Blog

November 29th, 2016

by Felicia Rowley

College is a time for exploring your interests, finding yourself, and learning how to be independent. But most importantly, landing your dream job! Typically this happens post graduation, but after all, isn’t that the real reason you went to college? If you’re like me, nearing the end of your college career, building your professional and personal brand becomes critical. You’ve polished your resume, but have you prepared your LinkedIn page for the professional online world? Whether it’s a yes or a no, it’s never too late to create a LinkedIn profile or add some finishing touches to what you already have. However, the sooner the better. Here are 6 key benefits to utilizing LinkedIn as a college student: 1. Information All in One Spot... Read More

October 7th, 2016

by Felicia Rowley

It’s the start of a new school year for many students attending colleges and universities. It is also a new beginning, whether it’s your freshman or senior year of college.  And if you’ve always wanted to get involved, whether it be a club or to spend some hours volunteering, now is the perfect time to do so! More than ever, being involved has become one of the most important things you can do while in college. We’re living in an increasingly tech focused world that has made job and internship opportunities more readily available and easier to find. However, the people we meet and connect with will open more valuable doors in a competitive job market. Being active outside of class and taking advantage... Read More

September 20th, 2016

by Dan Gibson

Last week we kicked off our new season of luncheon events at our new amazing location! Marketers from all over West Michigan attended the “Snapchat for Marketing Professionals” event at the GRAM. Our friend Austin Pierce and his talented team from RCP Marketing, presented on how Snapchat can be utilized in our marketing strategy. We learned together, ate together, and left feeling excited about the possibilities of using Snapchat when we got back to our desks! We polled the audience to learn what they found most interesting or valuable about the talk or event as a whole. We’re super nice people and thought it would be cool to share those insights with all of our marketing peers, in case some of you missed... Read More

September 8th, 2016

by Dan Gibson

We’ve all heard of Fantasy Sports and we all know someone obsessed with their team, consisting of real life professional athletes. I’ve played fantasy football for several years (being called a nerd is nothing new to me) and I’m still hooked, excited, and hopeful to win the league I’m in and the cash prize that comes with the title. The NFL regular season starts tonight and right now, I’m confident my team is the best! Don’t ask me what I think next week though… As I was researching and preparing for my league’s draft this past week, I started to think of other applications for the “fantasy” concept and thought I would explore how it can relate to brands. Yes, also nerdy. As marketers, the wheels... Read More

August 29th, 2016

by Dan Gibson

We want to thank everyone that came out last Tuesday for our new season kickoff and speed dating networking event! It was one of our best networking events and we hope you all left with the same feeling of excitement that filled the room throughout the entire event! It was a great way for all of us to meet each other and share our marketing stories in a fun and efficient activity!   We enjoyed seeing so many new faces and getting the chance to talk to many of you! We hope you enjoyed meeting our amazing board and learning more about what the West Michigan AMA is all about. For those of you that couldn’t attend, we are happy to announce our... Read More

August 15th, 2016

by Jen Wright

Hello West Michigan Marketers! After 3 years on the Board of AMA, I’m very excited to be kicking this year off as the President of our West Michigan Chapter! It’s such an honor to be leading the most incredible group of professionals that represent the oldest professional organization in West Michigan. Our new season begins soon and I’m thrilled to let you know what’s been going on behind the scenes. We’ve worked diligently this summer to enhance our events in creative ways and have put together an impressive lineup of speakers and programming for our luncheon events that you won’t want to miss. I know everyone that attends will leave feeling energized, informed, and ready to get to work! We are kicking this... Read More

June 24th, 2016

by Felicia Rowley

It’s that time of year when internships are in full swing for many students like myself. A lot of hard work and determination has occurred up to this point. You’ve probably gotten a year or two of college under your belt and have become passionate about your career and major choice. This is exactly where your internship comes in! But as many of us know, internships don’t always play out the way you may expect. Good news is, there are ways around the “intern stereotype”.  As a seasoned intern coming into my senior year of college, I have come up with several tips to better your internship experience whether it’s the first, second, or even third! 1.Talk with Your Boss Regularly Although it... Read More

May 19th, 2016

by Hannah Morgan

The definition behind recruitment is to enlist people to join your organization or business. Many years ago, recruiters did this by picking up a physical phone book and calling candidates by going down the list of names. Today, the resources to aid us in recruiting are unlimited. The digital age has transformed the world of recruiting. We have LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Job boards, and the list goes on… However, in West Michigan we have a very unique community where perhaps solely utilizing technology isn’t the answer. Earlier this week I attended a luncheon event co-sponsored by the AMA West Michigan Chapter and the PRSA West Michigan Chapter, where a panel of local marketing professionals came together to share with us some of... Read More

April 19th, 2016

by Dan Gibson

Kimberly Elmore, Marketing Manager and Creative Consultant for Gilson Graphics shared what effective integrated marketing means to her and how she keeps things highly creative and engaging. She explained how her unique skillset and background has allowed her to be both left and right brained in order to dwell in the grey area between logic and creativity. She believes that tension drives her to produce artistic marketing materials that make an impact. She showed examples of past work and explained the process of creating those pieces while also describing how effective they ended up being. She outlined 5 key elements that go into all campaigns, both for Gilson and their customers. These elements act as a guide when developing integrated marketing pieces so... Read More

April 11th, 2016

by Felicia Rowley

Branding has long been associated with products and companies. It is the symbols, colors, wording, and even the emotions associated with it. Not only is a brand all of these things, but also how it is perceived in the mind. All these factors are essentially what differentiates each one from the other. That’s what makes branding so exciting! But what is personal branding? Although this might be unfamiliar to some, it is not necessarily for marketing professionals like ourselves. The real question is, are we taking full advantage of our own skills and expertise? As marketers, branding is a key skill that we should all be dedicated to and applying every single day.  Why? For one, we live in a competitive business environment.... Read More