Agenda Offers Major Speakers

Clinton, Waters Top Show Lineup

By Daisy Whitney

The Promax/BDA conference kicks off its June 12-14 run in New York at the Hilton Hotel, highlighted by former President Bill Clinton’s keynote address June 13.

He is slated to discuss the pro-social programs he’s involved in and the communication and marketing of those projects.

"President Clinton will address the challenge of globalization, emphasizing our growing interdependence, and point the way toward a common future based on shared goals and values," Promax/BDA said in a statement.

Some attendees are eager to hear him regardless of the topic, but are particularly intrigued with how his speech will tie into marketing. "[I’ll go to] the Bill Clinton one because I have no idea what he has to do with Promax, but I bet it will be interesting," said Randy Wachtler, president-CEO of 615 Music Companies, which produces theme music for TV shows.

Promax/BDA also landed designer Kenneth Cole, filmmaker John Waters and Bravo President Lauren Zalaznick as speakers. The association expects to draw more than 3,400 attendees for its annual conference, where it hands out awards for the best in promotion, marketing and design in electronic media.

Mr. Waters is slated to speak June 12, opening with a monologue and following with a discussion of the creative process behind films such as "Polyester," "Serial Mom" and the original "Hairspray."
The June 13 agenda kicks off in the morning with film critic Richard Roeper of "Ebert & Roeper" giving his thumbs-up or -down on Promax and BDA members’ promos.

At the same time, Ms. Zalaznick will present a case study on the network’s so-called "360-degree" strategy on marketing in a digital world. She’ll be joined by several senior executives who have worked on Bravo’s hit shows "Project Runway," "Top Chef" and "WorkOut," and on their online and mobile extensions.

The Bravo team will be followed by the executive producers of ABC’s "Lost," who will discuss how they built the "Lost" world.
Also that day Lee Hunt, president and interim managing director for Promax/BDA, will discuss best practices and the future of TV.
Marketing in a digital world will be a key topic at the conference, which will include a session on using the Internet to drive tune-in. "Marketing and media and content are really one thing and should be presented that way," said Robin Fisher Roffer, CEO and chief creative officer for branding agency Big Fish, who will speak on that topic for the panel.

The June 13 schedule will feature a session titled "Shades of Green," covering the trend toward "green programming" and how it’s being marketed.

Thursday morning will include sessions on marketing in virtual worlds; how TV stations can make the most of their Internet buys; and how YouTube complements traditional media, led by a YouTube executive.

Also that morning, designer Kenneth Cole will talk about how to reach a core audience by establishing a brand identity.

Other Promax/BDA sessions throughout the conference drill into topics such as news branding, new talent sources, marketing to men, guerrilla marketing, reaching baby boomers and marketing on video-sharing sites.