San Diego American Marketing Association Board Officers

AMA Volunteer Board 2010-2011

KATHY TOWNEND – President Things you should know about Kathy: Career: Marketing Manager for CSA Travel Protection Why Marketing as a career? Marketing really provides an outlet for every job I’ve ever wanted. I can crunch numbers to prove an ROI, be creative with collateral and even get a little techie as I delve into the web and social media. I have been involved in business to business marketing most of my career with a focus on highly regulated industries such as finance, insurance and health care. Some find this niche a bit restrictive, but I enjoy the collaboration figuring out a way to get around a “no” to arrive at a “yes”. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? I love all the mini-movies brands like Absolut and BMW are creating to drive traffic to the web. Integrated marketing has taken on a whole new life and the new online options increasing every day. What’s your favorite quote? “Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.” -Merry Brown A great reminder that when you get stuck, step back, forget what you know and get a fresh view.

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KIRSTY NUNEZ- Vice President, Programming Things you should know about Kirsty: Career: President & CEO, Q2 Insights, Inc. Why Marketing as a career? Growing up I was always curious about why people do and say they things they do. Working in Marketing Research my team and I get to answer these questions every day. Marketing Research gives me the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life whether it be those in the Board Room or those who may not be blessed with good fortune at this point in their lives. I am lucky to have found a career in which I can best utilize my natural curiosity, educational training and work experience. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? I love what Dominos has done to makeover their product and brand. It is very brave to admit that your product is not up to par. I’m biased, of course, but I also love the fact that Dominos is spelling out their use of research in a very concrete manner. It is a risky approach but it does underscore that good research is highly actionable and that the company really does listen to their customers. What’s your favorite quote? “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” -Albert Einstein

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BRIAN KELLERMAN – Vice President, Sponsorship Things you should know about Brian: Career: : Experiential Marketing Professional, Founder of GoGather Entrepreneur Why Marketing as a career? Marketing makes the world go round as far as I am concerned. Building powerful brands and experiences that people identify with and react to is very rewarding. There is no better career for someone like myself who is passionate about connecting with others. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? With a focus on consumer and customer experience I have got to go with the energy drink folks. Monster and Red Bull know how to put on a show and get people fired up about their brands. The Old Spice Guy viral campaign is also genius. What’s your favorite quote? “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” -John Wooden

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JIMMY PAGE – Vice President, Communications Things you should know about Jimmy: Career: Marketing Communications and Operations Professional Why Marketing as a career? When I chose to focus my undergraduate work on marketing my attraction was mainly to the creativity and the public nature of the work, which is pretty typical for aspiring college marketers. What I love most about marketing today is the fact that there is so much science in marketing to pair with the softer aspects, and the analytical side of marketing is still developing in such interesting ways. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? In my sphere the best marketing is being done in business-to-business process modeling and offensive strategy. Fantastic software companies and brilliant in-house marketers are creating the deepest insight into revenue models ever. I have a lot of respect for companies like Eloqua, Marketo and HubSpot if I have to name names. What’s your favorite quote? “Your future is up to you, not your employer. You have to get better in order for your circumstances to get better, and that must be done on your own time.” -Larry Winget

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STEVE ROOT – Vice President, Finance Things you should know about Steve: Career: Audit Senior, LevitZacks CPAs Why Marketing as a career? Although I do not work directly in marketing, I see marketing as the fun aspect of the business language that allows businesses who harness it appropriately and effectively to grow exponentially.  Since client growth is an important aspect of what I do, I am constantly learning and using marketing strategy to grow my career. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? I am a fan of what Apple did to reach its target demographic in the Mac versus PC commercials.  The campaign must have worked well since other businesses, i.e. T-Mobile versus AT&T, have piggy backed on the thought. What’s your favorite quote? “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” – John D. Rockefeller

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BRANDON CHAVEZ – Vice President, Community Relations   Things you should know about Brandon: Career: Marketing Manager, UC San Diego Extension Why Marketing as a career? As a career, I can’t think of any better way to experiment and learn about the best ways to communicate with people.  Successful marketing requires a well rounded set of skills and it allows the outgoing and friendly part of my personality to effectively coexist with the techie, number crunching side. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? It fascinates me to analyze different advertisements while trying to figure out who company’s feel their target audiences are.  Right now, I think that Carl’s Jr (“Don’t bother me, I’m eating”), Honda (2012 Civic campaign with the ninja and zombie) and ESPN (“This is SportsCenter”) have a good handle on who they are trying to reach not just utilizing demographics such as age and gender, but also examining the types of personalities and psychographics their customers have and tailoring their messages accordingly. What’s your favorite quote? “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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JOHN RUZICKA – Vice President, Membership   Things you should know about John: Career: Asst. Director for Marketing, University of San Diego School of Business Administration Why Marketing as a career? Marketing is evolving so quickly that you have to really stay on top of your game to even keep up with the trends.  Of course, not all trends will be adopted as best practices, so it also takes a talent for sifting through to find the underlying themes rather than getting caught up in every shiny new object. Who’s doing the best Marketing right now? In 2011 I think Apple has done a great job of really capturing the user experience for all of their products and creating a demand for “new necessities” that didn’t even exist a few years ago.  Locally, I’m glad to see several companies taking chances and breaking new ground in marketing. What’s your favorite quote? Judge Smails: Ty, what did you shoot today? Ty Webb:  Oh, Judge, I don’t keep score. Judge Smails: Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers? Ty Webb:  By height.