Taking my daughter along to Women’s Day at the Chicago Auto Show was a treat. We got manicures. We took silly pictures. We found out where to plug headphones into headrest DVD players. We ate cupcakes. We sat in soooo many cars. But, the best part was being a part of a new show at the Chicago Auto Show called Women Driving Excellence.
Co-founded by my friends MJ Tam and Beth Rosen, Women Driving Excellence (WDE) is a grassroots community using multimedia platforms featuring inspiring women who help start, accelerate, fuel, and steer others to excellence. They felt the need to scour and recognize women that exemplified unique vision and talent that fueled the fire of passion in the community. They celebrate these women by lifting them up through the use of their powerful social networks. Inspiring all women to continue in empowering and engaging other women to do greatness for each other.
After the opening networking session, six inspiring women touched us all with their personal stories. It’s easy to see why MJ and Beth selected this group as Women Driving Excellence’s first award winners.
Join SMC Chicago at Howl at the Moon to learn how authors, small businesses, and bloggers use social media to find leads and grow their businesses. Doors open at 5:00 and the panel with Brad Wilson, Brad Farris and Andrew Barber goes on at 5:30.
Personally, I’m excited to meet Brad Wilson, founder of Brad’s Deals. Thanks to the company for sending a review copy of Brad’s book, “Do More Spend Less.” If you’d like to know more about how to get frequent flyer deals, you’ll love this book. And, anyone who wants to get more and spend less will find tips to help them maximize their purchasing power. One big tip I picked up, and have used already, is to join a credit union for deals on loans and credit cards. Wow – what a savings there!
Thanks to Elly Deutch for organizing the program and to the SMC Chicago board for help with production. Get your ticket here, at the registration site or at the door. Content provided by SMC Chicago.
Admission is $10. Howl At The Moon is graciously providing a private event space with pizza and a cash bar! Share your love with them @_HowlAtTheMoon on Twitter.
Become a Sponsor
Sponsorships begin at $500; inkind sponsorships, door prizes and professional services donations are always welcome. Contact: Carolyn Martin at cmartin@socialmediademand.com.
Thanks to Connie Burke and GM for inviting a group of us social media types to join them for Media Day and Social Media Day at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show. As one of the bloggers on the crew, I enjoyed experiencing the show in the company of friends.
Will you be at the Auto Show this year?
Disclosure: GM provided parking, passes, a media center and meals. I received no additional compensation for participating. I do love new cars [who doesn’t?] and enjoyed test-driving the 2013 Malibu in August 2012.
2013 Chicago Auto Show Stats
Spread out over 1 million square feet in McCormick Place, the Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America. Over 1,000 vehicles are on display in the 105th anniversary show. That’s a lot of walking! And, that’s why I wore my running shoes.
Our show itinerary included a press conference, product previews and the opportunity to interview GM experts. Because my company, CoryWest Media, serves clients in the luxury market, and we’re interested in reaching both Millennials and Boomers, I chose to request an interview with Cadillac.
We arrived just in time for the 2014 Chevy Cruze Clean Diesel press conference. Other GM Chicago Auto Show highlights included introducing the 2014 Cadillac ELR, the totally redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Here’s my 2013 Chicago Auto Show slide show.
Thanks to Hampden E. Tener, Cadillac’s product director, and Jim Vurpillat, Cadillac’s global marketing director, for taking the time to talk about how Cadillac connects with luxury buyers.
“Our mission is to elevate and expand the brand,” said Hampden E. Tener, Cadillac’s product director.
Hampden says it’s important that Cadillac stay visible and important within the GM family and in the luxury car market.
Customer Experience: Personalized, Emotional and All-Encompassing
Luxury is about an all-encompassing, emotional experience. A lot of luxury is about style and the way you’re treated. Hampden says Cadillac’s goal is to make their customers feel so special that they’ll never want to shop anywhere else. High-touch customer care in defining moments is key.
Promotion: Visible to Luxury Buyers, Wherever They Are
Buyers in the luxury market have a variety of interests. To reach luxury brand consumers outside of the dealership, Cadillac holds promotional events at high-end malls like The Galleria in Dallas. And, Cadillac is one of only four World Golf Championship sponsors.
Reach: Span Multiple Generations
Cadillac fans can connect with the brand on multiple social media channels, including twitter and Facebook. The average Cadillac owner’s age skews older than the brand’s social media follower demographic, which provides an opportunity to reach younger audiences with products positioned for them. Jim says the Cadillac brand is a clean slate for the younger market.
Positioning: Lead the Market
When asked what people might not know about Cadillac, Jim said, “We’ve been around for over 100 years. Many people will know the Cadillac name, but they might not have the most current view. We don’t take a back seat to anybody. We have great technology, product and experience.”
Packaging: Heritage, Technology, Design
How does this luxury brand present its products on Facebook?
On #ThrowbackThursday, Cadillac glances in the rear view mirror.
At the time of this screen shot, almost 9600 people liked this image of a 1920 Cadillac 452 Fleetwood Convertible Coupe.
Technology appeals to luxury buyers across the generations.
Award-winning design attracts media and market attention.
Over to You: What luxury brands do you follow – and buy?
Since the movie Catfish [read my review later in this post] came out in September 2010, it seems there’s a renewed and fresh interest in the movie’s once secretive premise: “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is.”
It’s funny that the tagline is relevant in so many ways right now. There’s even a TV “Catfish” reality show.
According to the Urban Dictionary, a catfish is: someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities.
How about you? Have you ever been catfished by a company?
Most businesses would never, ever intend to create a false identity on purpose. But, they might unintentionally appear to be wearing a disguise.
3 Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Catfishing Customers
1. Show them what you look like.
The whiskers on a catfish are really called barbels, and they are not hair. They are pieces of special skin shaped kind of like whiskers. The barbels are coated with cells that act like taste buds. So catfish can taste food with their barbels. Catfish can taste the food before putting it in their mouths. This makes it easier for a catfish to find food in murky water, or in the dark.Source
The problem with online catfish is you can’t see them. And, if you can’t see them how do you know who they are?
Ever checked out a company’s site to find the owners’ bios are nowhere to be found? Or, there’s no location listed? They may be reputable and do good work, but why aren’t they letting you see who they are? Show them what you look like.
2. Don’t smell fishy.
All natural catfish foods contain amino acids. Scientific studies show that channel cats can detect several of these types of molecules at concentrations of just one part per 100 million. Source
Catfish have a powerful sense of smell and so do prospects. Does your Facebook wall look dated and lonely? Are all your twitter posts promotional? Something fishy’s going on. Mix in a variety of posts that feel fresh and feed their interests.
3. Swim on the surface.
Catfish naturally lay and swim near the bottom 90% of the time. Source
Ever walked up to the edge of a shallow clear pond? You can see the bottom and everything in between. Let your customers peer in and wade in as deep as they want, when they want.
That’s the tagline for a moving coming out September 24 called Catfish. I will tell you it is about Facebook, which is probably a good thing for Facebook because The Social Network movie comes out next Friday. Taking the focus off the platform from behind the company to in front of the screen, Catfish is a story about social networks and relationships. It’s not about the platform, it’s about the people who use the platform to communicate.
“I’d say maybe not the most common reaction, but a very common reaction is ‘Wow. Now let me tell you what happened to me; let me tell you what happened to my friend or my cousin or my mom.’ It’s incredible how many stories there are like this out there, and I think the film is kind of an open door to tell those stories now, that are sometimes embarrassing but often lead to good things.”
Catfish is about people and stories and the tender side of life.
Thanks to Universal Studios, a group of Social Media Club Chicago members got free tickets in the press section. As we stepped over the reserve section tape to take our seats, a woman in the row behind us asked, “Are you press? Only the press can sit there.”
I smiled and said, “Yes, would you like to see my tweets?” She said she just wanted to caution us so we wouldn’t get reseated. Thanks so much. You can always count on Chicagoans to look out for you.
After a day at Cusp Conference, where we experienced “the design of everything,” I was in the mood for entertainment. After all, I’d been looking at life through creative multi-focal lenses. With so much to unpack, I just wanted to go for a ride.
But, that’s not the case with this movie.
And while I won’t give away too much, I will say I liked the characters – who are real people – a lot. As a mother with kids a bit younger than the three documentary filmmakers, I can appreciate the reality side of the creative process.
There is some mystery to the movie, not as much as the trailers would leave you to believe, that keeps you intrigued and reinforces your hunches. It’s funny sometimes, well a lot, and you can see people you know in the updates, if you want to.
After you see Catfish, come back and tell us what you think. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the biggest ah-ha moment in the movie for me: the definition of catfish.
But first, my personal relationship with catfish.
Growing up, I never liked to eat catfish. But, I had to.
Whenever Aunt Ruth would take off on trips to her cabin along the Wabash River she’d bring back, still alive and swimming, a tub full of catfish.
There was never a time in my life where I wanted to be a vegetarian more than when the platter of fried catfish hit the dinner table. Everyone, including me and my little sister, had to eat it.
I like to watch the catfish swim, but I couldn’t stand eating them. To me, Wabash River catfish was gritty and tasted like mud and dirt.
That was then, this is now.
Last Saturday night, I seared a catfish filled sprinkled with a bit of hot pepper with olive oil and Sauvignon Blanc, then mixed in some Lebaneses taboule with bread crumbs and tossed it with linguine and lemon sauce.
Who ate my grocery store catfish?
My son’s skateboard film crew. Yup, they’re the kind of guys who like to make documentaries all weekend long. I can’t wait to hear what they say about Catfish. I know they loved my catfish dish – it was all gone in a flash.
In the movie, the father talks about catfish as the fish that stirs things up. There’s more to the story, but you’ll have to buy a ticket to hear it. Are you a catfish?
Question for You: How do you make sure your customers know who you REALLY are?
Image: screen capture from Mark Zuckerberg’s January 15 press conference via cnet.com.
There was a lot of speculation surrounding Facebook’s big announcement Tuesday. The social media giant didn’t unveil a new phone, but it did introduce a new search tool that could have larger implications for ad revenue in the future. WDCB News Reporter Gary Zidek spoke with Chicago-area social media expert Barbara Rozgonyi about the announcement.
Coming up next week on February 20, SMC Chicago presents a panel discussion on 
Thanks to Connie Burke and GM for inviting a group of us social media types to join them for Media Day and Social Media Day at the 
What do you think about 