Our first piece, written by President Elect Alison Stiven, has already been published. In it, Stiven recommends ways to best rebuild marketing capacity including S.M.A.R.T. goal setting:

“Be SMART. After target areas are identified, set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely) goals. They will act as a road map and should be attainable not only for leaders, but also employees who will be tasked with executing the plan. Make sure measurements are in place to gauge progress, and adjust the timeline to stay on track.“

You can read the rest of the piece here, and make sure you check back every month to read the latest column!

 

“Marketing involves so many facets to grow businesses: strategy, execution, accountability, design. Helping companies gain the insight and understanding, the processes and systems, the mindset, and the perspective necessary to go from where they are to where they want to be is exciting. When done right, marketing has the ability to transform businesses.”

Born and raised in Oregon, Alison grew up in the suburbs of Portland where her family still resides. She broke away for college, where she studied marketing at Colorado State University and thoroughly enjoyed Fort Collins, college life, and being a Gamma Phi Beta. After school, Alison moved back to Portland and started her career at a transportation engineering firm. There, she was able to help build and develop their marketing practices for over five years.

Alison is currently the Execution Team Leader at Kinesis, Inc., a marketing and design firm specializing in growth-oriented professional service businesses. In this position, she bridges the gap between the Creative and Strategic teams to move projects forward and efficiently meet client needs and goals.

Over the past three years of her involvement, Alison has seen the AMA grow leaps and bounds. “We’ve really increased our presence within the Portland community, and have added programs, communications, and volunteer opportunities that will help us continue in this direction,” she reports. “AMA truly offers something for everybody, and I want to continue to increase our volunteer and membership base so that more people realize the benefits (and fun!) they can have by being a part of this group. One of our goals as a group over the past couple of years has been to build our clout. Well, I think we’ve built it, and now I want to  take it to the next level.”

When she’s not managing the AMA or leading her team at Kinesis, Inc., Alison can be found exploring Portland’s vast food and drink scene, of which there is always something new to discover. She also likes to travel as much as she can, visiting her friends and family all over the globe. Running is her ‘release’ and allows her to explore parts of Portland, the Northwest, and the World by foot. When she has time, Alison also enjoys reading, playing piano, and eating cookies.

The AMA’s Blind Pig Networking Brigade are a rebellious bunch, masterminding events that go against the expected and ordinary. Their latest event, Let’s Duet!: A Karaoke Death Match, is one networking event designed to shock and AHHWWW! It will be an epic showdown between three different marketing-minded professional groups, AMA vs PRSA vs PAF, in order to select a reinging champion. Competitors will not only be judged on their vocal chops but overall networking ability and congeniality. The Blind Pig Networking Brigade wants to know if Advertisers or PR professionals have what it takes to rise to this challenge and if they can, possibly, win!

The packed night will include a duet singing battle in which pairs from each organization will be selected at random to compete a pre-selected song. It is not designed for the faint of heart, but rather the BPNB wants to mix it up and push you to your breaking note. After four rounds of singing battles a champion will be selected and prizes will be awarded to the most connected, talented, enthusiastic and willing participants.

It will be a night to get down and dirty, ensuring you network with as many other Portland professionals as possible, rubbing more than just elbows.

Details:

March 21, from 4:30 – 9:00

$5 at the door (Voicebox Karaoke Lounge)

For more information, check out the events page.

Follow the fun on Twitter and Facebook.

Presented by: The American Marketing Association’s

BLIND PIG NETWORKING BRIGADE

You Never Know What You’ll See at a Blind Pig Party.

This year we have a distinguished panel of judges ready to decide who’s the best of the best. Top industry players from Rumblefish’s Paul Anthony, to Frank Grady of Grady Britton, just to name a couple. Carrie Bugbee of Big Deal PR will also be there, so be sure to bring your social media A-game. And for you gluttons for constructive feedback, all entrants receive a scorecard of notes and commentary from our judges.

Think you’re the best around? AMA Oregon will be the judge of that.

Enter the competition at http://www.maxaward.org/enter/ 

Deadline for entries is March 23^rd*.

*Procrastinators can submit as late as March 31^st, but it will cost you an extra fee.

Event Information

Date: June 14^th, 2012

Time: 6 pm – 10 pm

Location: West End Ballroom

1221 SW Taylor St.

Links:

MAX Entries: http://www.maxaward.org/enter/

MAX Categories: http://www.maxaward.org/categories/

MAX Judges: http://www.maxaward.org/judges/

Purchase tickets: http://www.maxaward.org/event/

Event: http://www.maxaward.org/event/

West End Ballroom: http://powersstudiosblog.com/westend/

AMA Oregon President Maria Young

On behalf of the AMA Oregon Chapter, I’m pleased to announce our new blog!

Many exciting changes are happening (hint: a new look for AMA Oregon is coming later this year). We’ve created a spankin’new blog to showcase everything-marketing in Portland: world-class talent, hot agencies and innovative organizations. Our blog scoops you on premiere networking opportunities, events hosted by AMA and other professional organizations, and career-building resources in the Portland marcom community. Want even more? We’ll also delve deeper into topics trending in the creative community right now. This is a forum for you to develop a conversation around your passion for marketing — engage and build the community!

Stay tuned … in future blog posts, you’ll see:

• Previews of award-winning programming, from luncheons to professional development workshops to the latest Blind Pig Brigade networking parties
• Spotlights on rising star marketers and cutting-edge organizations in the Portland area
• Exciting AMA Oregon projects, including pro-bono marketing efforts led by our Community Outreach committee
• Profiles of marketing thought leaders in the community
• Job announcements
• Latest marketing trends

Keep checking back in and let us know what you think.

Maria Young, President of the AMA Oregon Chapter