Next Era of Brands Examined: Social Brandology PART: TWO #Brandsconf

Brands and the people who are managing them online through social media get real at #BrandsConf 2011 in NYC.

The advent of the web is allowing people to connect. It is redefining our communities and the marketplace and giving us abilities to connect through dimensions of time and space that proves that humanity as we know it is indeed evolving. 

Another element evolving? Brands. Once limited to printed logos, advertising campaigns and publicity appearances, the image of a company known as its “brand” has sprouted into a living entity, living among us, interacting as one of us. Brands are emerging in this new tech world and are becoming one with humanity.

The new life form of the brand is redefining an era. An era that Jeff Pulver finds fascinating and has invited us in a journey of exploration for this year’s second annual Brands Conference. Founder of Vonage and the #140Conf movement, Pulver has titled this year’s #BrandsConf, “The Humanization of Brands.”

As with all of the #140 events that have taken place all over the world for the past two years, presenters and panelists represent a wide variety of backgrounds. The one-day event is chocked full of 10-minute segments rich with passionate testimonies that inform and inspire viewers while engaging them IRL (in real life) and online via social channels like UStream and Twitter.

#140 Conference volunteers register hundreds of guests to watch over 50 presenters at the #Brands Conference 2011 in NYC. The conference, held at the 92nd Street Y venue opened its doors at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 9th while the participants from all walks of life opened their hearts and minds to share and learn, and evolve along with over 50 brands that were represented.

Lessons learned stretched beyond the basic 100-level principles of “brandology” and social media as the storytellers took center stage to share about the development of leading brands, individual blogger brands and start-ups.

Some brands represented like Sears, Estee Lauder, IBM, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Sesame Street have penetrated the market successfully through traditional media. These Goliath brands now search for solutions using new, experimental techniques along with everyone one else as they venture out in the new world of social and mobile technology and test the market and create the undiscovered best practices. Exciting for some, terrifying for others.

As we collectively explore the genesis of the socially engaging brands that are being developing before our eyes and social networks, we see how they embed themselves in our communities, networks, tribes and culture, at times defining and leading the way. It asks the question: Who is in charge of the brand: the creator, the company or the community?

A behind-the-scenes perspective from the making and managing of social brands to the influence and impact brands are making on the human race, this #140Conf examined the new life form of social brandology.

Social brandology is both an art and science, measured by love and metrics respectively.  The complexity of this concept is multifaceted and can be better understood by hearing from the brand creators themselves.

The brands responsible to giving life and voice to companies, startups, nonprofits and celebrity-level bloggers are represented in the spectrum of speakers. You may watch the videos from the #Brands Conference Humanization of Brands here >>

More on some of the trending takeaways from the event will follow like:

- The Evolution of the Community Manager

- Movements VS Marketing 

- Doubletree Goes Offline with More Cookies

- Human Side of Customer Support

- Big Bird. Big Voice. Big Heart.

- Do We Really Want Rock Stars to Be Real?

and more… 

If you have an interest on one of the trending topics, please feel free to request your preference by adding a comment below or by sending us an @message via Twitter and we will prioritize accordingly.

This content was originally contributed and published on the #140Conf site as part two of a two part series, preview and review of the Brands Conference 2011. 

Contributed by Andrea Cook, #140conf Live Event Correspondent. Andrea Cook has brands and buzz on the brain. Since 1999, her Chicago-born consultancy, The Midas Center has provided award-winning marketing and media solutions to law firms, education facilities, non-profits, artists and hyper-local communities and she strives to support the noble game changers and life savers through social media marketing. She is a pioneer, coach, editor, cowork owner and consultant for hire. Services vary, Live Event Correspondent services preferred. more >> 

Effervescent Serendipity @140Conf This Week

We are pleased to announce this week's upcoming Event Correspondent opportunity.

Since earlier this summer, I have had the opportunity to cover some industry leading media events, broadcasting live the key takeaways as an Event Correspondent. Some of the live media coverage we have provided represents industry leading publications, companies, leadership panels, event promoters and published authors within the world of social media. As we continue to launch this service and transform each event into content, we continue to seek leaders who want to secure their thought leadership with their event investment through live Event Correspondent services. 

The latest event correspondent opportunity will cover BrandsConf this week in New York City. 

It is an honor to cover the upcoming #140Conf BrandsConference in New York City for a number of reasons. Many thoughts rush through my mind when I look forward to this conference. Pleasing thoughts like:

- Another visit to NYC

- The companies and the individuals behind the leading brands who will be represented

- The 2nd time chance to attend a #140Conf

- The networking opportunities and

- The growth and development of the live event coverage service as an Event Correspondent.

But, I must admit, the number one reason that I'm ecstatic about the opportunity to cover the #140Conf Brands Conference is: Jeff Pulver.

Jeff Pulver, photo by Becky McCrayJeff is one of the most humble characters I have been fortunate to meet. Founder of Vonage and the worldwide #140Conf creator and host, Jeff leads with his heart, giving magnitude to the voice of those making a positive impact and changing the world as we know it. Jeff's vision for the #140Conf highlights words like "Serendipity" and "Power of Now" as he invites speakers to present a ten minute talk that is broadcasted online through U-Stream and Twitter. Conference locations span from Tel Aviv to small town Hutchinson, Kansas. Audience members onsite, or online, gain insight from a variety of topics that educate and inspire people to grow, act and change.    

Sporting hues of purple and introducing each new presenter with a warm hug instead of the typical clammy handshake, Jeff is truly a game changer in the world of media. It is unimaginable the obstacles he has faced in his career with the launch of Vonage, now a publicly traded company that offers telephone service via broadband, or Voice Over the IP (VoIP). It is ironic how Jeff continues to give exposure to the ideas and early stages of emerging businesses to the world at large, giving voice to the underdogs. His conferences happen frequently, in real time, while the telecom Goliaths wait for the dial tone. 

Jeff lives with impact and meaning. He is inspiring, fascinating, honest and quirky and you cannot help but just adore him! He changes the world with each new person he meets. 

Mary Klabel (TN), Jeff Pulver (NY), Joe Cheray (KS), Becky McCray (OK) and Leslie McLellan (CA). Photo by Jerry Hirsch (NV).I first met Jeff two months ago in Kansas during the Small Town #140 Conference. Co-host, Becky McCray and Jeff invited me to attend with a complimentary pass and air fare. Desparate for connection and inspiration, I joyfully and humbly attended and I was awestruck at the magic that moved from the stage of each presenter, captivating and motivating each person while growing the hearts and minds and connecting humanity via a #hashtag. It is no suprise to me that Jeff is honing in on the Humanization of Brands as the title of this week's conferene in New York. And, I am honored not only to attend just to hear the message, but to help in covering the event live via Twitter as an Event Correspondent. 

The speakers slated for this week's event includes people who represent brands like Sesame Street and Oprah as well as "epic change agents" like mom bloggers and Tanzanian grade school founder, Mama Lucy. No doubt that a fresh effervescent spirit will rule the room with a mix of messages by social media leaders representing brands like Coca-cola and Pepsi. And, I am bubbling with anticipation as the hugs abound and the human hearts that beat behind some of the world's most well known brands congregate. Please stay tuned as I share the upcoming experience, live, in-person via @BrandsConf and @140Conf, hashtag #140Conf. I'll be in the front row, taking photos from my iPhone, typing feverishly from my iPad and smiling while wearing Pulver-purple. 

Brands Represented at the BrandsConf

Live Event Correspondent services increase exposure of your brand by transforming your event into rich content via social media channels. For more information about the benefits you can expect with this emerging media coverage and what key industry leaders are saying about this turnkey social media service, request a white paper > or search online for more information about live Event Correspondent services search >

Andrea Cook  launched The Midas Center in 1999 and has brands and buzz on the brain. She offers a mix of old-n-new media based on goals. A pioneer, coach, writer, mentor, cowork owner and consultant for hire, services vary. Live Event Correspondent services preferred. 

Upcoming Event Coverage

We are pleased to announce our upcoming schedule of events we will be covering in the next two weeks!

Not only will the content be insightful, but the individual professionals and the topics each will represent will be a crowd pleaser and brain grower. 

The next event we plan to cover will be for Jason Falls and the virtual book tour he will be showcasing. If you have not yet picked up a copy of No Bullshit Social Media, the all-business, no-hype guide to social media marketing, you will not want to miss some of the key takeaways he will be sharing during this one hour "bookinar." We will be using #nobssocial at 1:00 EST on November 1 if you would like to follow along! We will also be capturing the content on the Event Correspondent Facebook page. Feel free to follow it on Facebook > 

On November 9th, we will be live in NYC at the #Brandsconf where over 35 leading brands will be represented. Jeff Pulver hosts this annual event and this year will be exploring the "Humanization of Brands" as represented by brands including Oprah.com, Ogilvy, IBM, 360i, jetBLUE, EventBrite, DressBarn, Sesame Street and many many more. In Pulver's #140conf fashion, each presenter will speak for 10 minutes and the conference will have a mashup of topics, viewpoints and experiences all surrounding the human side of brands and their evolution in today's internet age. Pulver shares, "no longer can we just be a logo and stand behind a PR firm." His mission is to discuss the online media impact on brands and how it is changing business as usual. We are honored to be part of this effort as an onsite event correspondent. 

Registration is available for you to attend >

We will be sharing live updates from the @140conf and #140conf hashtag. We hope to gather some of the highlights from each of the presenters and provide a recap of some of the main themes threaded throughout the day. Stay tuned to learn more!

More on Event Correspondent Services

The Midas Center owner, Andrea Cook is the leading service provider of professional live blogging services or Event Correspondent services. Through social media channels, Event Correspondent services build the brand and buzz for clients invested in events like speaking engagements, sponsorships, presentations and more. From the four walls of the conference rooms, Event Correspondent services can increase exposure to over 5000%, enlarging the industry mindshare and capturing the experience online for future search optimization and content generated marketing collateral. Want to learn more about this industry leading service? Check this out >

What I Want From 140 Conference

I am in transit, flying the friendLy skies out west to the center of the United States, in Kansas to attend the #140 conference. The #140 conferenceis a one day conference located ia variety of cities throughout the globe where droves of characters and change agents present on their latest use of social media as a tool to improve the quality of life. The conference usually takes place in larger cities, like Ontario, San Francisco, New York City, Tel Aviv and Barcelona. This week, the #140 conference takes place in Hutchinson, Kansas, population 30,000. Conference founder, Jeff Pulver started this endeavor in 1998. The brandname of the conference has been shared with other conference managers who lead all the efforts worldwide, but Jeff still holds the heart strings for the #140 conference Small Towns and attends it every year. Jeff resides in Long Island and drove across the midwestern half of the country to attend this year's conference.