Eric Gregg
AMA President

President’s Message

As I sit on my couch writing this note, most of the muscles on my body are aching from a recent attempt at combining fitness and “cause” during this year’s LIVESTRONG Challenge (www.livestrong.org) bike ride. While that alone may not seem newsworthy or altogether that surprising for those of you who have witnessed my lack of athletic prowess firsthand, when I think “brand,” LIVESTRONG is sitting squarely top of mind.

During the past decade the LIVESTRONG Foundation (affiliated with Lance Armstrong) has raised millions of dollars for Cancer research. Along the way, the foundation has blended fitness with cancer survival and spawned a brand bigger than any individual, including Lance himself. The foundation, with support of Nike, launched the yellow LIVESTRONG bracelets you often see. The rubber bracelets were the lynchpin of a highly successful guerilla marketing campaign that laid the groundwork for the foundation’s growth and recognition in the marketplace. Think about it. There are a million wonderful and worthy charitable organizations, and nearly as many biking, walking or running events to support them. Yet, in a very short amount of time LIVESTRONG has become one of a handful of preeminent events and organizations.

We are lucky this week to be bringing in Bruce Tait, one of the true brand visionaries of the past decade. You may or may not recognize his name, but you certainly would recognize the brands he has worked on including Gucci, Nike and Gulfstream. His work on the Gucci brand has been featured in Business Week and has been estimated to have added nearly a billion dollars to the value of the brand in the last two years, alone. To learn more about Tait’s work what to expect from this premiere event, please visit the AMA-Oregon website at http://www.ama-pdx.org/. Be sure to register today to ensure you receive our early registration pricing and secure your spot, as we will likely be at or near capacity again this month.

As always, I am honored to be working with so many dedicated volunteers as we work to build and grow the premier marketing association in the Portland Metropolitan area. Please be sure to introduce yourself at upcoming events, and as always, I encourage you to contact me directly if I can be of service in any way.

Best –
Eric Gregg

About the speaker:
BRUCE TAIT is a founding partner of Tait Subler, LLC. Tait Subler is a management consulting firm based in Minneapolis that specializes in brand strategy. They work on U.S. and global positioning assignments for brands like GUCCI, Best Buy, Liz Claiborne Inc., Saks Fifth Avenue and Briggs & Stratton.

Bruce is responsible for developing Tait Subler’s intellectual capital and for overseeing the development of strategic ideas for their clients. Britain’s respected AdMap Magazine recently recognized him as one of 40 global “marketing gurus.” He’s been quoted as a brand expert in TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and American Demographics. His thinking also appears in the book The Art of Building Brands.

October Luncheon
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Lunch with Bruce Tait

Topic: What Marketers Can Learn From Mythic Status Brands: From Gucci Bags To Gulfstream Jets

Featuring:
Bruce Tait, Tait Subler LLC

Time and Location
11:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
The Benson Hotel
309 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97205

The Topic:
Today many marketers struggle to maintain margins and studies show that consumers see brands in most categories becoming less and less differentiated. But an elite set of brands dubbed “Mythic Status Brands” somehow avoids these problems. These brands are able to grow share, margins and market value by connecting with consumers on a deeper level that creates irrational loyalty. What can you learn about how these brands are developed that can help you improve the power of your brand?

Pricing:
Member: Early Bird (Before 10/5/07) $25
Member - Regular Rate: $30
NonMember: Early Bird (Before 10/5/07) $40
NonMember - Regular Rate: $50
Students - $15

Learn More & Register

The Business Journal chooses to support the AMA at the Platinum level because it is impressed by the high level of professionalism of the organization and its strong, active membership.

Sponsorship Spotlight:
The Portland Business Journal
Platinum Sponsor Since 2003

The Portland Business Journal has been a Platinum Sponsor for the Oregon AMA for more than five years. The Portland Business Journal is part of the American City Business Journals Network, which publishes business newspapers in major cities throughout the US. The mission of the Portland Business Journal is to provide the best possible news coverage of the Portland business community. Mr. Douglas Horton, Director of Marketing and Circulation, explained that the Business Journal is distinguished from its competition by being news driven rather than feature driven. Additionally, the Portland Business Journal looks to a much broader sweep of business activity for its features. Mr. Horton continued, that the Business Journal also differentiates itself by focusing sharply on the Portland business community rather than Oregon as a whole.

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