Arlington, Va. – Newspaper professionals from across the country will attend the Newspaper Association of America’s annual Marketing Conference Feb. 24-27 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Fla. The conference will provide opportunities for industry experts to share ideas and innovations on driving business as newspapers transform into multi-platform content providers in print and online. The conference also will feature a sold-out exhibit hall where attendees can network with the industry’s consultants and vendors, including premier retailers and merchandisers, as well as industry colleagues.
“While this is a challenging time for the industry, it is also one of opportunity for those with innovative ideas on how to best serve today’s readers,” said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm. “A thorough understanding of how to build audience is critical as newspapers continue to expand their print and digital portfolios in a rapidly changing media landscape. This conference offers an important opportunity to share ideas with colleagues, and network with retailers and advertisers.”
Conference Highlights:
Panel Discussion: Driving Change in the Industry – A Newspaper Media Company Publisher/CEO Perspective
One featured general session program includes a panel presentation titled, “Driving Change in the Industry – A Newspaper Media Company Publisher/CEO Perspective,” will allow attendees to hear what industry leaders are saying about where newspaper media companies are today, what the future might hold and how they are preparing for change. Panelists will include:
- Sue Clark-Johnson, President/Newspaper Division, Gannett Co. Inc. (Moderator)
- William Dean Singleton, Vice Chairman/CEO, MediaNews Group Inc.
- Brian Tierney, CEO/Publisher, Philadelphia Media Holdings
- Michael Reed, President and CEO, Gatehouse Media Inc.
Feb. 24: Consumer Experience Creates a Vision on Innovation
David Polinchock, chief experience officer of the Brand Experience Lab, helps clients focus on innovation to build the consumer experience around a brand. What he sees in retail and how he sees the evolution will prove a huge benefit to those of us who look to a vision in the media business and generate new ways to grow business.
Feb. 25: Driving Revenue: The Multi-medium and the Value of Digital
Leveraging the success of the original Newspaper Value Proposition, NAA Vice President of Advertising Mort Goldstrom will introduce an industry-wide sales presentation designed to show advertisers the value of newspaper digital products. The presentation will focus on the 4Cs of newspaper value: Community Connection, Content Relevance, Customized Targeting and Consumer Activation.
Feb. 26: Building Audience: Change Agents Give Insight on Innovation
Anne Kirah of FutureAlliance.org will provide a global perspective, moderating a panel of innovators who work outside the newspaper industry as change agents in their own disciplines. Panelists will be asked to share their ideas regarding business strategies and new product development – particularly in regard to multimedia storytelling, user-generated content, customer service initiatives and digital media platforms.
Please visit www.naa.org/marketingconference to view the full conference schedule.
Award Presentations:
This year’s conference will feature multiple service and lifetime achievement award presentations honoring excellence in the industry. Visit www.naa.org/marketingconference for full details.
Sponsors of the 2008 NAA Marketing Conference are:
Adicio, Inc., Ad Lizard, American Express, APAC Customer Services, Atex, Audit Bureau of Circulations, BieMedia, BrandMuscle, Inc., Burrelles Luce, Caspio, CommunityPro, Content That Works, Dell Sports, eBook Technologies, 4pm, HarvestINFO, Impact Engine, Impact Sales Solutions, Inform Technologies, Izmo Media, Kaango, Kaspar Sho-Rack, Legacy.com, Marketing G2, McClatchy Interactive, MediaSpan, Metro Newspaper Advertising Services, MindZoo, Monster.com, Morris DigitalWorks, NewLeadsUSA, NewsGator Technologies, North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS), Nstein Technologies, Omniture, PARADE Publications, Pediment Publishing, Planet Discover, Publishers Circulation Fulfillment (PCF), Publishing Group of America, Quigo, RAM – Research and Analysis of Media, Ranger Data Technologies, RealtyTrac, Relationals, SAP America, SAXOTECH, Scarborough Research, Search Initiatives, SRDS, Topix, Travidia, Trend Offset, Tribune Media Service, USA WEEKEND Magazine, WebVisible, Yahoo! Zvents
Press Credentials
Members of the working press can request press credentials by contacting Jeff Sigmund at jeff.sigmund@naa.org or (571) 366-1088.
All news media will be asked to show photo identification and current press credentials or a letter from an assigning editor. Advance notice of attendance is recommended to expedite credentialing, although onsite processing will be available. Press credentials must be picked up onsite in the NAA Press Office.
NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $59 billion newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Most NAA members are daily newspapers, accounting for 87 percent of the U.S. daily circulation. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the Association focuses on six key strategic priorities that affect the newspaper industry collectively: marketing, public policy, diversity, industry development, newspaper operations and readership. Information about NAA and the industry also may be found at naa.org.