Speakers

David A. Aaker is the Vice-Chairman of Prophet, a brand based strategy-consulting firm, Professor Emeritus of Marketing Strategy at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley and an advisor to Dentsu Inc. 

A recognized authority on brand strategy, he is the recipient of the Paul D. Converse Award for outstanding contributions to the development of the science of marketing, the Vijay Mahajan Award for career contributions to marketing strategy and the MIT Buck Weaver Award for contributions to the advancement of theory and practice in marketing science. 

He has published over 100 articles. His 13 books include "Strategic Market Management,"  "Managing Brand Equity," "Building Strong Brands," "Brand Leadership" (co-authored with Erich Joachimsthaler), "Brand Portfolio Strategy," and "Spanning Silos" and have been translated into eighteen languages. 

Cited as one of the most quoted authors in marketing, Professor Aaker has won awards for the best article in the California Management Review and (twice) in the Journal of Marketing.  He has been an active consultant and speaker throughout the world and is on the Board of Directors of California Casualty Insurance Company and the Food Bank of Contra Consta and Solano Counties. 

Don E. Schultz is the President of Agora, Inc. He is also Professor (Emeritus-in-Service) of Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University.

Don has consulted, lectured, and held seminars on integrated marketing communication, marketing, branding, advertising, sales promotion, and communication management in Europe, South America, Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, Australia, and North America. He is the author/co-author of over twenty-four books and over 150 trade, academic and professional articles, including "Integrated Markeitng Communications" and "IMC: The Next Generation." 

He is a featured columnist in Marketing News and Marketing Management.  He was the founding editor of the Journal of Direct Marketing, the associate editor of the Journal of Marketing Communications, is the editor of the new International Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication, and is on the editorial review board for a number of trade and scholarly publications.

Following his graduation from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Marketing/Journalism, Don began his career as a sales promotion writer for trade magazine publishers in Dallas. From there, he moved into publication sales and management, and was advertising director of a daily newspaper in Texas. He joined Tracy-Locke Advertising and Public Relations in Dallas in 1965, and was with the agency for almost ten years in its Dallas, New York, and Columbus, Ohio offices as senior vice president and manager of several branch offices. He served as management supervisor for a number of national consumer product, service, and industrial accounts.

In 1974, Don resigned from Tracy-Locke to launch a career in academia. He obtained a master’s degree in advertising and a Ph.D. in mass media from Michigan State University while also teaching in the MSU Department of Advertising. He joined Northwestern in 1977.

Don was former director of the Promotion Marketing Association of America and past Chairman, Accrediting Committee, Accrediting Council in Journalism and Mass Communications. He is also a member of the American Marketing Association, American Academy of Advertising, Advertising Research Foundation, Association for Consumer Research, Business Marketing Association, Direct Marketing Association, and the International Advertising Association. Don was the former director and US Chairman for Brand Finance, London, and was a former director of the Simon Richards Group, Melbourne Australia, Penton Publishers, Cleveland, Ohio, and Insignia Systems, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 Don currently holds appointments as an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and as a visiting professor at the Cranfield School of Management and at Hull University’s School of Business, both in the UK. He has been a visiting professor at Tsinghua University and Peking University, Beijing, China, and Hanken, the Swedish School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland.

Laura Ries is a leading marketing strategist, bestselling author and television personality.
Since 1994, Laura has run Ries & Ries, a consulting firm with her partner, father and legendary Positioning pioneer Al Ries. Together they consult with Fortune 500 companies on brand strategy and are the authors of five books which have been bestsellers around the world. They have traveled to over 60 countries from Chile to China and India to Indonesia teaching the fundamental principles of marketing.

Laura is a frequent marketing analyst on major news programs from the O’Reilly Factor to Squawk Box. She regularly appears on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, CNN, HLN, and is frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Advertising Age and others.

Laura attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she graduated in 1993 “with highest distinction” from Northwestern’s School of Speech, finishing in the top 2% of her class.
Laura started her career at TBWA Advertising in New York City in account management for brands like Woolite and Evian. But her lifelong dream was realized when she Laura partnered with her father to form Ries & Ries in 1994.

Laura and Al have co-authored five books together: "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" (1998), "The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding" (2000), "The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR" (2002), "The Origin of Brands" (2004), and their latest "War in the Boardroom" (2009).

In 2002, Business 2.0 named Laura a “management guru” and issued trading cards with her picture and statistics on them. In 2008, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named Laura a top 40 under 40. In 2009, the readers of Advertising Age voted Al's book "Positioning" as the best marketing book of all time with "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" coming in close behind in the number three spot.

In addition to her books, Laura writes a popular branding blog RiesPieces.com and appears in marketing reports on the RiesReport.com website which are also available on iTunes.
In addition to her consulting, speaking and writing, Laura enjoys many activities such as horseback riding, swimming, tennis, hiking, snow skiing and photography. She resides in Roswell, Georgia with her husband, two sons, toy poodle and retired show horse.

David Meerman Scott is a marketing strategist, keynote speaker, seminar leader, and the author of "The New Rules of Marketing & PR," an award-winning BusinessWeek bestseller published in 24 languages. He is also the author of the hit book "World Wide Rave" and three other books. His Web Ink Now blog is ranked by AdAge Power 150 as a top worldwide marketing blog.

He is a recovering VP of marketing for two publicly traded technology companies and was also Asia marketing director for Knight-Ridder, at the time one of the world’s largest newspaper and electronic information companies.

David has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries on four continents.

Affiliations: Board of directors of Kadient, board of directors of Nashaquisset, board of advisors of HubSpot, board of advisors of Eloqua, board of advisors VisibleGains, previous board of directors at NewsWatch (sold to Yahoo Japan).

David also writes for Huffington Post.

Jackie Huba is the co-author of two books on customer loyalty: the most recent being "Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message," which documents the emerging world of social media and how brands should begin to embrace a participatory culture. Besides being widely used at companies as an introduction to social media, "Citizen Marketers" has been adopted by college instructors as a tool for understanding the underlying nature of social media and what it means for marketing and public relations.

Jackie's first book, "Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force" explains how companies convert customers into evangelists who spread the word about products and services. "Creating Customer Evangelists" has been translated into six languages and has become a strategic focus for companies around the world.

Named as one of the 10 most influential online marketers, Jackie co-authors the award-winning Church of the Customer blog; with more than 120,000 daily readers, it's ranked as one of the most popular business blogs in the world. She is also a principal at Ant's Eye View, a management consulting firm that specializes in helping companies get smart on social business. She is a graduate of Penn State University, a Pittsburgh Steelers fanatic and lives in Austin, Texas.

Jeffrey Hayzlett serves as the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company, reporting to Kodak Chairman and CEO Antonio M. Perez.  As CMO, Mr. Hayzlett is responsible for the company's worldwide marketing operations including the design and implementation of all marketing strategies, investments, policies, and processes.  He leads the company's efforts for Strategy and Planning, Marketing Programs, Marketing Network Operations, Brand Development and Management, Business Development, and Corporate Sponsorships.  He is also responsible for the company's Corporate Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs organizations.  Kodak’s Board of Directors elected him a corporate vice president in October 2007.

Mr. Hayzlett is also the author of the newly released book "The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing?"

Mr. Hayzlett speaks frequently around the world on business growth, communications, and marketing.  He is cited as a leading marketing expert in numerous books, magazines, and newspapers worldwide, and is a frequent television guest and commentator, having appeared on shows including CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Fox Business News, and NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump.

He has received numerous global marketing and business awards and honors, including the Frost & Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Award for marketing.  He was named "Business to Business Marketer of the Year" by BtoB Magazine and "Direct Marketer of the Year" by the University of Akron Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing.  In 2008, Mr. Hayzlett was inducted into the College of Business Administration Direct Marketers Hall of Fame.  In June 2009, he was awarded the prestigious "G.D. Crain Jr. Award for Marketing Excellence" and inducted into the BMA Hall of Fame at the Business Marketing Association's annual conference.  Previously, the U.S. Small Business Association named him "Entrepreneur of the Year."

In the graphic arts industry, Mr. Hayzlett has been honored as the International Business Person of the Year Award by the International Printers’ Network (IPN); received The British Association for Print and Communication (BAPC) Honorary Life Member award; was given the National Association of Quick Printing (NAQP) Industry Award of Distinction; and most recently was awarded the prestigious Earl I. Sundeen Award from the International Graphic Arts Education Association (IGAEA).

Mr. Hayzlett currently sits on the Business Marketing Association (BMA) board of directors and is a past chairman of BMA. He is a member of the advisory board of the CMO Council, chairman of the Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI) Foundation for Marketing Education, a permanent trustee of the SMEI Academy of Achievement Sales and Marketing Hall of Fame, and a two-term past chairman of SMEI.  He serves on Sales & Marketing Management Magazine’s 2009 Editorial Advisory Board. Mr. Hayzlett remains a trustee of Pi Sigma Epsilon National Education Foundation, an international sales and marketing fraternity.

Mr. Hayzlett has nearly 25 years of international marketing, sales, and customer relations management experience. He joined Kodak in April 2006 as Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of the Graphic Communications Group (GCG).  In this role, he was responsible for leading all marketing activities for the business, including product positioning, segment marketing, branding, marketing communications, customer development, business research, marketing strategy, and business development activity.  He became Chief Business Development Officer in September 2007 and was responsible for Brand Development and Management, Market Development, Corporate and Product Public Relations, Communications and Public Affairs, Corporate Sponsorships, Business Development, Corporate Relationships and Partnerships, and Marketing.

Prior to joining Kodak, he led a private business development and public relations firm specializing in the technology and visual communications industries.  He also held senior management positions in strategic business development and marketing at several companies, including Cenveo, Webprint, and Colorbus, Inc., and served in staff positions in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Greg Verdino is vice president of strategy and solutions at Powered, a full service social media agency. He joined Powered through its acquisition of crayon – a marketing consultancy in which he was a principal – and previously held leadership roles at Digitas, ROO, Globix Corporation, Akamai Technologies and Arbitron, along with several New York area advertising and direct marketing agencies. With 20 years of experience in online media, advertising, marketing, and technology he has helped clients like American Airlines, American Express, BIC, Coca-Cola, Ford, General Motors, Panasonic and many others evolve their marketing strategies to take advantage of disruptive changes in media and technology.

Greg is also the author of "microMARKETING: Get Big Results by Thinking and Acting Small" (McGraw-Hill, 2010), and writes a popular and influential marketing blog that can be found at gregverdino.com. As a trend spotter and recognized authority on the social web and marketing innovation, he has been profiled in and quoted by many business and news media, including Advertising Age, Adweek, BusinessWeek, Forbes, the New York Times, Newsday, and the Wall Street Journal.

Marty Neumeier’s professional mission is to “incite business revolution by unleashing the power of design thinking.” He does this by writing books, conducting workshops, and speaking internationally about the power of brand, innovation, and design.

Neumeier began his career as a brand designer, and later added writing and business strategy to his skills, working variously as a communications director, magazine publisher, and brand consultant. By the mid-1990s he had developed hundreds of brand identities and architectures for companies such as Apple, Adobe, Netscape, Kodak, and Hewlett-Packard. In 1996 he launched CRITIQUE, the magazine of design thinking, which quickly became the leading journal for improving design effectiveness through analysis and coaching.

In editing CRITIQUE, Neumeier joined the growing conversation about bridging the gap between business strategy and customer experience, which led directly to the ideas in his bestselling “whiteboard overview” books, "THE BRAND GAP," "ZAG," and "THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY." The books are now published in 20 languages. ZAG was recently named one of “The Top 100 Business Books of All Time.”

In 2002, he launched Neutron, a design think tank focused on internal brand-building processes that drive organizational change. In 2009, he merged Neutron with Liquid Agency in San Jose, where he now serves as Director of Transformation. He travels extensively as a speaker and workshop facilitator.

Robin Koval has been a driving force in the advertising world for over 20 years. A marketing strategist and new products expert, her experience spans almost every category from beauty and beverages to distilled spirits and pharmaceuticals. Her successes include the daring “Yes, Yes, Yes” of Herbal Essences and the AFLAC duck quack heard round the world. Simply put, Robin helps marketers get noticed.

Robin is the President of The Kaplan Thaler Group and is responsible for the general management of the agency, including client services, strategic and new business development, and KTG’s Buzz unit. A founding member of the agency with Linda Kaplan Thaler, she has helped KTG grow from a fledgling start-up to one billion dollars in billings.

The Kaplan Thaler Group is consistently ranked by industry publications as one of the fastest-growing New York agencies and celebrated for its breakthrough creative and immediate results. Its blue-chip clients include Procter & Gamble’s Dawn and Swiffer, AFLAC, Champion, Continental Airlines, Kodak, Kraft, Lunesta, Pfizer, Trojan and U.S. Bank.

Robin is also a bestselling author. Her latest joint effort with Linda Kaplan Thaler is titled "THE POWER OF SMALL: Why Little Things Make All the Difference," (Doubleday, 2009) and shows that in a big picture world, every detail counts. Her previous bestselling book, "THE POWER OF NICE: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness" (Doubleday 2006), was also co-authored with Linda Kaplan Thaler and demystified the notion that nice “guys” finish last. Following its debut, "The Power of Nice" was widely featured in the media on television programs like ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s “The Today Show” and in print publications including Time, Business Week, Newsweek, O: The Oprah Magazine, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. Linda and Robin’s first book "BANG! Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World," a savvy marketing book, was also a national bestseller.

Robin earned a BFA from Syracuse University and an MBA from Baruch College.

In November 2008, Robin received the Compass Award from the Women’s Leadership Exchange for her work in shifting the paradigm of how women are perceived as business leaders. Robin was honored in January 2007 with the prestigious Advertising Women of New York’s Working Mother of the Year Trailblazer Award. And in 2002, she was inducted into the YWCA’s Academy of Women Achievers. Robin has also served on the board of the Westchester Arts Council and is an adjunct professor at New York University.

When she’s not determining solutions for her clients’ problems, she takes to the ice as an accomplished figure skater. Robin lives in New York City and is married to Kenneth Koval, a senior administrator for the New York City Health and Hospitals Commission. Their daughter, Melissa, is an actress in New York City.

Aaron has worked in Business Development in retail for over 8 years.  His career has taken him through sales, operations and all the grunt work it takes to make his team successful.  He joined Zappos.com with a primary focus in business development.  However, his role has grown to include oversight of Brand Marketing, PR and Social Media as well as Business Development.

He received his BBA from University of Wisconsin – Madison with a double major of Marketing and Management & Human Resources.  People often do the stupid stuff while they are still in school, but he chose to run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain only five weeks before his wedding day.  Luckily, he made it out alive.  Also, while not really enjoying either event, he is a marathoner and triathlete.  

Neale Martin, Ph.D. is the author of the highly regarded book "Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore." He is the founder and CEO of Sublime Behavior Marketing a consultancy founded on understanding and changing consumer behavior. Neale is also developing a Habit-based consumer research center at the Coles College of Management, Kennesaw State University.

Neale helps companies uniquely understand their customers by providing insights into both conscious and unconscious consumer choice and usage behavior. Integrating cutting edge research methodologies with an updated model of consumer behavior, Neale is able to help companies design, develop, and market products and services that become habit forming.

Neale lives in Marietta, GA with his wife, daughter and two Border Collies.

Bob Gilbreath is Chief Marketing Strategist at Bridge Worldwide, one of the nation’s largest digital advertising agencies and part of WPP.  Bob leads the Strategic Planning team within the agency, advising clients such as Procter & Gamble, ConAgra Foods, Kroger, Luxottica, and Abbott. 

He is also the author of "The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with your Customers by Marketing with Meaning," which was released by McGraw-Hill in October 2009.  His writing has been featured in Brandweek and Entrepreneur, he has previously spoken at Harvard Business School and Google, and has appeared on ABC News. 

Bob joined Bridge Worldwide after leading a dramatic turnaround of the Mr. Clean brand at Procter & Gamble, where he was recognized by Advertising Age as one of the Top 50 marketers of the year.  He received his MBA in marketing from the NYU/Stern School of Business and his BA in Economics from Duke University. 

A Senior Partner at Prophet, Andy has earned a reputation as one of the most disruptive and effective advisors in business. He spent the past 20 years helping companies like GE, General Mills, Proctor & Gamble, The United States Olympic Committee, and the Coca Cola Company drive innovation from the inside out - enriching their people and driving marketplace growth. Andy's true passion lies in guiding clients through the powerful evolution from inspiration to creativity to innovation. He teaches practical skills, leadership behaviors, and specific processes for developing and implementing ideas at work.

Andy is frequently featured on CNBC as a nationally recognized innovation thought leader, and acts as visiting professor at many leading universities, including Dartmouth, University of Michigan, Duke, University of Richmond, and the Wharton School of Leadership. He is a published author and is frequently called upon to share his insights with the media. He is currently writing a forthcoming book on innovation.

In 1990, Andy co-founded Play, a creativity and innovation company, that changed the way business does business. While there, he helped many leading companies find ways to inspire and equip their people to create sustainable innovation. Prophet and Play joined forces in December 2008.

Andy strongly believes in supporting community through education, nonprofit, and civic initiatives including the HYDE school, HomeAgain and ChildSavers. Andy holds a B.S. from Miami University of Ohio.