chess player, and a Segway polo player.
Robin Ross
Senior Director of Corporate Marketing at Costco
Robin Ross started with Costco in 1993 as refund cashier in Alberta, Canada. Through those 19 years he has held numerous positions in the company in marketing at the store level and the past 11 years at the Regional and Corporate level.
Currently the Senior Director of Corporate Membership and Marketing, Robin is responsible for Costco’s member acquisition and retention, marketing and social media.
Todd Spencer
President & CEO at Doe-Anderson
A true strategic thinker, Todd has always understood the fundamental importance of developing ideas that connect and establish meaningful relationships between consumers and brands. It’s that keen understanding, along with his relentless energy and passion, that has led him to become only the sixth president in Doe-Anderson’s 94-year history.
During his 17 years at Doe, Todd has played a key role in developing breakthrough and effective marketing campaigns for national and international brands. His contributions have helped the agency to expand its client roster with wins on such accounts as Morton’s, Shoney’s, Wendy’s, Papa John’s, Texas Roadhouse, Kohler, National City Bank, Humana, Inc., and additional brand assignments for Beam Global Spirits & Wine.
In his current role as CEO, Todd leads the agency’s entire operation, integrating teams across all disciplines including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, relationship marketing, digital, strategic planning, and media.
Nick Filler
Marketing Manager at Noodles & Company
Nick Filler is currently a Marketing Manager for Noodles & Company, which is all about serving high quality food, fast. It was founded in 1995, by Aaron Kennedy who thought, “Every culture does noodles differently, so why not take the best from each and put them all under one roof?”
Nick has been with Noodles & Company for over two years, and focuses on building the brand through meaningful local restaurant marketing, national promotions, sports sponsorships, and media. Prior to joining Noodles & Company, Nick enjoyed his life in Guam where he worked on a tourist resort and later relocated to Australia to import and redistribute Italian-made coffee machines. Slowly, he ventured back home to Colorado and joined the Fast Casual restaurant marketing world where he served for over four years with Qdoba Mexican Grill and had various marketing roles with the Colorado-based restaurant company.
Over time, he has grown to love the term “marketing guy” and most frequently introduces himself this way (in the proper context, of course). That description means something different to everyone, just like the definition of marketing itself. You can find Nick on the slopes, at an ice rink playing hockey, or frantically planning the bands he’s going to see at the Coachella music festival.
Todd Blecher
Communications/Social Media Director at Boeing
Todd Blecher is a Communications Director in Boeing’s corporate office. He is helping lead the company’s use of digital communications strategies and tools. That effort includes Boeing distributing content through www.boeing.com, www.youtube.com/boeing, www.facebook.com/boeingstore, www.flickr.com/theboeingcompany, @boeing, @boeingairplanes, @boeingdefense, @boeingjapan, and even Sino Weibo.
Blecher has been with Boeing for 14 years, holding media relations positions in Commercial Airplanes, Defense & Space, and Government Operations as well as his current assignment. Prior to joining Boeing he was at Bloomberg News, where he established the organization’s first full-time Pentagon beat. He holds a master’s degree in International Transactions from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Penn State University.
Tim McClure
President & Founder at Mythos Legends / MindMeld Alliance
Tim McClure is a 21st Century legend builder.
In 1971, Tim was one of five University of Texas at Austin graduates who founded GSD&M, one of America’s most successful advertising agencies. GSD&M’s blue chip clients include Southwest Airlines, PGA TOUR, Goodyear, AT&T, Zales, John Deere, Marshalls, AARP, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, ACE Hardware, L.L. Bean, Pulte Group, and the United States Air Force.
In 2001, Tim launched Mythos Legends, a Brand Invention, Evolution, and Legacy company. Mythos has designed the Flagship Fleet of custom jets for Southwest Airlines, created evolutionary branding for Austin: City of Ideas; and recently invented H2Orange — the first purified Texas water that funds academic scholarships for students attending The University of Texas at Austin.
In 2010, Tim launched MindMeld Alliance, a virtual alliance of innovators and collaborators that provide 21st Century solutions to a client’s most challenging marketing problems – from corporate innovation and collaboration strategies to live+mobile+online marketing and social media strategies. MindMeld’s battle cry echoes its bold core purpose: Virtually anything’s possible.™
Tim is a self-described ideanthropist. One of his notable pro bono ideas was naming SafePlace, the merger between Austin’s Center for Battered Women and Rape Crisis Center. Ideas are Tim’s passion.
Kory Klem
Digital Strategist for Movember
As a Digital Strategist for Movember, Kory focuses on mobile, social media, and digital media strategies and partnerships for the world’s leading men’s health charity.
Prior to Movember, Kory served as the General Manager for DECA TV’s men’s network, where he created, launched, and ran community-driven properties such as the Webby award-winning Project Lore. Before DECA TV, Kory was the Director of Content for online video site Revver where he sourced content deals across the digital media landscape with partners ranging from studios to industry-leading individual producers.
Kory began his career working in technology and business development for various startups and agencies in San Francisco. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame.
Ramon De Leon
Maketing Mind at six Chicago Domino’s Pizza stores
In 1986, Ramon De Leon started with Domino’s Pizza in Chicago as a pizza delivery driver.
Twenty-six years later, Ramon is the marketing mind of a six-store Domino’s Pizza franchise in Chicago. His career has also given him the opportunity to work in Mexico as a Business Development Consultant for Domino’s Pizza ’93-‘97. “Extreme passion” and “high energy” are words that best describe his love for the pizza business.
Ramon has been using social media for his business since before the word existed. AOL Instant Messenger was his micro-blog long before Twitter was invented. When Facebook was closed to the general public, Ramon connected with customers in photos and groups.
Ramon was recently awarded “The Chicago Social Media Person of The Year Award” by The Chicago Social Media Marketing Group. His social media strategies were highlighted at Gravity Summit Harvard and streamed live on CNN.com. Domino’s Pizza franchisees around the world seek his social media advice. Ramon’s creative uses of social media and enthusiasm have made him a sought after speaker.
More information about Ramon
Video Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn
Mark McKinney
Chief Strategy Officer at imc2
Sure, you don’t have to have a Ph.D. in psychology to do well in the marketing industry, but as Mark has proven over and over—it sure doesn’t hurt. Especially if you want to help brands completely rethink their approach to connecting with people and breathe new life into the industry.
With a Ph.D. in psychology and a profound love of great, sometimes quirky and always soulful music, Mark is uniquely suited to his role as our chief strategy officer. One part scientist relentlessly experimenting and learning from his studies and observations, and two parts creative genius, crafting inventive solutions for challenges big and small, Mark is always thinking, working and playing with the idea that you can make something better — better for people and better for brands. And he uses his decades of experience to lead our strategy team in creating win-win solutions for clients and their consumers, including Procter & Gamble, Dannon, EMD Serono, and Booz Allen Hamilton, amongst others.
When not leaping tall buildings and keeping the world safe for marketing, you can find Mark at the keyboard where he has authored over 100 published articles in the scientific and lay press, as well as book chapters on the effects of stress on health.
Bob Pearson
Chief Technology & Media Officer at WCG
Bob Serves as Chief Technology and Media Officer for WCG, a leading independent global communications company.
Bob has a unique combination of social media, marketing, and communciations skills acquired during nearly 25 years at three fortune 500 companies and a major consultancy. He was most recently Vice President of Communities and Conversations at Dell Inc, where he was responsible for developing an industry-leading-approach to the use of social media, as highlighted in Groundswell.
Before joining Dell, Bob worked for Novartis Pharmaceuticals as Head of Global Corporate Communications and as Head of Global Pharma Communications, where he served on the Pharma Executive Committee. Prior to Novartis, Bob was the President of the Americas for GCI and was responsible for creating and building the firm’s global healthcare practice. He was previously Vice President of Global Public Affairs & Media Relations at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi-aventis) and worked at CIBA-Geigy in both communications and field sales.
Bob is a frequent speaker and blogger on social media and his thoughts can be found at the Common Sense blog at www.wcgworld.com. His team has been featured in numerous books and case studies related to their rapid adoption of social media techniques to improve how a company operates internally and externally. His new book, Pre-Commerce, is now available.
Bob has served on a variety of Boards, including CancerCare, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America, and the Dell Foundation. He currently serves on the digital advisory board for Procter & Gamble and serves as an advisor to emerging technology companies, such as www.myedu.com, www.milyoni.com, and www.uservoice.com. He was also past chair of The Emerging Technology Fund Committee for the State of Texas.
Jeanne Bliss
Owner at CustomerBLISS
Jeanne Bliss began her career as a customer service pioneer reporting to the President of Lands’ End, building and developing its landmark customer experience and culture. She then went on to serve as the Chief Customer Officer at Allstate, Microsoft, Coldwell Banker, and Mazda Corporations, reporting to the CEO as the “human duct tape” to unite the silos. In 2006, her book Chief Customer Officer; Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action was published, and immediately became a best seller, creating a roadmap and read by more than 50% of all newly minted customer focus executives.
She is now the president of the consulting firm CustomerBliss, with clients including AAA, Johnson and Johnson, Costco, and Symantec. Jeanne coaches executive teams, lectures around the world, and is frequently quoted by major media. Her second book, I Love You More than My Dog: Five Decisions that Drive Extreme Customer Loyalty in Good Times and Bad, is one of Inc. Magazine’s ten books for business owners, a Business Week best seller, and has most recently been nominated for Best Small Business Book of the year.
More information about Jeanne
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Steve Farber
President & CEO at Extreme Leadership, Inc.
Steve Farber is the president of Extreme Leadership, Incorporated, and the founder of The Extreme Leadership Institute, organizations devoted to the cultivation and development of Extreme Leaders in the business community, non-profits, and education. His third book, Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson In Leadership, was a Wall Street Journal® and USA Today® bestseller. His second book, The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change the World, was hailed as “a playbook for harnessing the power of the human spirit.” And his first book, The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership, is already considered a classic in the leadership field. It received Fast Company magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award and was recently named one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time. His newest edition, The Radical Leap Re-Energized: Doing What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do, is in bookstores now.
In 1989, after having run his own financial services company, Farber devoted his professional life to the field of leadership development and has been at it ever since. He was Director of Service Programs at TMI, an international training consultancy, and then worked for 6 years as Vice President and Official Mouthpiece (that’s what it said on his business card) of The Tom Peters Company where he met several of his mentors including author/gurus Tom Peters, Jim Kouzes, and Terry Pearce.
In 2000, Farber established his own company, Extreme Leadership, Inc, where he is President and CEO. He is also the Co-founder of The Center for Social Profit Leadership, a non-profit organization formed to serve the leadership development needs of social entrepreneurs, and served as Vice Chairman on the Board of Directors of the world-renown, Up With People, a global leadership program for students from 18 to 29 years old.
Coaching and inspiring Extreme Leadership at all organizational levels is Steve’s passion, and he does so with a style that is part strategist, part social commentator, and all energy.
More information about Steve
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Greg Link
Speaker, Co-founder, & author at CoveyLink
Greg Link is Co-founder and Leader of The Global Speed of Trust Practice, a fast growing leadership consultancy committed to influencing influencers to grow their careers and their organizations at “The Speed of Trust.”
A recognized authority on trust and business growth, Link orchestrated the strategy that led Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” to the number one best selling business book of the 20th century according to CEO Magazine, selling over 17 million copies in 38 languages. “The Speed of Trust” is also a global success, #1 Wall Street Journal best seller, and is already translated into 22 languages.
He has taught “Principle-Centered Leadership,” “The Speed of Trust,” and advised executives at numerous leading enterprises, including Boeing, the U.S. Navy, Sony, Chevron, IBM, Microsoft, and many other well-known organizations.
More information about Greg
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Rohit Bhargava
SVP of Global Strategy & Planning at Ogilvy
Rohit Bhargava is a marketing expert and leading voice on how to bring more humanity back to business through social media and storytelling. Rohit is a founding member of the world’s largest team of social media strategists at Ogilvy, and is currently a member of the Global Strategy & Planning group at Ogilvy. He has written nearly 1000 pieces of marketing advice on his personal blog Influential Marketing (including first introducing the idea of Social Media Optimization – SMO) and still wishes he had more time to blog!
Rohit is the best selling author of Personality Not Included, an actually useful (gasp!) book about how to effectively build a brand personality which has been translated into 9 languages. His writing and ideas have been featured in media globally including Fast Company, Inc, PRWeek (UK), MarketingChina, New York Times and other suitably impressive places.
He teaches marketing at Georgetown University and is a frequent “non-obvious” keynote speaker at business events like the World Communication Forum in Davos and TEDx on topics such as creativity, storytelling, business trends, social media, and why marketing is no longer like feeding a baby. Rohit’s second book called Likeonomics will be published globally in May of 2012.
More information about Rohit
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Rob Fuggetta
Founder & CEO at Zuberance
Rob is the driving force behind Zuberance’s vision and strategy. He founded Zuberance in February 2007 because he saw a major opportunity for companies to harness the power of Word of Mouth and social media to drive sales. As CEO, Rob is ultimately responsible for all aspects of Zuberance’s business including product, engineering, operations, customer success, and sales and marketing.
Rob is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley who has played a leadership role in three start-ups including Genuity, which went public in June 2000. Rob was formerly a partner at Regis McKenna Inc., the legendary Silicon Valley marketing and communications firm, where he co-led the global Apple business.
More information about Rob
Bio | Blog | Twitter | LinkedIn | Book
Colleen Barrett
President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines and co-author of “Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success”
Colleen C. Barrett is currently President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines Co., a high-frequency, low-fare, point-to-point airline which prides itself in its excellent Customer Service qualities.
Prior to stepping down as the Company’s President on July 15, 2008, she oversaw management, Leadership, and budget responsibilities over the following areas/groups: the Senior Vice President Marketing (Marketing, Sales & Distribution; Online Marketing; Revenue Management & Pricing); the Senior Vice President Corporate Communications (Pass Bureau; Emergency Response; Public Relations & Community Affairs; Community Relations & Charitable Giving; Employee Communications; Legislative Awareness); the Senior Vice President Chief People & Administration Officer (People [Human Resources]; Leadership Development & Training; Manager in Training programs; University for People; Performance Reviews; Talent Development; Onboarding Program); the Vice President Customer Relations & Rapid Rewards; the Vice President Labor & Employee Relations (Labor & Employment Law; Employee Relations; FMLA/ADA; Labor Relations & Negotiations); the Vice President Reservations; the Director Corporate Security; and the Executive Office Staff. She was also a member of the Company’s Executive Planning Committee, and she chaired numerous special Teams, task forces, and committees relating to Internal and External Southwest Customers. Recently, Colleen co-authored with Ken Blanchard the book Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Success (2010).
Prior to joining Southwest (in 1978), she worked for several years as an Executive Assistant to Herb Kelleher (Southwest’s former Executive Chairman) at his law firm.
For Southwest Airlines, she served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2001 to May 2008 and as Corporate Secretary from March 1978 to May 2008, and she served as Vice President Administration from 1986 to 1990; Executive Vice President Customers from 1990 to 2001; and President from 2001 to July 2008.
Details
When, where, and FAQs
Where
AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
1900 University Avenue
Austin, TX 78705
When
May 10, 2012
8:00am – 5:00pm
Price
$750 — ask about group discounts
Recommended Hotel
AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center
(same building and address as where the event is)
Reserve by phone: 877-744-8822
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Group Discount
3 + people? Contact us for a group discount. For more information, get our attention via email or contact us directly at 312-932-9000.
2. Blogger Passes
We need a few awesome bloggers (and maybe a podcaster or two) to cover the event. We have a few passes reserved for live bloggers, so if you’re interested, let us know.
3. Press Passes
We’d love for a few fantastic journalists to cover the event. We have 20 press passes for working reporters with proper media credentials. Contact us for more information.
4. Sponsorship
Word of Mouth Crash Course is the best place to meet buyers of word of mouth and social media products and services. Get real leads with budgets looking for solutions and services. Contact us to learn more: Click here
5. Recording
We’ll be recording the event in audio and video format. After the event we’ll have more details on availability.
6. Registration / Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to attend the event — well, we’ll miss you. We encourage you to have a friend take your place at no additional charge. However, we understand that emergencies happen: As long as we receive 48-hours notice of your cancellation, we’ll refund your ticket — but we’ll still miss you. If it’s less than 48-hours notice, we’ll credit your ticket value toward a future WordofMouth.org event.
Testimonials
People love our events
Past Attendees
3M • Adobe • Aflac • Allstate • Amazon • American Express • American Family Insurance • Apple • AT&T • Bank of America • Barnes & Noble • Best Buy • Boeing • Capital One • Cargill • Charles Schwab • Chevron • Chick-fil-A • Cintas • Cisco • Clorox • Coca-Cola • Coldwell Banker • ConAgra Foods • Costco • Crate & Barrel • CVS • Dell • Del Monte Foods • Delta Air Lines • DirectTV • Discover • Discovery Communications • Dole Food Company • Domino’s • Dow Chemical • DuPont • eBay • FedEx • Fidelity • Ford • Gannett • Gap • GE • General Mills • General Motors • GNC • Google • Graco • H&R Block • The Hershey Company • Hertz • Hilton Worldwide • Hitachi • The Home Depot • HP • HSBC • Humana • IBM • IKEA • Intel • Internal Revenue Service • Intuit • JanSport • Johnson & Johnson • Kaiser Permanente • Kraft Foods • Level 3 Communications • Levi Strauss • Liz Claiborne • Lockheed Martin • Mattel • Mayo Clinic • McAfee • McDonald’s • MetLife • Michelin • Microsoft • MillerCoors • Molson • Monster • Motorola • MTV Networks • National Guard • NCR • Nestle Purina • Newell Rubbermaid • Nike • Nokia • Nordstrom • Northwestern Mutual • Novartis • Oracle • Orbitz • PayPal • PepsiCo • Pfizer • Procter & Gamble • Progressive Insurance • REI • Sabre Holdings • SAP • Scholastic • Sears • Sharpie • Shell Oil • Sony • Sprint • Starbucks • State Farm • Sun Microsystems • SunGard • Supervalu • Symantec • T-Moblie • Target • Texas Instruments • The North Face • Thomson Reuters • Ticketmaster • Toyota • Turner Broadcasting System • Tyson Foods • United Airlines • UPS • USAA • U.S. Navy • Verizon • Visa • Walmart • Walt Disney • Warner Bros. • Wells Fargo • Western Digital • Whirlpool • Wyndham Worldwide • Xerox • Yahoo!
What they had to say
“Definitely a ‘must attend’ conference.”
— Michelle Halm, Kolcraft
“All I can say about this conference is WOW.”
— Stephanie Lewis, TC Public Relations
“This conference is worth twice what was charged.”
— Delaina Lee, The Coleman Company
“This conference ranks #1 in experience.”
— Lindsay Lebresco, Converseon
“This is awesome: well-organized, effective, and the people are smart.”
— Molly Catalano, Five Guys
“I felt like I got my money’s worth in the first 20 minutes!”
— Janine Smiley, Dairy Farmers of America
“This conference was excellent.”
— Seth Brewer, The Hartford
“We now have so many ideas on how to better spread our WOM, we don’t even know where to start!”
— Heather Vyvyan, Educators Credit Union
“My senses were popped, poked, and plastered with information, perspective, and knowledge — all in a ‘this is how you do it’ format.”
— Jim Fitzpatrick, Santa Barbara Montessori School