Blog

We are in the home stretch of 2017, everyone. In a few days, we’ll be energized to take on 2018 and make resolutions to improve on ourselves, our families, and our work. Resolutions have a bad reputation as most people kick them to the curb a few days after “committing” to them. At the beginning of 2017, the team at AMA Baltimore made a few promises to ourselves to make this year the best ever for our members. (Well, that is until 2018 as we’re planning on kicking it up another notch.) Fortunately, it’s a resolution that we’ve been able to keep.

Here are a few ways we made 2017 the best ever:

New Brand Elements

We unveiled our new website earlier this year as a part of a brand refresh. AMA National debuted a global brand identity in 2016. Our new site is in alignment with the brand look/feel and is more user friendly than our old site. Along with the rebrand, our Chapter is following the AMA intellectual agenda that identifies the “7 Big Problems in the Marketing Industry.” AMA Baltimore is also one of the founding members of the AMA ‘One Chapter Alliance’ – a partnership between Baltimore, DC, Philadelphia, and Richmond where members have access to chapter events at member pricing.

AMA Classics

2017 marked the 32nd Annual Marketing Excellence Awards (MEAs) for AMA Baltimore. Maryland Auto Insurance was the Overall Campaign Winner of the Year. Other winners included Carroll Hospice (Agency: Devaney & Associates), Euler Hermes, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (Agency: Weber Shandwick), Kiddie Academy, BGE, Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, and more. At the MEAs, we awarded seven collegiate members with a scholarship award.

Collegiate members also participated in the 25th Annual Undergraduate Job Search Workshop. Students connected with local professionals and were able to participate in various breakout panels.

Exciting Events

Programming is one of the most important aspects to AMA Baltimore that we’re always trying to keep exciting and fresh. In May, we visited The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore to learn about their rebrand and enjoyed a visit with a very cool penguin, Peach. AMA CEO, Russ Klein joined us in November to talk about The State and Future of Marketing. We also held our first ever Community Meeting where members and non-members could learn more about AMA Baltimore and our local marketing community.

#AMAMingle Networking Series

In its second year, our #AMAMingle networking series have proven to be successful bringing together marketing, advertising, and creative professionals from all levels and industries in order to make new connections and learn from each other. These events are an easy way to meet local professionals, visit an agency, and enjoy delicious food/drinks. This year, Planit, R2integrated, Weber Shandwick, WebMechanix, and Ainsley & Co. were our wonderful agency hosts.

Northeast Regional Retreat

Baltimore played host for the AMA Northeast Regional Retreat. AMA chapter leaders from Boston to North Carolina met in Charm City to spend a weekend to discuss challenges, share best practices within the organization, and network.  

Get Involved in 2018:

If you’re looking for a few ways to meet new professionals, be more involved in AMA Baltimore, or improve your marketing knowledge, here are a few things you can do:

• Volunteer. We’re always looking for volunteers and appreciate everything they do for our organization. As our president, Dov Hoffman often says, “We are everything with our volunteers and nothing without them.”
• Apply to the 2018 MEAs. We’re accepting applications until January 12, 2018. Submit your best marketing campaign today. We’ll see you at the awards gala reception on Wednesday, March 15, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor.
• Attend events. Our next event will be on January 18, 2018 at Planit. Maryland Auto Insurance will share the story of their rebrand and talk about their award-winning campaign. Check out our events page to stay on top of other upcoming events.
• Join! Become a member in 2018 and get involved in the Baltimore marketing community, have access to AMA resources, and grow as a professional.

2017 was a fantastic year for AMA Baltimore. If you have ideas on how to make 2018 even better, we’d love to hear them. Engage with us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter) or reach out. And please make us a promise that you’ll keep: become a better marketer in 2018. Do it for yourself, for us, and for our thriving community of marketers.