Pluck the peacock for marketing assistance

Gulf Coast executives who have grown jaded about being pitched yet another sponsorship opportunity have a chance for a new approach.

The twist this time is the sponsorship involves not only a lunch, but a private marketing session with Steve Lance, former NBC Network creative director. An Emmy winner who co-developed the “NBC proud as a Peacock” tagline, Lance has also done marketing consulting for Crest toothpaste, the Hong Kong government and The Discovery Channel. He wrote “The Little Blue Book of Advertising” and “The Little Blue Book of Marketing.”

The Suncoast chapter of the American Advertising Federation will bring Lance and another speaker, MTV Senior Producer David Grad, to the Hyatt Regency Sarasota the weekend of Sept. 7-9. The speakers are part of the AAF's Imagination Conference.

Lance is scheduled to deliver a presentation, 10 Steps to Better Creative, Sept 8. Standard lunch sponsorship is listed at $1,800. But for a total of $2,500 Lance will also spend the previous afternoon with a local company, going over marketing and branding.

Email [email protected] or call 941-927-7589 for more information. The AAF's website is www.aafsuncoast.com.