The Blue Variable: Mastering the Art of Timing

Overview

Most people don’t realize that when they look up at stars, the light twinkling back at them was actually emitted years, centuries, or even eons ago.

That’s a lot like how most businesses operate. They study past performance to predict future success. They go after opportunities that have already passed them by. They’re concentrating on ideas whose light may have already gone out. Meanwhile, the world is changing faster than any other time in human history. No wonder businesses, and especially associations, are struggling to keep up.

And then, there are the associations and companies that get it, the stars of the marketing world. They always seem to be at the right place at the right time, with the right message. I call these companies "blue variables." A blue variable is a very special kind of star, one that demonstrates dramatic variations in its spectrum and brightness and dazzles us with its unpredictability.

Adele has studied a number of these “blue variable” Fortune 100 companies through her in-depth interviews with their creative and dynamic CMOs. This session will be devoted to helping participants spot opportunities for organizations to shine their brightest and move at the speed of culture.

Speaker: Adele Cehrs

Adele Cehrs is the author of SPIKE Your Brand ROI: How to Maximize Reputation and Get Results. As CEO of the When and How Agency, Adele has overseen the development of numerous award-winning local and national marketing campaigns.
A recognized authority in marketing, Adele is a regular contributor to Inc. Magazine and Forbes and she is a featured crisis communications expert for the Wall Street Journal’s Crisis of the Week Column.

In the past year, Cehrs has spoken at the United Nations twice, interviewed more than 100 Chief Marketing Officers from Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, she went to Puerto Rico after the hurricane to provide crisis communications training for local marketers.

In April, Cehrs was named a business "Wonder Woman" by the Washington Business Journal. As a timing expert, Cehrs is frequently called in for her opinion regarding issues management for media outlets like CNN Headline News, PR Week and the Washington Post.