CRN's Communications and Marketing Summit features sessions on current hot topics including the following:
The Cost and Credibility of Freedom of the Press
with Andrew Alexander
Instilling a business mindset is a priority in journalism education these days. Local news is falling into the categories of either non-profit or extinct. And with the exception of a few giants, Washington Post and The New York Times who have achieved temporary preservation by transforming into technology platforms, the existence of national news is also in jeopardy. Until a sustainable model is discovered and successfully implemented, newsrooms are fighting to maintain credibility of reporting while facing natural selection. In this session, Andy Alexander will address the business of journalism in its current state and the pursuit to find a sustainable revenue model to keep news organizations alive.
Self-Care Today: The End of Generalizing Generations
with Lisa Buono
There are distinct differences between generations and their self-care habits, but some of the differences are not cut and dry enough to staunchly categorize; more like nuances. It’s often been dangerous to paint all consumers with the same behavioral brush. And in these days of personalization made possible by big data, marketers may be at a disadvantage if they make generalizations.
Celebrity Influencer Marketing: Identifying Your Company’s Responsibility in Advertising
with Kathleen Dunnigan
Influencer marketing remains a popular and impactful form of advertising for companies today. In light of the recent Truth in Advertising (TINA) letter to the Federal Trade Commission against Instagram influencers, The National Advertising Division’s (NAD) Kat Dunnigan will speak to why it’s important for your company be aware of best practices for celebrity influencer marketing. This method of advertising has not lost its momentum and companies are seeking clarity when it comes to working with different tiers of influencers on social media, navigating levels of disclosure and finding further guidance on native advertising. The session will help companies better identify when they are responsible for substantiation claims made by others and how to properly disclose the nature of the relationship between the company and the third party making the claim.
High-Stakes Lawsuits: Protecting Your Brand During Turbulent Times
with Phil Goldberg and Courtney Ozer
From forming a crisis management team to establishing an effective working relationship with your marketing and legal departments, this session will discuss key media strategies and do’s and don’ts when facing high-stakes litigation. As industry continues to witness a growing number of class action and personal injury lawsuits, it is becoming increasingly important for all aspects of your company to know how to work together and respond appropriately. The session will focus on how to protect your company’s brand and approaches to address the media when faced with marketing class actions, personal injury lawsuits and other high-profile lawsuits.
Consumers and the Pursuit of CBD: Cannot Be Denied
with Laura Mahecha
The market for CBD is cross-generational, income-related, and technology-related. There is an amazing array of products available for any preference. CBD offers something for everyone. So many paths to purchase, so many types of products, with few barriers to entry. Products containing CBD generally do not have UPCs, making it nearly impossible to get data. Laura Mahecha will address consumer attitudes and perceptions as they relate to CBD as well as highlight key findings in a new comprehensive analysis of consumer use of CBD products.
Current Regulatory Status of CBD and Related Legal Implications
with Megan Olsen
The 2018 Farm Bill, in which the Hemp Farming Act is included, removed hemp from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. This legislation presents new opportunities for the marketing and sales of CBD products, but the dietary supplement industry must first work to establish the appropriate regulatory status for this high-demand ingredient. Learn from CRN’s Megan Olsen whether there is a clear, legal way for companies to market CBD as a dietary ingredient and what CRN is doing to pave this regulatory path.
The Supply Chain of Information
with Suzanne Shelton
Top tier ingredient suppliers go to great lengths to create and produce the safe and effective materials that go into finished dietary supplements, but often that story goes no further than the purchasing agent’s office. How do you tell those stories, and get them into the hands of the marketers and retailers who can pass them along to transparency hungry consumers? Today there is an array of tools and options to blend trade PR and content marketing to guide that information through the supply chain, right alongside your ingredients. The founder of the industry’s oldest PR & marketing firm explains it all.
Ensuring Trust in Nutrition Science
with Sarah Ohlhorst
The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) commissioned a Blue Ribbon Panel on “Ensuring Trust in Nutrition Science” to develop best practices regarding how to work collaboratively with various stakeholders across sectors and disciplines while maintaining transparency and scientific rigor in nutrition science to uphold the trust of all stakeholders. The Blue Ribbon Panel was created in response to a growing perception among researchers that public trust in nutrition science is eroding as nutrition information is increasingly being received from an expanding variety of sources, not all of which are clear about their motivations, qualifications, or ethical standards.
The Panel’s report “Best Practices in Nutrition Science to Earn and Keep the Public’s Trust,” published in January 2019, identifies six recommendations to support public trust in science and nutrition. One of the recommendations is to maintain effective dialogue between ASN, the public, and the media.
This recommendation is applicable to CRN membership, which is made up of the leading organizations in the dietary supplement and functional food space.
For part one of the session, Sarah Ohlhorst, Senior Director of Advocacy and Science Policy, American Society for Nutrition, will present on the Blue Ribbon Panel Recommendations for Maintaining Trust in Nutrition Science. After lunch, for part two, summit attendees will break into small groups to brainstorm how the nutrition science community, specifically the dietary supplement industry, can bolster efforts to engage the public and media in a more effective dialogue around nutrition science. The groups will then reconvene as a whole to share insights and ideas in a wrap-up discussion.