Business News
USA TODAY, USA WEEKEND and Gannett Digital Media Host Summit
Wednesday 08. July 2009 - "Cause Marketing Solutions: A Summit on the Power of Embedding; Causes into Brands" Brings Industry Leaders Together for Day-Long Event
USA TODAY, USA WEEKEND and the Gannett Digital Media Network will host “Cause Marketing Solutions: A summit on the power of embedding causes into brands” on Wednesday, July 8, at the Gannett/USA TODAY Headquarters in McLean, Virginia. The summit will be hosted by Dave Hunke, president and publisher, USA TODAY; Marcia Bullard, president and CEO, USA WEEKEND; and Josh Resnik, vice President and general manager, Gannett Digital Media Network.
The day-long, invitation-only event will feature keynote speaker Marlo Thomas, national outreach director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and special guest speakers Carol Cone, founder and chairman of Cone, Inc., and David Hessekiel, founder and president of the Cause Marketing Forum. This event offers leaders in the cause marketing field from corporations to charities a chance to work together to call attention to the causes that impact Americans every day.
The event agenda is as follows:
10:15 a.m. “Non-Profit Challenges and Partnerships”
Panel moderated by Greg McHale, Chief Executive Officer, good2gether. Panelists include: Darell Hammond, chief executive officer and co-founder, KaBOOM!; Donna Patterson, senior vice president, SIFE USA; Jennifer Niyangoda, director of corporate partnerships, American Red Cross; and Kyle Zimmer, president and co-founder, First Book.
11:15 a.m. “Goodness Required: Authentically Linking Social Issues with Corporate and Brand Strategy”
Carol Cone, chairman and founder, Cone, Inc.
12:45 p.m. “Powerful Partnerships: Coming Together to Give Hope to Children”
Marlo Thomas, actress, author and national outreach director, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
1:30 p.m. “The Linking Role of Media”
Brand panel moderated by Dave Hunke, president and publisher, USA TODAY. Panelists include: Marcia Bullard, president and chief executive officer, USA WEEKEND; Jennifer Carroll, vice president and senior editor, ContentOne; John Hillkirk, editor, USA TODAY; and Rob Mennie, vice president and senior news executive, Gannett Television.
2:30 p.m. “The Power of Embedding Causes into Brand Marketing”
Panel moderated by Theresa Howard, business reporter, USA TODAY. Panelists include: Diane Melley, director of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs, IBM Corporation; Dave Stangis, vice president of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, Campbell Soup Company; and Mary Wong, president, Office Depot Foundation.
3:15 p.m. “Doing Well by Doing Good”
David Hessekiel, president and founder, Cause Marketing Forum, Inc.
USA WEEKEND’s Make a Difference Day is the nation’s largest day of helping others and a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. October 24, 2009 will mark the 19th annual USA WEEKEND event. USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling newspaper will once again publish a special bonus section focused on philanthropy, Sharing in the USA, in October 2009, with two more planned in April and October, 2010. Gannett Digital Media Network partners with good2gether, a web service connecting people to causes and non-profit organizations. With the power of a national network and community input from local organizations, it allows people to locate numerous opportunities in their own backyard.