Brand loyalty and social networking

WEB EDITION :: Media & Marketing

Brand loyalty and social networking
by Hemananthani Sivanandam

newsdesk@thesundaily.com

ORGANISATIONS need improved ways to build brand loyalty through the use of social networking and development of online communities, especially during an economic downturn.


"Obama-Magic in KL" – a special programme featuring Roger Fisk, Barack Obama’s national special events director – will be an opportunity to learn how your organisation or company can adopt the Barack Obama campaign strategy to achieve success.

There is certainly much to be learnt from Fisk – the man who helped carve the first African-American president’s route to the White House.

Fisk, who was hired as nat-ional special events director in what would become a history-making finance department, managed a nationwide grassroots fundraising team that revolutionised modern political fundraising – totalling US$100 million (RM370 million) in 11 months – while building the largest donor base in American history.

He supervised teams in 32 states with direct managerial responsibility for event and advertising budgets, site selection, appropriation of staff resources, cultivation of targeted free media, coordination of web outreach, and collaboration with local, state and national elected officials.

Fisk was also directly responsible for coordinating and managing media coverage of over 150 events across the country.

The full-day session to be held at the Petaling Jaya Hilton on March 2 will focus on ideas and thoughts that went into Obama’s presidential campaign as well as utilising new media strategies like blogging, email alerts, text messaging, harnessing the power of the internet and developing online and offline strategies.

It will look at various case studies in the different US states, the challenges that Barack Obama faced as well as the necessary attributes required to plan, develop and operate a successful media campaign.

In addition to sharing Obama’s journey of hope and how he rebranded American politics, economic views and what it takes to be an agent of change, Fisk will also give his take on the global economic outlook and globalisation.

He will engage in panel discussions on the following topics – "The Power of the New Media" and "Is There Hope For Change?"

Invited guests include theSun’s special reporting and investigations editor R. Nadeswaran, blogger Ahir-uddin Atan aka Rocky’s Bru, advertising entrepreneur Datuk Vincent Lee, outspoken lawyer-politician Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, Deputy Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin, and Carat Mal-aysia managing director Henry Tan.

Participants might also like to meet Obama look-alike, Indonesian Ilham Anas.

IIham has appeared on CNN, Al-Jazeera, BBC, NBC, Metro TV and in a television commercial in the Philippines playing the role of "president".

Organised by Marketing magazine, the programme, inclusive of tea/coffee breaks and a buffet lunch, is priced at RM850 – claimable from the Human Resource Development Fund.

Seats are limited, so don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the "magic".


To take part, call 03-7726 2588 or email obamamagickl@gmail.com


Updated: 09:45AM Fri, 20 Feb 2009
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