Branding, in the Age of Digital Marketing ...Who Needs it?

It’s not just a sexy headline, we’re going to debate this six ways from Sunday.

Look, most will agree that branding is important, sure! But how important?! How much preliminary branding effort is too much? At what point does that focus on positioning and messaging become excessive and a waste of resources? Is building a brand at odds with the lean startup methodology? And where does branding end and content marketing begin?

Join us for a long-overdue debate featuring a diverse panel of established marketing pros as well as some of the areas newest and hottest agencies. Get ready for a no holds barred discussion moderated by San Diego’s signature straight-shooter Steven Picanza.
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WHO TO EXPECT

PANELIST

Will Reynolds
Founder, Seer Interactive

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PANELIST

Dave Korinek
CEO and Founder, Magnetic Creative

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PANELIST

Lindsay LaShell
Founder, Director of Strategy, Diamond and Branch

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MODERATOR

Steven Picanza
The Creative Hustler Podcast

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SPECIAL GUEST AND PRE-PARTY HOST

The Creative Hustler Podcast
The Creative Hustler Podcast Join Steven & Melissa as they celebrate the creative entrepreneur lifestyle by taking a peek into how the most successful and creative badasses stay balanced while growing their businesses, traveling the world, and attempting to enjoy every moment of the journey.

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THE PANEL

Will Reynolds, Founder, Seer Interactive

Will likes helping people and businesses grow. A former teacher with a knack for advising, he’s been helping Fortune 500 companies develop SEO strategies since 1999. Seeing the need for an agency that does good by its team, clients and community, Wil started Seer Interactive in 2002 as a one-man operation out of his living room. Today, Seer is home to over 100 employees across Philadelphia and San Diego.

As Seer’s Director of Digital Strategy, Will develops strategies and innovations to help clients build traffic and make money. His methods have shaped the search industry worldwide, and he speaks regularly at marketing conferences across the globe. In his free time, Will hangs out with his wife Nora, son Rio and pup Coltrane. He also serves Philadelphia’s homeless and runaway youth at Covenant House, where he participates in a yearly sleep out.

Dave Korenik, CEO and Founder, Magnetic Creative

Dave has always colored outside the lines and has been pushing the limits of brand strategy and creative since graduating from SDSU in 1996. For him, it’s imperative that we strive to humanize brands by giving them a soul and then find ways to connect and engage with consumers in an authentic way. Leading the charge in consumer-based relationship marketing, he’s helped many a company discover their “True North” which he believes is mission critical for any brand to find their way and differentiate themselves. It’s led Magnetic Creative to award-winning and industry-defining campaigns for brands like VIZIO TV, Pieology, Belkin, Lifeproof, FUGOO, Drew Brees, Sunkist, Life Technologies, Left Coast Brewing, Jenny Craig, ESPN, Gateway, MLB, DIRECTV, Qualcomm, TaylorMade Golf, Tim McGraw, John Mayer.

After leadership roles at several notable design and interactive agencies in Southern California, as well as working with in-house marketing teams at Qualcomm and VIZIO, Dave founded Magnetic Creative in 2006. Fast forward 10 years, the agency employs 50+ employees and has offices in Southern California, Los Angeles and South Africa. An idea guy through and through, Dave pushes Magnetic’s clients and team everyday to think strategically, connect authentically and create something meaningful.

‍Lindsay LaShell, Founder, Director of Strategy, Diamond and Branch

‍Lindsay Dayton LaShell finished college and entered the workforce at the peak of the first dot-com bubble, affording her the opportunity to learn from historical business failures and successes. Since then, she’s worked for funded startups, bootstrapped projects and marketing agencies, with a brief detour into the wilds of public education.

In 2015 she established Diamond + Branch Marketing Group, a digital marketing agency with a keen focus on strategy, content and analysis. Lindsay is passionate about audience-focused strategy and measurable results, and she is currently exploring ways to promote practical workplace feminism in the marketing industry. When she’s not writing a strategy document or analyzing web data, Lindsay will probably be in North Park, eating, drinking and knitting with her adorable dog, Waffles.

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