Joe Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer & President at Pandora Media, Inc.

Joe Kennedy joined the company in 2004 following a five-year stint at E-LOAN, where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. From 1995 to 1999, he was the Vice President of Sales, Service and Marketing for Saturn Corporation, which he grew to over $4 billion in revenue and established as the top brand for customer satisfaction in the auto industry. Joe joined the initial start-up team at Saturn, four months after its founding, as a marketing manager and held positions of increasing marketing responsibility over the course of his 11-year tenure there.

MBA Update II: McDonald’s Business Revitalization: The Marketing Story
Eric Leininger — Lecturer of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management & Corporate Senior Vice President, McDonald’s Corporation
Continue reading

Marketing Conference Practicum: Surviving in a Chaotic Economy
Greg McCormick — Vice President of Sales Strategy, Consumer Health Care, Johnson & Johnson
Continue reading

Panel Discussions

Each panel, consisting of 3 to 4 panelists, will be moderated by an industry expert or Kellogg faculty member with an interest in the panel topic. Prior to the conference, a conference call will be held between panelists, moderators and conference leadership to talk about the panel. Each panel will be approximately one hour and fifteen minutes in length.

Reframing Brands for the International Consumer

Going global is no longer an optional strategy for a company or for a brand. Consumers are increasingly aware of the global landscape and bringing a brand to new countries is becoming easier as trade barriers begin to decline. Successfully launching and maintaining an existing brand abroad requires that the brand be re-framed with the global consumer in mind. This is more than simply changing the coloring on the package; it's changing the overall positioning and even the marketing message associated with the brand. How does a company separate countries with different needs so that one brand can stretch across multiple segments around the world? This panel will explore the process a company goes through before going global, as well as the myriad of changes/tweaks necessary to be successful with today's global consumers.

Moderator
Kent Grayson, Associate Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management
Panelists
Tammy Anthony, Global Client Director, Landor
Dean M. Barrett, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, McDonald’s Corporation
Arnie Grever, Senior Director, Mobile Devices Business, Motorola
Martin Pazzani, CEO in Residence, Bluestone Partners

Letting Go: When Consumers Control the Message

Today's companies are no longer completely in control of their marketing message. Increasingly, consumers are. In blogs, on reality TV or even at the neighborhood block party, consumers are talking about brands to their friends and family, and strong consumer advocates are proving to be one of marketers' biggest competitive advantages. How does a company harness the power of consumer word-o- mouth, whether through blogging, online videos or other new media, but ensure the message remains authentic and consistent? How do companies effectively involve consumers not only in the distribution of marketing messages but in their creation? This panel seeks to explore companies that have successfully navigated these waters and the key strategic drivers and implications related to consumers' control of the message.

Moderator
Derek D. Rucker, Associate Professor of Marketing, Kellogg School of Management
Panelists
Whitney Fishman, Consumer Intelligence Connector, MediaVest
Teaque Lenahan, Associate Partner, gravitytank
Andrew Strickman, Managing Director, Vice President - Creative, Ammo Marketing
Andrea Winitsky, Regional Marketing Director, Yelp.com

Minorities as the New Majority

Today’s companies are acutely aware that the consumer landscape has changed dramatically in the past 25 years and continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The new general market includes an array of ethnic groups, such as Hispanics and African-Americans, whose purchasing power is on the rise. Simultaneously, the modern consumer has more product options to choose from than ever before. The importance of tailoring brand messages to target specific demographics while maintaining a consistent brand identity has become a critical priority for the modern company. This panel will discuss the changing marketing dynamics companies face as they develop products for and market to the new general market, and how this affects the power balance between company and consumer.

Moderator
Angela Edwards-Campbell, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Kellogg School of Management
Panelists
Susan Akkad, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Diversity, The Estée Lauder Companies
Nancy Lewin, Director, The Caregiver Initiative, Johnson & Johnson
Bernardo Meza, Senior Marketing Manager, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
David Cardona, Director of Multicultural Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive

Customizing an On-Demand Nation

Today's companies are giving consumers what they want, when they want it. Is marketing strategy moving away from a "push" focus to a "pull" focus? Are consumers steering the ship these days with products such as Tivo and Pandora? Has the face of a traditional brand changed since consumers began creating and customizing their own products? What does it take to succeed in this seemingly on-demand world? This panel will explore the mechanisms behind marketing a customization-driven business as well as an on-demand venture, where consumers truly call the shots.

Moderator
Jonathan Copulsky, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Panelists
Dwight Moore, Marketing Executive
Matt Wilburn, Digital Media Executive
Tom Yorton, President, Second City, Inc.

When Niche Brands Go Mainstream

Consumers are increasingly looking for ways to show their individuality through the brands that they associate with and use on a regular basis. At the same time, many large companies are looking to capitalize on this trend through acquisitions. How does a company decide when to grow organically and when to grow through acquisitions? How do marketers decipher trends from fads? This panel will serve as a discussion through the spectrum of niche/mainstream brands, starting with a niche brand that has remained niche, one that was acquired by a larger company and one that was created by a larger company with the goal of exploring the rise of niche brands in the marketplace today.

Moderator
Dr. Philip C. Zerrillo, Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School, Emory University
Panelists
Regan A. Ebert, Vice President & General Manager, Warehouse Direct Business Team, Frito-Lay
Mike Ginal, Brand Manager, Jones Soda Co.
Ian Norton, Marketing Director, 7UP
Bernardo Silva, Principal, Bridge Strategy Group

When Your Customer’s Cause Becomes Your Own

In today's consumer-centric world, brands need to be more and more aware of what consumers are doing both in-store and beyond. The proliferation of new media allows consumers to not only express their unique interests but also to find groups of likeminded consumers to join with them. Brands need to be aware of the vast new opportunities to reach and connect with these different groups. How do brands decide which causes to support? Are companies using cause marketing to further their bottom line or is there more to it? This panel will discuss the considerations and motivations behind creating a cause-related marketing campaign and the results of these efforts.

Moderator
Keecia Broy, Executive Director, DonorsChoose.org
Panelists
Rajan Dev, President and Chief Operating Officer, Hot Studio, Inc.
Rick Ely, Product Director, Aveeno, Johnson & Johnson
Kathy Leech, Director, U.S. Brand Communications, BP
Stephanie Wolcott, Content Director, Kellogg Innovation Network Global