Brand relevance was the topic under the microscope at the BrandSmart 2015 conference, held recently in Chicago and hosted by that chapter of the American Marketing Association. Brandingmag was there, to interview speakers – as in the video below – and also to hold the first live Branding Roundtable. Chuck Kent, moderator of The Branding Roundtable, led two client/agency teams through a discussion of just what it takes to effectively collaborate, as marketers and consultants, to keep brands aligned in substance and promise to current customers, emerging prospects – and to changes in their own business structures and strategies. This month’s Branding Roundtable is devoted to the heart of that discussion: case histories from United Airlines and TransUnion. Participants included:

  • Tim Simonds, now Chief Marketing and Engagement Office at The Kellogg School of Management, and formerly the Managing Director of Marketing for United Airlines, along with Scott Davis, Chief Growth Officer at Prophet, whose more than decade-long working relationship with Simonds dates back to their days working on United.
  • Julie Springer, Chief Marketing Officer of Transunion, the information solutions company, and Bob Domenz, the CEO of Avenue, the brand strategy and activation firm that recently helped her rebrand a transformed TransUnion, from the inside out.

DOWNLOAD the complete Roundtable eBook. Brandingmag also had the opportunity while at BrandSmart to ask several branding leaders two key questions: What do you see as a major challenge to keeping brands relevant… and what are you doing about it?

You’ll hear from:

  • Pam Hollander, VP of Marketing Communications at Allstate, who offers some real-world insights on the importance of matching content to context.
  • Larry Deutsch, EVP Brand Marketing at Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide, who recently helped reposition Fisher Nuts, leveraging new insights to achieve new relevance (via meaningful content) for marketplace impact.
  • Brendan Honan, Director of Global Marketing at John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., maker of Fisher Nuts, who led the charge to revitalize the brand.
  • Tom Jacobs, of the Jacobs Agency, who makes a case for avoiding disabling distractions and attending first and foremost to branding basics.

Download the full eBook now: Collaborating for Brand Relevance: Branding Roundtable No. 11