Contacts

Nan McCann, PME Enterprises, LLC
Phone: 860-724-2649 x13
E-Mail: nan@pme-events.com

Liz Fongemie, PME Enterprises, LLC
Phone: 860-724-2649 x11
E-Mail: liz@pme-events.com

Fifth year marks continued success for M2Moms

Spirits high as attendees raise money for Feeding America
KinderCone wins 3rd Annual Full Circle Award

HARTFORD, CT – November 4, 2009 -There may be a downturn in the economy, but you’d never know it from the capacity crowd of marketing pros, blue chip brands and their agencies who attended the 5th Annual M2Moms® – The Marketing-To-Moms Conference October 21-22 at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, IL.

The conference, featuring workshops, case studies and seminars from 40 top brand leaders, was bolstered by an enthusiastic, upbeat spirit of collaboration, with participants in full networking mode to discuss strategies for extending and enhancing their brands’ messaging through new and innovative partnerships.
           
“Social media was the hot topic,” commented Liz Fongemie, newly promoted SVP of PME® Enterprises and Project Manager, M2Moms®. “Mom blogs and sites like Facebook and Twitter are evolving and expanding their influence in the powerful and lucrative American mom demographic, which wields $1.7 trillion in spending power.”

Among many conference highlights, KinderCone was awarded the event’s 3rd annual Full Circle Award. The trophy, previously presented to Egg Farmers of Ontario, Motorola, Harley-Davidson and ConAgra, is presented to a brand that benefits directly from knowledge gained at M2Moms®.

Based in Chicago, KinderCone (kindercone.com) is a company that introduces the fun and educational European gift-giving tradition to celebrate a child’s first day of school.

“They have shown what can be accomplished by coming to M2Moms®, networking and picking up the skills and tools needed to connect with the mom consumer,” said Fongemie, who presented the Simon Pearce crystal award to KinderCone CEO Vivian Lie.

“This award is given to brands who have demonstrated to us how M2Moms® positively impacts their marketing strategies and campaigns,” Fongemie added. “After last year’s conference, Vivian went back to the office – with her new marketing-to-mom insight and M2Moms® connections – and officially launched KinderCone, a German gift-giving tradition that she brought stateside to celebrate the early years of school. This year we were delighted to have Vivian and her family back to accept the 2009 Full Circle Award.”

In addition, this year’s M2Moms® conference had a charitable component, raising $500 for Feeding America in honor of the M2Moms® case study from Ketchum and The Kellogg Co. detailing their innovative and successful campaigns for the anti-hunger organization.

“Our attendees loved it, and embraced the spirit of giving,” said Fongemie. “And, all attendees who donated were entered to win a beautiful basket filled with Kellogg’s goodies or a complimentary seat at M2Moms® 2010. The winner of the basket was Maggie Yoo of Pfizer and the 2010 M2Moms® seat winner was Gannett Digital’s Julie Murphy.”

Fongemie said the company is already gearing up for the 6th Annual M2Moms® Conference in 2010, and attendees can look forward to insights like these from the outstanding roster of speakers from this year’s show:

• “Today’s moms – especially those in Generation Y – want to see a diverse family, and not just ethnically. They want to see grandparents involved, dads involved, gay parents, single parents.”
  Kristen Bennett Butterfield,
  Partner, Consumer Dig

• “You have 6.5 seconds to convince a consumer to engage with your brand. You have to find the one thing about your brand that matters most to consumers – not to you, but to them.”
  Gigi Carroll
  SVP Creative Director, Draftfcb

• “Do not ignore who she was before she became pregnant – especially while she’s pregnant.”
  Zanny Oltman
  Vice President, Marketing Partnerships, Destination Maternity Corp.

• “Moms are concerned with nurturing the whole child – mind, body and spirit.”
  Laurie Klein
  Vice President, Just Kid Inc.

• “Moms are the core. And the core influences the connectors and the connectors influence the masses.”
  Wendy Clark
  SVP, Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities, The Coca-Cola Company

• “Cause branding is a way to make your brand irreplaceable to your mom consumers.”
  Mike Swenson
  President, Barkley

• “The game is no longer about scaring parents, it’s about empowering parents.”
  Colleen McKenna
  Global Marketing Director, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec Corp.

• “95% of all moms are going to the grocery with cell phone in hand.”
  Margaret Lewis
  EVP, Catapult Marketing

• “89% of moms believe a company should be present and interact with consumers to solve problems and solicit feedback.”
  Julie Murphy
  Director, Gannett Digital Media Network

Produced by PME Enterprises, M2Moms® – The Marketing-To-Moms Conference brings together top brand leaders and marketing executives for two days of intensive presentations, case studies, original research, solution-based workshops, with representatives from such prominent brands as Kellogg Company, iRobot, PBS, The Coca-Cola Company, General Motors, Symantec, Stonyfield Farm, Seventh Generation, Hallmark and Allstate Insurance.

Associate Sponsors of M2Moms® are Ketchum, Draftfcb, The Bump, General Growth Properties, Catapult Marketing, Mom Central Consulting, Destination Maternity Corporation, Shutterfly, BARKLEY and MomsLikeMe.Com; Showcase Sponsors are School Family Media, Win/Win Radio, House Party and New Mom, Inc.; Workshop Sponsors are 360 Public Relations, Sittercity and Fleishman-Hillard; Hospitality Sponsors are VehicleVibes.com, National Wildlife Federation, Scholastic Parents Media, imc2, Luth Research, The Motherhood, Inc. and SheKnows; SNiPPiES is the conference Video Journalism Resource.

For more information about M2Moms® visit m2moms.com or search #M2Moms on Twitter.