Guest blog post by Mary Coppola, Senior Director, Marketing Communications United Fresh Produce Association

Are you looking to disrupt your marketing mix with new creative ideas, prepare for marketing success, and hear the trends and drivers that are moving our industry into new, uncharted territory? Listen up, because this is the event for you!

Produce marketers from across the country gather annually in San Francisco, for United Fresh’s  BrandStorm™. Developed by the United Fresh Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council in response to the monumental changes occurring in consumer purchasing behavior, retail formats and marketing technologies, BrandStorm provides produce marketers of all career levels with the tools needed to create marketing strategies, brand packaging concepts and B2B and B2C messaging that allow them to stand out from the rest.

Each year BrandStorm speakers are gathered from a variety of brand marketing perspectives and experiences. This year’s line-up is no exception as BrandStorm kicks off November 13-15 with an emotional roller coaster ride! Get ready to laugh, cry, and learn how to use emotional persuasion to supercharge customer loyalty and build revenue during the opening general session lead by Graeme Newell, researcher, speaker, and author. Jay Acunzo, award-winning podcaster and former Google and startup brand-builder, will then help BrandStormers think outside the box, leaving marketing norms behind by sharing case studies of innovative marketers who rejected best practices to succeed. Sonoma Brands Vice President of Marketing Chelsea Bialla will wrap up BrandStorm 2017 on day two, stringing together all the “ah-ha” moments of the event, sending BrandStormers back to their offices with a tool kit of strategies and encouragement to create experiential marketing campaigns that deliver the unexpected to the consumers of both today and tomorrow.

If you’ve ever wanted the opportunity to hear from our industry’s leading marketing firms as they address your brand’s most pressing marketing challenges, the time has come! The General Session & Breakfast: Marketing Trends Panel session will be moderated by Jay Acunzo, with a power panel of industry marketers including:

• DMA Solutions, Inc. – Dan’l Mackey Almy, President & CEO
• Fiction Tribe – Mike Caplan, Co-Founder
• Fusion Marketing – Steven Muro, President
• McDill Associates – Missy McDill, CEO/Creative Director
• Moxxy Marketing – Karen Nardoza, President & CEO

New to this year’s line-up, BrandStorm X-Change Sessions allow attendees to participate in small group conversations on critical marketing topics. Attendees will generate new ideas through dialogue with content experts and collaboration with peers on a variety of marketing concepts and platforms that will advance brand initives, including: 

• Lifestyle Marketing: Positioning your brand as a lifestyle, rather than a product. 
  • Mentor Marketing: How to align your brand position with a cause versus a company history.
  • B2B Marketing: Building strong relationships with your retail & foodservice customers.
  • Campus Marketing: Tapping into the most connected community on campus.
  • Shopper Marketing: What is today’s consumer seeking from their retail experience?
  • And more!

Explore the challenges that you’ve been facing in your role as a produce marketer – packaging, storytelling, and marketing ROI – during the concurrent education sessions. Led by thought leaders from a variety of backgrounds, you’ll gain a better understanding of how you can implement new strategies to grow your brand exposure.

Arguably the most valuable aspect of BrandStorm is the networking! Connect with fellow produce marketers while you work together to solve similar challenges you’ve likely encountered (or will encounter!) in your own day-to-day responsibilities during the case study groups. Draw from your own personal experience and get ready to discover some new solutions! Keep these conversations going at the Welcome Reception and throughout your two days during networking breaks and foyer experiences.

If this sounds like the perfect solution to your marketing challenges and the creative inspiration you need going into 2018, get registered today! On-site registration will be available, but keep in mind the deadline to book your hotel room at Hotel Nikko is October 20, right around the corner.

We look forward to seeing all of the industry’s brightest marketing stars there!