From O’Hare with love

Posted on May 26th, 2010 by Eric Dodds and currently 6 commenting.

We’re here in the airport after cramming a few last School of WOM sessions in before we head back home to Southern heat and humidity. You can guess that we’re talking shop about the conference (and realizing that we need to post a blog). With those powers combined, we present you with a few highlights from our time in Chicago.

Heather:

• “I learned that when you’ve been in the marketing / word of mouth world for a while, you can get desensitized to conferences, information and tactics. Not that conferences aren’t helpful, but it’s what we eat sleep and live each day. Bringing a client who doesn’t live in this world, though, energized me when I saw them suck in information like a sponge and think about their business in a critical way.”
• “Rob Morris (a client and close kindred spirit) used a word I’d never heard before: slacktivism. It’s a word his organization uses to describe people who buy a t-shirt or bracelet for a cause and think they are an activist, but their limited, one-time involvement does little to ‘change the equation’ or make a lasting impact.”
• “I learned a lot more about the use of location based technology – it was really neat to see all of the different ways companies and brands are using location on mobile devices.”

Robbin:

• “Meeting people offline really solidifies relationships – it’s so cool to meet people that you only have an electronic relationship with.”
• “I learned from Google that people love a challenge – it’s in our DNA.”
• “I learned about the concept of a ‘Chief Listening Officer’ from Kodak – I love that idea and will continue to give a lot of thought to that role in my own company and with our clients.”
• “I learned that Motive Quest considers themselves ‘online anthropologists.’ Cool set of words, isn’t it?”

Yours truly (brief due to the impending boarding call):

• Steve Knox, from P+G’s Tremor, showed the psychological science behind interrupting ‘status-quo’ trains of thought in people’s minds. His points about ‘degree’s of interruption’ as related to how much they distance your mind from a brand’s ‘foundational truth’ were brilliant. Anyone who practices marketing should review his presentation. (I’ll update with a link after I dig around). His presentation was, in John Moore’s words, absolutely outstanding.

Collectively:

• We learned that Jamie Plesser is a true quasi-marketing-hipster and looks great in a skinny tie.
• We learned that Chicago is home to a few really cool rooftop bars. (Thank you to Carl for giving us a tour).

• Tweet
• RSS
• EMAIL
• more
  

  BlinklistBloglinesBlogmarksDiggdel.icio.usFurlMa.gnoliaNewsVineRedditStumbleUponTechnorati