Tag Archive for: Marketing to Women

Meet Dawn Boulanger

Dawn Boulanger is a 30-year veteran of the restaurant industry with experience in marketing, operations and franchising. She has spent the past 20 years leading the marketing functions for both quick service and casual dining chains. Currently working as VP of Marketing at Tri Star Energy, one of the Mid-South’s premier convenience retailers, she’s leading the development and launch of a new local coffee shop, White Bison as well as the marketing & branding efforts for the Twice Daily convenience stores. We’re super excited to hear her discuss convenience and shifting target audiences, as it’s clear that women are very much looking for fast and convenient solutions when it comes to food and coffee.

Representing women appropriately in marketing is important to Dawn because she feels that opinions and stereotypes that many adults have for others are established and can be difficult to change. She believes it is important that advertisers and marketers help mold the minds of our children by creating content that represents females in a positive way.

“I feel that young boys and girls need to see and hear depictions of women of all races, ethnicities, shapes and sizes in real situations to reinforce the message that women are strong, deserving of respect and equality”, explained Dawn. “These positive portrayals will help young people develop a more positive attitude about women – helping to lessen the negative stereotypes boys have of girls and helping girls to have more confidence and a stronger belief in themselves!”

Prior to her current role, Dawn was Vice President of Marketing for O’Charley’s, a regional varied menu casual dining chain. In addition to managing the marketing and product development functions for the brand, she served as a key member of the executive management team helping to formulate the company’s strategy and business plan development. During her tenure there, she supervised a major brand positioning project that helped to ensure consistent branding execution across all consumer touch points. Dawn has also served as VP of Marketing for Back Yards Burgers and as Director of Marketing for Captain D’s Seafood.

Want to hear all about convenience and finding your target audience? Dawn will share key research and case studies at Red Letter Day on Friday, August 17th in Nashville. Register here!

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Meet Beth Sachan

As the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Music City’s iconic confection, Goo Goo Cluster, Beth Sachan oversees all marketing and public relations for the brand as well as the Goo Goo Shop and Dessert Bar in downtown Nashville. In addition to her role at Goo Goo, Beth is the creator of Eat. Drink. Smile., an award winning food & drink blog. Southern Living magazine recently named her as one of the 10 Southern Bloggers You Should Be Following.

She will be leading a panel all about Influencer Marketing and how brands of all sizes can learn more about this important and fun marketing strategy. Influencer marketing focuses on using key bloggers, influencers, celebrities, and thought leaders to drive your brand’s message by leveraging their influence to a larger market.   Brand trust is at an all time low.  Nielsen reports 92 percent of people trust recommendations from individuals—even if they don’t know them—over brands.  The result is that consumers will trust influencers over brands themselves.

Are you just as excited as we are to learn all about Influencer Marketing? Come hear Beth speak at Red Letter Day on August 17th and get your tickets here.

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Meet Yanika Smith-Bartley

Yanika (“Nikki”) Smith-Bartley is Vice President & Special Counsel – Diversity & Inclusion at Asurion and will be speaking about unconscious bias in recruitment and internal practices at this year’s Red Letter Day on August 17th.   At Asurion, she is a trailblazer in the development and implementation of global diversity and inclusion practices.  She is their first diversity and inclusion officer and spearheaded the initiative that won Asurion the 2018 “Diversity Game Changer” award from the Nashville Technology Council.

Nikki is originally from Cleveland, Ohio.  She is married to Brian Bartley and they have two sons, Grayson (6) and Harper (4). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fisk University and her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School.  She currently holds the position of Vice President & Special Counsel – Diversity and Inclusion at Asurion where she is responsible for development and implementation of global diversity and inclusion strategies for Asurion.  She also serves on Human Resources Leadership team providing legal advice and counsel and oversight on matters of equality, employment law compliance & HR policies and processes.

Before joining Asurion, Nikki practiced employment law at Baker Donelson, where she also served as a diversity inclusion trainer, Vice-Chair of the Diversity Committee and as a member of the Recruiting Committee.  She served as secretary for the Nashville and Napier Looby Bar Associations, is an alumnus of Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law, Young Leaders Council, and Harry Phillips American Inn of Court, and a past board member of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville and Nashville Electric Service, where she served as Vice-Chairman of the Board.

Currently, Nikki serves on the board of Nashville Public Television and the board of the Marion Griffin Chapter of the Lawyers’ Association for Women as Immediate Past President.  She is also an active member of the Kappa Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and served as their past parliamentarian and held the regional position of Tennessee Connections Chair. She served mock trial coach for the Harpeth Hall’s High School Mock Trial team for many years and regularly mentors young lawyers and women.

She also was a 2013 honoree for Nashville Business Journal’s “Top Forty under 40” and a 2017 honoree for Nashville Business Journal’s “Best of The Bar.”

We can’t wait to hear her speak at Red Letter Day on August 17th at City Winery in Nashville. Want to hear her speak? Get your ticket here. 

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Meet Anne McGraw

Anne McGraw is coming back to Red Letter Day talking about the social media insights to the “A Wrinkle in Time” promotion.  Just the social video campaign for the promotion received 27 million digital impressions.  Anne has been a pioneer in social media marketing for Nissan, from an online-only launch of the 100% electric Nissan LEAF to standing up the organization’s first ever social media command center.

As Senior Manager, Social Media Marketing for Nissan North America, Anne is responsible for strategic development and operational deployment of brand and campaign executions on social platforms. She joined Nissan in 2011 and has specialized in digital transformation programs, from an online-only launch of the 100% electric Nissan LEAF to standing up the organization’s first ever social media command center.

Anne will be joining Lanae Jackson, Multicultural Marketing Manager, this year for Red Letter Day as they discuss a Wrinkle In Time Case Study. Oprah called the movie A Wrinkle in Time the new Wizard of Oz for a new generation. It is based on a fantasy book written by a woman, whose hero is a teen girl.  It is produced by a woman, directed by a woman and starred in by a collective of important female stars.  The book has been banned and loved but finally made into a classic movie.  At Red Letter Day, we’ll learn why Nissan thought it was a great vehicle, pun intended, for a promotion.

Want to come hear Anne speak on August 17th in Nashville? You can get tickets for Red Letter Day here.

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Meet Lanae Jackson



Lanae Jackson directs Nissan’s multicultural, (African-American, Asian, Hispanic and LGBTQ), strategic framework that develops and implements key initiatives to increase awareness, drive purchase consideration and achieve sales objectives.

She also leads a cross-functional team, which oversees the marketing communications and media for the multicultural consumer segments, identifies trends, and tactics to achieve Nissan’s goals.

Lanae will be at Red Letter Day giving us insights to the “A Wrinkle in Time” promotion using a social video campaign and special integration with the nonprofit Black Girls Code.  Lanae says “Our mission is to engage with all consumers within big media moments, such as Disney’s “A Wrinkle In Time,” Habitat for Humanity’s “Home is the Key” giving campaign, the Mexican National Team partnership, BET Awards, Gay Softball World Series and Latin Grammy Awards.

“Representation matters and it is my responsibility to ensure women are shown in a multifaceted light,” explained Lanae. “I would like for women to see themselves accurately reflected in marketing campaigns…from in front of the camera to behind the scenes, so that everyone will #SeeHer.”

In this position, Lanae is particularly proud of her work in the recent marketing campaign to support the launch of Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” The digital campaign consisted of a social video series where Nissan highlighted African American leaders in the film and technology industries. It generated over 27M digital impressions.

Looking ahead, Lanae understands the changing cultural demographics in the United States and embraces the shift it will cause in advertising.  “The US is becoming more diverse and it is imperative that we create advertising that resonates in a culturally relevant and genuine way to audiences,” Lanae says.  She believes the “total market” marketing approach will become more common, however, “understanding and communicating cultural nuances will be key in building relationships and with a diverse audience.”

We are thrilled to learn more about Nissan and their partnership with Disney. Do you want to hear Lanae tell us more? Join us on August 17th in Nashville at Red Letter Day. Tickets here. 

 

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Meet Nekasha Pratt

Nekasha Pratt is the Director of Marketing for the State of Tennessee Department of Tourism. She has led national and international programs and worked for multi-million dollar organizations. In this role, she is part of the executive team that leads marketing, social media, and content initiatives for state tourism; helping Tennessee remain a top 10 travel state.

Her 2018 recognitions include Nashville Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 and the Susan Short Jones Emerging Leaders Award. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Management/Marketing, a Foundations in 21st Century Leadership certificate, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Nekasha will be speaking at Red Letter Day about the importance of strategic partnerships, content and social media activation –  just some of the marketing strategies that keep Tennessee a top 10 travel state. She will also introduce us to some of the strategic partners and describe the mutual benefits of these relationships.

Nekasha is very active in her community. She serves on the board of Nashville Cable and Dancing through the Curriculum. Nekasha is also a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor, a tnAchieves mentor, and a community volunteer with Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH).

We can’t wait to learn from Nekasha’s extensive social media knowledge and hear all about tourism in Tennessee. Get tickets and come learn with us! 

 

 

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Meet Elizabeth Barrett

Elizabeth Barrett is the brand manager for PEDIGREE® with Mars’ North American Pet Nutrition business, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. In this role, Elizabeth leads marketing, innovation, and communication programs for PEDIGREE® dog food, and provides strategic leadership for the PEDIGREE® brand.

This year at Red Letter Day, Elizabeth will be sharing case studies of successful cause marketing campaigns from Pedigree, along with lots of adorable pet pictures, we’re sure!

Before joining Mars in 2017, Elizabeth was Brand Manager for Metamucil® and Align® at Procter & Gamble, where she started her brand marketing career. In that role, she led marketing, consumer insights, and product development for the $300 million digestive wellness business. Before transitioning into brand marketing, Elizabeth worked in nonprofit immigrant and refugee services with Rotary International, World Relief®, and AmeriCorps VISTA.

Elizabeth received her bachelor of arts in Political Science from the University of Rochester, and earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Elizabeth and her husband, Abe, live in the Nashville area with their two children, Cecilia and Eli, and their dog Pepper. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking Tennessee parks with her family, shopping at local farmers’ markets, and traveling.

Come learn more on August 17th in Nashville at Red Letter Day! 

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Red Letter Day 2018

RED LETTER DAY is back for the third year with all new trends about marketing to women with a theme of “Stories Matter.” Join us for a half-day mini conference focused on reaching the Lipstick Economy, the 100 million women who control 85% of all consumer purchases.

We have assembled an amazing group of marketing experts again this year. We’ll be talking about important issues with real marketers who can offer real solutions.

  • Influencer Marketing: How to identify influencers in your market and get them to help you
  • Practical solutions to communicating with today’s busy women
  • Cause Marketing: Compelling stories from vital brands on corporate social responsiblity
  • Diversity and Inclusion: Moving past buzzwords into the real work of inclusivity in marketing
  • New trends and research on women and why they feel misunderstood by marketers

We’ll have great conversations with marketers and then end with cocktails and conversation on the rooftop of City Winery!

 

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A Recipe for Food & Travel: Chef Paulette Licitra

IMG_0288Some say the food can teach you everything you need to know about a culture.

Research shows that 39% of travelers say the key reason they recently took one or more trips was the availability of culinary activities. Chef Paulette Licitra, an Italian cooking instructor in Nashville, has combined that special love for food and travel by leading “live like the locals” Italian cooking adventures.  Paulette’s trips take small groups to experience Italy as an Italian.

She has taken women to Rome, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast.  The groups stay in apartments, shop outdoor food markets, visit butcher and produce stores, and then bring it back to their local kitchen to try their hand at local specialties.  Beyond cooking, they visit popular attractions and go on wine tours.

She shares a recipe with us that she found in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast from a local chef.  Buon Viaggio & Buon Appetito!

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Simmered Cod in Acqua Pazza (Crazy Water) with Tomatoes, Garlic & Parsley.

2-3 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

A pinch of hot pepper

1/4 cup minced parsley

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups water

4 Cod fillets

1/2 loaf baguette, sliced

In a large sauté pan, with a cover, add all the ingredients, except the fish. Cover and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Take the cover off and let liquid reduce to at least half. Add the cod fillets. Season fish with salt. Cover partially (askew), and cook until fillets are done and cooked through — about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the bread slices. Serve a toasted bread slice to each person with a cod fillet and juices.

Paulette Licitra teaches cooking classes, and leads food-focused tours in Italy, Nashville & New York. Paulette completed her professional culinary studies at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC. She was Chef at Rustico Cooking in New York, cooked in Mario Batali’s restaurant Lupa, and her catering company Chez Paulette specialized in appetizer parties for private and corporate events. Paulette has traveled extensively in Italy for culinary research, and studied with home cooks in Lazio, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Piemonte, Campania, and the Veneto. She can be seen on Nashville’s Channel 4 WSMV’s “More at Midday.” Paulette is also the publisher of the online food journal, Alimentum.

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Does Mobile Matter In-Store?

iStock_000019937684LargeYes it does. In 2013, 52% of online shoppers used their smartphone throughout the shopping process. In fact, one in three shoppers would rather use their smartphone than ask for help in a store.  Smartphones are our personal shopping assistants, and considering mobile as part of your marketing mix is imperative.

Here are some of the facts on how mobile is impacting shopper behavior:

  • 84% of smartphone shoppers use their device while shopping in a store
  • 53% of shoppers are using their smartphones to make price comparisons
  • 39% use their smartphone to find promotional offers
  • One in three will use the their smartphone over asking for asking for help in store

Information Shoppers Need Online

In terms of search, the more helpful the information that shoppers find on line, the more likely they are to visit your store.  According to a recent Google, Ipsos MediaCT and Sterling Brands survey, the typical information they are searching for include:

  • Price of item at a nearby store – 75%;
  • Item is in stock at nearby store – 74%;
  • Location of closest store with item in stock – 66%;
  • Details about local stores (hours, phone number) – 63%
  • Map showing which stores carry the item searched for – 59%
  • What else is available at the store that carries the items searched for – 57%.

The Next Step

You have your website optimized for mobile and you have your information updated.  What’s next?  Personalized recommendations and coupons are valued by shoppers – 85% of respondents say they would be more likely to shop in stores that offer personalized and exclusive offers provided in store, and 64% are more likely to shop in stores that offer recommendations for products.

 

 

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