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Association of Women in Communications Tulsa


  AWC Tulsa 
  Originally uploaded by eschipul

Enjoyed a fun social media presentation yesterday in Tulsa Oklahoma with the Association of Women in Communications.

Great hospitality in Oklahoma as always with a very fun and informed audience.

From the AWC Tulsa site:

The
Tulsa Professional Chapter has a longstanding and strong presence in the community.
The chapter is 150+ members strong, representing a variety of communications disciplines
in Tulsa and surrounding areas.

Slideshares from the presentation follow.

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breaking the taboo on women smoking


  greta 
  Originally uploaded by eschipul

I love this photo from Dr. Sketchy’s in Houston. And I realize this is a talented model playing a role. Yet it reminded me of a famous story from the history of public relations that few are aware of. Bernays was truly a double edged sword.

From the BBC article on Edward Bernays.

Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion, using every trick in the book, from celebrity endorsement and outrageous PR stunts, to eroticising the motorcar.

His most notorious coup was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. But Bernays was convinced that this was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. It was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle had identified, people could be made happy and thus docile.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

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What Social Media Means for B2B Marketers

From my talk yesterday at the Business Marketing Association in Houston, here is the slide deck.

Social Media for B2B Marketers Synopsis from the BMA site:

The buzz about "Social Media" in the
marketing community is deafening, but what does the rapidly emerging
trend mean for B2B marketers? Can YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia
really help you forge closer ties to business customers?

That’s the subject Ed Schipul, CEO of Schipul – The Web Marketing
Company, will tackle during our February 21st luncheon. Ed himself has
a business-to-business blog, (www.brandtobedetermined.com) and is a
leader of Houston ‘s vibrant Social Media subculture. His talk will
examine examples of B2B marketing through Social Media — including
what his own experiences as a CEO blogger have taught him. The
discussion will showcase best practices as well as examples that failed
to have the intended result.
Please join us for an interesting and entertaining look inside this important issue.

(more…)

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Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity and Education


  Sir Ken Robinson 
  Originally uploaded by eschipul

I had the privilege of seeing Sir Ken Robinson talk at the UP Experience recently in Houston. I had never heard of him. Quickly it became apparent he was quite funny, and I don’t think it was just the British accent. No, he has impeccable timing. But more importantly he highlights a few challenges we are facing in education.

One point he makes is that the kids entering school today are going to be retiring in 2065. And that NONE of us have any idea what the world will be like in 2065! So the education we are providing is intended to prepare people for a world that none of us have a clue what it will be like.

Another frame he makes is that education is a hierarchy and at the top are college professors. Yet professors are not what most of us would consider the height of human achievement. (yes this applies even if you have tenure.)

There is an option for us to return to educating humans for creativity. And from the video below Ken defines creativity as  "the process of having original ideas that have value".

If you have 20 minutes and are interested in creativity and education, please watch this talk by Ken at Ted.

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Speaking Engagements for this Week

Three different speaking engagements this week. All in Houston for a change!

  1. TSPRA (Monday)Web 2.0 Trends for Public Relations Professionals on Mon 18-Feb-08 11:00 AM
  2. BMA (Thursday luncheon) What Social Media Means for B2B Marketers on Thu 21-Feb-08 11:30 AM
  3. Sullivan Group (OTC Marketing seminar) OTC Marketing Seminar on Thu 21-Feb-08 2:00 PM

Also note that tomorrow night, Tuesday, is Refresh Houston with Stephen P. Andersen.
The Force Behind Star Wars: Turning Design Ideas into Reality on Tue 19-Feb-08 6:30 PM