FPRA Gainesville

The Story of Brand will unfold at the 2012 Professional Development Symposium on May 11 from 8:30 – 3:30 at the Levin College of Law.

Registration:
$85 Members/$95 Non-members

To register, click here.

If you have any questions, please contact Amelia Bell at abell@harn.ufl.edu.

Program

8:30 – 9:00
Registration, Sponsor Chats & Continental Breakfast

9:00 – 9:10
Welcome and Introduction

9:10 – 10:05
Authentic Brands. To be successful, you have no choice but to be yourself.
April Salter, APR, CPRC, President and Chief Operating Officer, Salter>Mitchell
All brands are aspirational, but most of all, they must be authentic. At its heart, authenticity is about practicing what you preach; being totally clear about who you are and what you do best. And that can be tough – you have to make choices.  What is the essence of your organization and how can you carry your brand attributes all the way through your organization?  This hands-on session will give you practical tools to evaluate your brand proposition and help you position your organization to be its true, essential brand.

10:05 – 11:05
Rebranding to Position for the Future: Moffitt Cancer Center Case Study
Joe S. Hice Jr., APR, CPRC, MA, MBA, Vice President, Public Relations and Marketing, Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa is the only Florida-based National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is also one of the busiest centers in the country, managing more than 350,000 patient appointments last year alone. Because of its national stature and growth in patient volumes, Moffitt has not aggressively marketed the Center’s expertise and offerings in recent years. During that time, however, cancer has become “big business” in Florida attracting diagnostic and treatment centers from around the country. With competition increasing and healthcare funding decreasing, hear how Moffitt is turning to public relations and marketing to rebrand the facility and position itself for the future.

11:05 – 11:15
Break with exhibitors

11:15 – 12:15
The Power of Story
Robert M. (Bob) Allen, Chief Storytelling Officer and Principal Executive, IDEAS Orlando
“Storying” is a practical, feet-on-the-ground discipline as useful and critical a leadership skill as finance, marketing, sales and operations. Stories, it turns out, are how the human brain constructs reality. They are so powerful that recent studies have proven that the brain doesn’t discriminate between stories and “reality.”

12:15– 1:00
Lunch

1 – 2:00
Keeping Your Brand Identity in Shape
Carrie Crozer, Brand Identity Manager, Spanx
Managing your brand can be just as important as creating it. Go behind the “seams” as Crozer provides case studies on how she works to keep this billion dollar company in check. Having never advertised, SPANX relies heavily on in-store branding and public relations. This speaks to the equity that has been built in this slimming undergarment brand, and the way it has been managed since its launch 12 years ago. 

2:00-2:10
Break with exhibitions

2:10-3:10
Whose brand is it, anyway?
Understanding why and how to reposition your brand.
April Salter, APR, CPRC, President and Chief Operating Officer, Salter>Mitchell
We all know the legendary brand stories (Coca Cola, Apple, etc.), but how do we put this experience into practice in our own organizations?  Sometimes events drive the need to position a new brand – at other times, we find that a brand needs to be shaken, stirred and repositioned.  April will present a series of brand positioning moments based on case studies and real life examples to help you consider why and how to reposition your brand.

3:10 – 3:30
Closing Remarks and Adjourn

PDS Speaker Bios

Robert M. (Bob) Allen
Chief Storytelling Officer and Principal Executive, IDEAS

Bob Allen began his career in the entertainment industry as a musician at the age of 16. After graduating from college, Bob held a variety of positions in Disneyland’s Live Entertainment
Division. Productions included several spectaculars, and creative development work on Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade among others.

In 1978, Bob’s team conceived, developed, and produced numerous film, tape, and multi-media materials for the Tokyo Disneyland park and Bob also began work as a writer and producer with Walt Disney Imagineering on several attractions that would become part of EPCOT.

In 1982, after relocating to Walt Disney World, Bob became the manager of an in-house production company of forty full-time staff. During this period he directed and produced in addition to his management duties. In 1985 Bob became the Florida anchor for the production focus of the Disney-MGM Studios and was promoted to Director of Film and Tape Production. In 1991 he became Vice President of Disney Production Services, Inc. He was responsible for all facilities and services at the Disney-MGM Studios as well as the operation of Disney IDEAS (Innovation, Design, Entertainment, Art and Storytelling), a full service Integrated Creative Content Studio. While Bob is involved with all aspects of the company, his primary role is the Chief Storytelling Officer for the Innovation and Learning lines of business.

A nationally recognized speaker, Bob has presented to various groups that include the U.S. Air Force, Association of Travel Marketing Executives, Allied Travel Organization, National Telecommunications Conference to name a few. His book, Zennovation-Mastering the Net Present Moment is due out in 2013.

Carrie Crozer
Brandy Identity Manager, SPANX

Carrie Crozer is the Brand Identity Manager for SPANX, where she oversees domestic and international in-store visual merchandising and displays; customer events and market weeks; and domestic and international tradeshows for all SPANX, Inc. brands.

Carrie joined the SPANX team in 2006 after internships with The Ledlie Group, an Atlanta PR firm, and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). Her love of the retail industry and entrepreneurial spirit made SPANX the perfect fit for her career. Since her first day at SPANX, Carrie has been involved in several aspects of the business. In her first year, Carrie established the SPANX Specialist program, a group of dedicated, Spanx-y women who conduct trainings and events, and serve as brand ambassadors throughout the country. In the years following, Carrie has worked closely with key retail partners, forming solid relationships to further the brand’s presence at point-of-sale. This remains to be her main focus, as well as maintaining the brand consistency both in and out of the stores.

A 2004 graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and Business Administration, she currently resides in Atlanta with her husband Page.

Joseph S. Hice Jr., APR, CPRC, MA, MBA, Vice President, Public Relations & Marketing, Moffitt
Cancer Center

Moffitt is one of the largest cancer centers in the nation and is the only Florida-based National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center.  He is responsible for public relations, marketing, advertising, and employee communications activities at Moffitt.  He also directs the institution’s news bureau, conference planning and institutional advocacy efforts.

Hice joined Moffitt from NC State University in Raleigh, NC where he was Chief Communications Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor.   Prior to NC State, he with the University of Florida where he was associate vice president of University Relations.  At UF, Hice led the development of The Gator Nation campaign. Before joining UF, he had a long career with some of the nation’s most respected and well-known recreational product brands including Harley-Davidson, Segway, Sea-Doo Watercraft, and others.

At Harley, Hice was responsible for all corporate communications activities, media relations and employee communications. He was a founding member of the Motor Company’s Financial Disclosure Committee and was involved in the planning and development of Harley’s Strategic Plan for Sustainable Growth and the company’s 100th Anniversary Celebration.

Hice managed the development of the Sea-Doo brand and implemented marketing communications programs that helped the
company grow from the smallest company in the industry to the industry leader in just five years.

Prior to entering the corporate world, Hice was co-owner of his own public relations firm in Tampa and was a vice president of the
international PR agency, Hill & Knowlton. He was also business editor of the Tampa Times newspaper and a staff writer with Florida Trend Magazine and Tampa Bay Business Journal.

He has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree in Journalism & Communications from the University of Florida, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin.

April  Salter, APR, CPRC
President and Chief Operating Officer, Salter>Mitchell
April Salter has been  shaping brands and building reputations for 25 years. A public relations  veteran, April has developed brands from scratch, merged brands, introduced  brands, and helped brands find a safe place to retire and receive quality  end-of-life care.

She sold rhino poop on e-bay to introduce the public to the work of the  International Rhino Foundation.  She brought Santa in on a yacht to St. Pete Bay to join his rightful place on the board of the Florida Retail Federation.   And she has “Kicked Butts” with 42 different press events or promotions over the years.

April is best known for developing creative, cutting edge approaches to  communications and marketing challenges and then relentlessly pursuing new ways  to communicate them.  Her passion is connecting  people and causes to help good causes win.

She began her career in survey research and then spent eight years in state government, heading communications efforts for the Florida departments of  commerce, health and rehabilitative services, environmental protection and  finally, the Executive Office of the Governor.  For the past 13 years,  April has headed her own pr and marketing firm – first Herrle Communications Group, and then its successor,  Salter>Mitchell.

Her work has been recognized at the national and state level and she’s  won an Emmy, a Silver Anvil, two Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image awards and  dozens of Golden Image awards.  She serves on the boards of directors for the International Rhino Foundation, Florida House, Florida’s Embassy in  Washington, Florida TaxWatch, the Leon County Schools Foundation, and the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.  She is hoping to retire and move to the beach in her lifetime.