Tag: MDMC

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#MDMC19: What You Missed At The 2019 Midwest Digital Marketing Conference

 

By Katelyn Chostner

I hope you made it to the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference this year because it was every digital marketer’s dream! We saw a rise in attendees with over 1900 people showing up to get their digital marketing on at Union Station in St. Louis.

The mornings started off with keynote speakers that were jam-packed with onlookers. MDMC decided to live stream the speakers in the exhibitor hall so that everyone would be able to hear the presentations. After the keynotes, everyone got up to attend breakout sessions or explore the tables in the exhibitor hall.

The hall was packed with so many different St. Louis companies, like Anvil, UMSL Business, SteadyRain, SLAM! Agency and more. The crowd was able to visit with these exhibitors and speak with them about their company missions. With so many different companies and organizations, there was something there for everyone.

Emily Koehler, an MDMC first-timer, talked about how she was there to learn more about digital marketing. She works for ej4, a training technology company, as a marketing coordinator. Koehler works a lot with SEO strategy and optimizing their website and MDMC was a great place for her to learn more.

“So far I love it. MDMC is a really great mix of people. Everyone is so friendly, and you can just tell that people are here to meet and network with other people and just share expertise… Sessions so far have been really interesting. I just went to a great SEO panel and all of the speakers had different expertise, but they all shared such interesting things that I’m definitely going to take back to the workplace with me,” said Koehler.

Some booths had amazing handouts and attractions for attendees. Strange Cares was giving out some of Strange Donuts’ signature treats, such as Maple Bacon, Rainbow Pony, and Gooey Butter. An even crazier, but awesome attraction was Voltron. Shareable: Social Video Strategy by Coolfire invited people to come and visit their booth in the company of the Legendary Defender. Fans were able to walk around Union Station and grab pics with (the scaled-down-to-size) character who roamed the halls.

 

Eventually, everyone’s favorite time of the day came around: lunchtime. MDMC provided everyone with some crazy good food trucks to choose from. K-Bop, Locoz Tacoz, UKraft, and Andrew’s Bayou Ribs were just a few trucks out of many that served everyone. Some people were worried about lines, but these trucks showed their skills by getting people their food only a few minutes after they ordered.

K-Bop seemed to be the most popular choice for lunch as people lined down the sidewalk past other trucks to wait for their mouth-watering Korean BBQ in a bowl.

“I love the food selection. I think it’s a great representation of all the food and culture St. Louis has to offer and even though there’s a ton of people here lines are moving so quickly. There’s something here for everyone and the line was a great place to get to know people and network with other marketers also,” said Koehler.

There’s no better way to get to know people than over food and sunshine (or a little bit of rain for those there on the second day). If you missed the chance to network and educate yourself on the latest marketing trend, or even grab some great food, you can always sign up for next year. You know what they say: Don’t make the same mistake twice! Keep an eye out on MDMC’s website for next year’s tickets.

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#MDMC Scholarship Recipient: Samuel Craig

Hear from one of two first-ever MDMC Scholarship Recipients!

My name is Sam Craig, I am a senior marketing major at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. I am honored to be a recipient of the MDMC Scholarship. I applied for this scholarship because out of all the available grants, the MDMC Scholarship aligned almost perfectly with my academic and professional aspirations. During my first semester at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, in my digital marketing class taught by Professor Perry Drake, I discovered the scholarship and the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference. Dr. Drake spoke frequently and highly about the conference and the strength of the MDMC network; this made me excited about the possibility of entering that network. Since I became an MDMC scholar, I have been exposed to numerous opportunities for my career and education; without this scholarship, I would not have had these opportunities. The scholarship gave me increased pride and confidence in myself as a marketing student and professional. I hope to carry this pride and confidence forward throughout my career. I would love to expand my creative skills, as I have experience working for a marketing agency as a video producer and editor. I also enjoy producing music in my spare time. I hope to advance to a creative director position at a company in the near future. I value company culture and significance in the community, so I hope to achieve that goal at a company that aligns with those values. The MDMC scholarship has greatly enhanced my time here at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, and I am beyond thankful for the opportunities I have received and will continue to receive down the road.

I encourage any student who is interested in this scholarship to pursue more information on it by visiting the website or contacting Dr. Drake himself. Students can greatly benefit from this scholarship and many others like it!

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#MDMC Scholarship Recipient: Gabby Menneneier

Hear from one of two first-ever MDMC Scholarship Recipients!

Hi, my name is Gabby and today I’m going to be talking about my experience with MCMC, Professor Perry Drake, and my MDMC scholarship. I applied for the MDMC scholarship because it was a scholarship that I qualified for and my degree is focused on Marketing and Digital Marketing Communications. Being one of nine kids, my parents do not have money lying around to help pay for my college. Since enrolling at UMSL, it has been my goal to graduate debt-free and without student loans. I’ve worked very hard in the past few years to make this happen. When my last semester was approaching, I was trying to figure out a way to pay for my last semester of college to no avail. I already work more than full time, so I was at a loss. This scholarship was a Godsend for me. Without this scholarship, I would not have been able to reach this goal, but little did I know that my hard work was paying me back.

I found out about the scholarship through my professor, Dr. Perry Drake, whose classes I took in the Spring of 2018 and am currently taking in the Fall of 2018. I heard about MDMC when Dr. Drake gave us the opportunity to attend the conference as a volunteer. I was hesitant to volunteer because I have never worked at a conference before, and to make it more daunting, it was a huge conference. A couple of weeks before, I had a meeting with Dr. Drake and he asked if I would be willing to do a little more than a regular volunteer. He mentioned that he noticed how hard I work and that I’m a good student and would be capable of handling it. Trusting in his opinion, I agreed. I thought to myself that it couldn’t be that much more than a regular volunteer because I’ve never done this before…man was I wrong. The first day of the conference I arrived at 6:30am to help prep, and I was one of 5 people who was given a walkie-talkie. Instantly after taking my walkie, I assumed I was given the wrong job. I oversaw several volunteers as well as the ballroom floor where there were at least 4 to 8 sessions happening at a time for the two days. I am so grateful for this opportunity because it helped me realize the type of leader I am. It also gave me the chance to attend some sessions and learn a lot about marketing. MDMC and the scholarship it provided has given me a chance to further invest in my future. I hope to one day help a business be able to expand and reach their clientele through social media with the business and marketing skills that I have acquired.

For more information on this, and many other scholarships that UMSL has to offer, check out http://www.umsl.edu/services/finaid/scholarships/. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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MDMC17 Executive Roundtable Recap

By: Andrew Strotheide

This year’s Midwest Digital Marketing Conference (MDMC17) offered its attendees plenty of opportunities for networking. Those who are on the executive level had a chance to attend the Executive Roundtable moderated by Forrester. Among the panelists were Rich Spiekermann from Nestle Purina, Steve Bauer from FleishmanHillard, James Whittaker from Microsoft, Maya Mikati from IBM, Jessica Liu from Forester, Yahoo, Dennis Dayman from Return Path, Matt Cotter from Oracle, Michael Becker from mCordis, Inc., and Alberto Brea from OgilvyOne Worldwide.
At the start of the session the panelists gave an insight into the challenges big businesses face today on a daily basis as they continue to persuade consumers to purchase more of their products. The discussion was focused on “big data”, which is made up of tons of information about consumer online behavior. Everyone who uses the Internet today has a profile, so what these companies are focusing on is just setting up the infrastructure to be able to access the data available and use it to influence consumers’ purchase decisions and make them buy more. In the past few months, a lot has been discussed in terms of access to the personal browsing data by big businesses and whether companies should be allowed to sell it or use it for their own purposes.
There are certain benefits offered to those marketers who have access to Big Data. Since it allows to track consumer online behavior, targeting becomes more precise, which helps to reduce advertising costs and increase ROI. Nevertheless, there are certain downsides present, with one of them being the complex character of the data on hand, which requires complex algorithms that would need to be put into place to take the full advantage of the data available. Companies like IBM have dedicated whole teams to collecting, organizing, processing, and utilizing big data for years, and they still are not even close enough to completing the programming. Speaking of programming, bots will slowly but surely help us make up our minds, and aid in the decision-making process, which once again ties into the “big data schema”.
Right now, with the way technology is being developed, society is on the fringe of expanding digital marketing to a completely different level which will allow us to deliver the right message to the right customer, and result in a sale even more frequently.

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Calling MDMC17 Speakers

Don’t miss the opportunity to speak at the Midwest’s largest digital marketing conference in 2017!  MDMC 17.png

Take your place in front of the most engaged digital audience you will ever have the pleasure of instructing. We’re on the search for a variety of amazing speakers for MDMC17! If you have a great story or topic dealing with digital marketing, social media or business, we want to hear about it! Last year, we had over 50 speakers, including speakers from:

  • Pinterest
  • Under Armor
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Buzzfeed
  • Google
  • Pandora
  • Refinery 29

Last year MDMC set attendance records with a remarkable 1,367 marketers and friends, not to mention 300 wait listed persons. We trended on twitter both nationally, and internationally for 8 hours. If you’re interested in speaking, fill out the speaker application. All applications must be received by October 26, 2016.

Apply now

WHAT LAST YEAR’S SPEAKERS HAD TO SAY: 

“mcnabb.pngBeing a part of, and presenting at MDMC16 was outstanding. Being surrounded by such a world-class audience of professional marketers was truly energizing for me. I found the quality of insight regarding the marketplace to be top-shelf.”
– W. Scott McNabb, Oracle
“This conference brings together top-notch people to whom I kaiserhave later reached out for advice and consulting. Truly a must for any forward-thinking digital marketer.” 
– Kaiser Fung, Speaker, Author, Advisor, Educator in Data Analytics & Visualization
finola“I really enjoyed speaking at MDMC16. The conference brought together marketing professionals from the Midwest and beyond — it was great to be part of that community while sharing Refinery29’s approach to speaking to the millennial mindset.”
– Finola Austin, Refinery29
 

Apply now

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MDMC 16 Speaker Named Brand Innovators 40 Under 40

We would like to extend a congratulations to our MCMC 16 speaker, Veena Ramesh who was named a Brand Innovators 40 Under 40. Veena is the Digital Lead of Global Digital Strategy and Beauty at Johnson & Johnson.
VeenaVeena has a deep understanding of global consumer behavior as she has lived and worked across Asia, the Middle East and the US. Prior to moving into the global role – She increased the Digital IQ, set processes and implemented a hub and spoke model of managing Digital, across the six ASEAN countries, within J&J. Veena also co-created the Advanced Web Analytics program at NYU. Veena graduated from the National University of Singapore with a B.B.A (Finance) and NYU with a M.S. in Integrated Marketing.
Veena’s 4 Trends to Watch For:
1. Attracting Digital Talent – You cannot escape the topic of how to hire and retain digital talent in any forum. This will continue to be a hot topic. Companies should stop hiring based on the same yard stick that they use to hire a traditional marketer. You need to woo and have strategies to retain “t-shape” leaders with vertical digital depth but ability to navigate across the organization. You might need to search for this talent in unconventional ways.
2. Every marketer needs to be a Digital Marketer – Companies are now starting to put traditional marketers through Digital Bootcamps- Rutgers and GA run some good corporate programs. But that is not enough. The only way to learn is by doing. Marketers need to get their training wheels off and be able to plan and execute campaigns that include digital.
3. Role of a Digital Agency – We are seeing an explosion of content providers and low cost production houses flood the market. In this landscape the digital agencies have to step up and play a more elevated role in stewardship of the brand, creating multi-dimensional ideas and providing measurable ROI.
4. Social at the Core organizations – You will attract digital talent only if your employees know how to navigate the social space. Do you have 30s-1min video that outlines the day in a life? Do all your employees engage in the campaigns that you launch? Every company needs to honestly ask themselves how they are perceived by potential candidates.
This article was originally posted on Brand Innovators 40 Under 40

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#MDMC16 Interview: Jesse Kemling

By: Dan Feeherty
UMSL Digital recently visited the St. Louis Science Center to talk innovation & the Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program. The YES program works with underprivileged youth in the metro St. Louis area to collaborate and peruse careers and innovation within STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics).
Among the 1200+ attendees at MDMC this year will be none other than Jesse Kemling, Senior Educator of Technology for the YES program. Listen to the informational interview below:

 

 
 
Follow @YESslsc on Twitter! 

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#MDMC16 Podcast: A Chat With Unidev

By: Chase Kohler 
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Among the top talent and sponsor at MDMC this year is none other than Unidev. Not only has the company shown constant support to UMSL Digital over the years, their brand manager Angela LaRocca also serves on the UMSL Digital advisory board. UMSL senior Chase Kohler returned to their Chesterfield HQ for a sequel ‘impromptu’ podcast- recorded only by laughter and a recorder. The interview touches base on how MDMC has become the biggest digital conference in the Midwest, and what attendee’s can look forward to. Unidev also talks about their big product debut, and VP Andrea Bemis gives inspiring comments on embracing the digital landscape.
A special thanks to Angela LaRocca, Andrea Bemis, and the entire Unidev team for their hospitality and laughs. Be sure to stop by there exhibit and the ‘Innovation’ panel at 2:55 P.M.

 
Twitter_logo_blueFollow Them On Twitter! 
@angelalarocca
@andi_bemis
@Unidev
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#MDMC16 Speaker Feature: Jennifer Phillips

By: Robert AguilarUntitled
We would like to introduce you to one of our speakers at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference, Jennifer Phillips. Jennifer is the Director of Marketing Cloud Excellence at Salesforce. She has been with Salesforce for over 7 years and in the marketing industry for over 15 years. Jennifer partners with higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations to deepen their success with Salesforce marketing / digital products. The goal at Salesforce is to better connect businesses with their consumers. They have developed the world’s #1 CRM platform which is cloud based. In their own words, they “help your customers love you.” We got the chance to interview Jennifer and find out some of her thoughts on the current state and future of digital marketing.
What does content mean to you?
Content is information delivered to add mutual value to organizations and their constituents / customers. Sounds boring, but done right it’s anything but!
What is the digital “word of the year” for 2016?
Measurable. This is something that has been common in many of the communications I have had in preparation for the conference. Many people are discussing and trying to develop more ways to measure your marketing successes and shortcomings.
As everything moves to mobile and social, it seems like the web is dying. Should we still care about the web?
We must care about the platforms important to our constituent / customer groups. If we fail to meet them – in an interesting and fulfilling way – “where they live”, we break their trust. Success is delivered to organizations who know and nurture the platforms their target audiences stand on.
What do you see as the next big disruption in the world of marketing and communications?
Effective 1:1 marketing is creating a new paradigm of the curated consumer experience. Continued evolution on the delivery method of just in time communications, will create the next new normal for consumers – hyper-personalized customer experience.
For more on Jennifer check out her speaker session in the academic/social media track at 2:55 p.m. at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference 2016.  She will be speaking about “Delivering Effective Digital Student Experiences,” something we are very passionate about at UMSLDigital.
We’ll see you in April!

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Connected Fitness with Under Armour's Katie Krum

katie-krumm-250x270Katie Krum is currently the Director of Digital Marketing at Under Armour and manages the content and engagement for Under Armour’s Connected Fitness ecosystem. This includes MyFitnessPal, MapMyFitness, and Under Armour Record.
Katie graduated with a B.A. in History from Princeton and a M.S. in Integrated Marketing from NYU. Before she worked for Under Armour, she worked in digital marketing at Nickelodeon and Mariott International. Katie’s background comes from start-ups, which is also where she discovered her passion for digital technologies.
Katie also made Brand Innovators “40 under 40” List. A list consisting of young marketing professionals who “have proven they have the ingenuity, leadership, and strategic foresight necessary to perform at the highest levels possible in the in the constantly evolving media and marketing environment.” – David Teicher, editor and chief content officer at Brand Innovators.
In anticipation of her discussion on Social Media we asked her to answer some questions on the future of digital marketing, see her opinions and insights below!
What’s the future of wearable tech? Will it ever become a marketing platform?
Clothing! Shirts and shoes will provide us with the information (and so much more) that bands, glasses, watches and heart rate monitors provide us today… the marketing platform will be in the data we collect.
What does “content” mean to you?
I used to have a much more narrow view of content — related to premium content: long-form content (tv series), blog articles, visual/story-telling slideshows, etc. But in the broadest of terms: commercials are content, images on a retail site might be considered content, instagram posts are content…its so many things. So broad that we probably need to create more precise terms for the future.
What are your top 3 digital metrics?
Related to engagement, I am trying to turn the organization towards quality time spent, which can be measured by:  time spent reading, scroll depth, engagement, recirculation, shares, and percentage of article completed.
Come hear Katie talk about why she feels this way and all the other insights she has about digital marketing at the MDMC! Register today, April will be here before you know it!