9:00–9:15 a.m.

Keynote: Why Things Catch On

Jonah Berger (Author, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania)

Why do some products, ideas, and behaviors catch on and become popular? What makes online content go viral? If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain things more than others? That’s the fascinating question that Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger explores in his book, CONTAGIOUS: Why Things Catch On (Simon & Schuster; March 5, 2013). Berger has spent the past decade studying social influence. He’s studied why some products get word-of-mouth and how social influence shapes everything we do — from the cars we buy and the clothes we wear to what we eat and the names we give our children.

9:15–9:45 a.m.

Signal & Noise: Why More and Better Market Intelligence is Making it Harder to Market Your Books

Ted Hill (Founder, THA Consulting)

Today’s book marketers have unprecedented insights into who is buying, reading and talking about their titles. And yet, finding data that is meaningful and actionable can be harder than ever. In Signal & Noise, Ted Hill, President of THA Consulting, will explore the changing nature of book marketing and address some of the emerging practices that make for more effective marketing.

9:45–10:30 a.m.

Social Media Followers as Brand Advocates

Morgan Baden (Director, Social Media, Scholastic)

Neil Baptista (CEO, Odyl/Riffle)

Nancy Martira (VP, Social Media Strategist, Ketchum)

Moderator: Andrew Losowsky (Senior Books Editor, Huffington Post)

As many of us have discovered, social media isn’t a direct sales channel, and it’s hard to track the steps between your tweets and a consumer actually buying a book. So how can publishers make the most of their social media presence? Our panelists will discuss ways to identify and engage with key influencers who can help amplify your content to more readers. You’ll also hear about how to optimize your content and storytelling for social media.

10:30–11:00 a.m.

COFFEE BREAK

11:00–11:45 a.m.

Marketing In Verticals: No Re-Org Required

Kristin Fritz (Senior Director, Content Marketing & Digital Marketplace Development, Random House)

Mark Gompertz (Creative Director, Content Extensions, Hearst Magazines)

Peter Kay (VP, Director of Digital Marketing & Strategy, W.W. Norton)

Moderator: Pete McCarthy (Founder, McCarthy Digital)

The ways in which readers discover books are myriad and changing constantly, and marketers are faced with the challenge of aligning their efforts with reader behavior. Is it realistic to reorganize marketing departments around topics, like biography, business or literary fiction? Is a re-org required? Hear publishers discuss their real-world experiences with integrating vertical marketing into their toolset.

11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

The Content Imperative

Steve Rubel (Chief Content Strategist, Edelman)

When it comes to content, convergence is the norm. Media companies are rapidly becoming marketing services firms. Meanwhile, brands are becoming publishers. What are the economic drivers causing the sudden blurring of the church-state lines? How does it impact the role of the content creator now and in the near future as brand and corporations no longer see content as optional, but imperative? Hear Steve Rubel address new ways to work with the media and content studios, the difference between three new approaches to paid content distribution, and why your company now needs a content mindset more so than a messaging mindset.

12:30–1:30 p.m.

LUNCH

1:30–2:00 p.m.

Case Study: Building a Reader Community on NonProfitCommunity.com

Jeanenne Ray (Senior Marketing Manager, Wiley)

NonprofitCommunity.com, a consumer website from Wiley’s Jossey Bass imprint, is an example of how publishers can successfully build a reader community using meaningful content and genuine interaction. The site has provided Jossey Bass with direct access to its target audience and meaningful reader feedback. Jeanenne Ray will take us through the strategy and components behind this successful venture.

2:00–2:45 p.m.

Strategic Content Partnerships for Publishers

Jenifer Berman (VP, Marketing, National Geographic)

Melissa Milsten (Director, Partnerships & Business Development, Random House)

Nina Lassam (Marketing Manager, Open Road Integrated Media)

Moderator: Erin L. Cox (Business Development Director, Publishing Perspectives)

Publishing marketers are also becoming experts at content creation, but how can you make sure that this content reaches as many people as possible? You can’t do it alone, which is why forward-thinking marketers are forging partnerships with other companies in order to find new audiences and distribution channels for their content. Hear what they are doing and how you can integrate this into your own marketing strategy.

2:45–3:30 p.m.

Tuning In to Consumers

David Boyle (Senior VP, Consumer Insight, HarperCollins)

Ardy Khazaei (CEO, Bookish.com)

Jo Henry (Global Director, Bowker Market Research)

Moderator: David Daley (Executive Editor, Salon, and Founder/Editor of FiveChapters)

The publishing industry is shifting away from B2B marketing and toward marketing directly to consumers, but we can’t do that effectively until we understand who our consumers are and what they want. Venture into this new territory with consumer research experts who are transforming the way publishers understand their readers and informing future book marketing strategies.

3:30–4:00 p.m.

COFFEE BREAK

4:00–4:45 p.m.

Case Study: Marketing Scholastic’s Multiplatform Brands and Projects

Julie Amitie (Director of Brand Management, Scholastic)

Gavin Brown (Associate Director, Multiplatform, Scholastic)

Scholastic’s multiplatform series The 39 Clues and Infinity Ring have hit the bestseller lists and created thriving online communities, and with the upcoming Spirit Animals series the company is poised to expand the model even further. Julie Amitie and Gavin Brown share their insight behind the bestselling multi-platform properties that blur the lines between books, games, and marketing.

4:45–5:30 p.m.

Innovation and Creativity in Book Advertising

Gordon Hurd (Senior Editorial Director, Interactive One)

Cary Murnion (Director, Co-founder, HONEST)

Jeffrey Yamaguchi (Director of Digital Marketing, ABRAMS)

Moderator: Boris Kachka (Contributing Editor, New York magazine)

Online advertising is heavily focused on data: measure everything, analyze the results, and repeat. Sometimes, this approach seems at odds with the creativity required to execute a compelling advertising campaign. Our panelists from the world of advertising will talk about how to make sure your online campaigns are innovative and persuasive.