RenGen National Tour & Forum: Supported by MENG and co-sponsored by the MetLife Foundation and Americans for the Arts

RenGen: Renaissance Generation—The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What it Means to Your Business. Patricia Martin, author and keynote speaker

As marketers, we know that successful brands become part of the culture. But what happens when massive cultural change occurs?  Witness the rise of the renaissance generation—RenGen—a cultural movement created by the confluence of art, education, entertainment and business. At its center is a powerful new player: the cultural consumer- who thrives on information and ideas to fuel creativity. This growing stratum of society will dictate consumer tastes and drive the next wave of innovation.

Partnership: MENG is proud to announce it is supporting an effort by Americans for the Arts and the MetLife Foundation to bring members a unique event that looks at the forces reshaping our culture and how people and brands can thrive in this changing marketplace: a national tour of forums that tackle head on the challenges and opportunities this disruptive change represents:

• How do I give customers opportunities to express their creativity and contribute to my brand’s story without losing control?
• How do I speak to a broader audience when customers want to be treated as individuals?
• How do I build community when competition is ever more intense?
• How do I forge relationships with diverse audiences in a culture undergoing gale force change?
• What does it take to make my brand mean something at a reasonable cost?
• Who's already doing it right now, and what are the secrets they’ve learned?

Author and cultural analyst Patricia Martin will present insights based on her new book, RenGen: Renaissance Generation--The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business.  Weaving storytelling with hard-hitting research, including a survey of MENG members, Patricia Martin traces the fundamental theme that runs through seemingly unrelated changes in our civilization: that the past 50 years of American life is not an endless downward spiral—it is the prelude.  It looks a lot like what happens right before a renaissance. 

In this presentation, Patricia Martin delivers rich hands-on advice and in-depth insights into the psyche of the cultural consumer and how your business can jump the curve to harness this trend.

It's time to fling open the doors and spark new ideas about ways to position your brand, and to declare marketers full and fair participants in the burgeoning renaissance that is dawning.

Forum Tour Dates:

About Patricia Martin: Author, consultant, and recognized expert in cultural marketing, Patricia Martin is President of Chicago-based LitLamp Communications Group, the firm she founded in 1995. The firm serves a variety of clients who need to forge and manage innovative communications through marketing alliances. Clients include: Discovery Channel, Art Institute of Chicago, Brooklyn Public Library, Georgetown University, National PTA, New York Philharmonic, Unisys, and Sun Microsystems. To date, her efforts have helped clients yield over $200 million in new revenues through sponsorship, marketing alliances, and cross-promotions.

Martin has been featured for her innovative work in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Advertising Age, and Brand Week Magazine. She also contributes regular commentary for Crain’s Chicago Business.  A popular speaker, Martin lectures at the University of Chicago and the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.  LEARN MORE ABOUT PATRICIA:  http://patricia-martin.com/press.htm.

About the MENG Survey: In 2005, cultural analyst Patricia Martin and her fellow researcher Professor Donna Surges Tatum surveyed MENG members to gauge their awareness of changes in the culture that were affecting marketers.  The results showed that MENG members were indeed aware of large-scale changes in the culture, but were unsure how to address them in an ever-fracturing media environment.  Participants said they’d welcome education on the topic. This forum responds to that expressed desire of our members to keep abreast of breaking trends that affect their work.

LINK to this SURVEY: http://patricia-martin.com/Patricia_Martin_articles.htm