ClubNews

Our Next Meeting is Tuesday March 10th!

Click Here to email Eddie Magee with your name to register for our next luncheon.

Leland Harden is currently the vice president of institutional advancement at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. This means that he is in charge of all marketing and money-raising for the university. The youth market is most digitally engaged demographic segment on the planet. Leland is responsible for staying on top of the latest trends in Web 2.0 tools and developing messaging and communications techniques to penetrate the digital clutter students experience. His team has led the way in using online video, YouTube, iTunes, blogging, and social networking to market to their target audience.

Harden began his career in the online business in 1985 as an account executive with DataTimes. In his second year with the company, he became the top salesman in the country. He then was recruited to help launch Medialink in New York City. Here he helped build the start-up into the world’s largest distributor of video public relations materials. Next, he moved to San Francisco to set out on his own and launched Digital Conference Television, a national video conferencing firm. He then co-founded Cybernautics. After successfully merging Cybernautics with USWeb and participating their IPO, he co-founded GiftCertificates.com.

Mr. Harden is an internationally recognized authority on online marketing and promotion. He is regularly featured as a speaker or chair of national conferences.

ADDY Gala 2009

Thanks to everyone who came for an evening of good food and celebration at the 2009 ADDY Gala, and congratulations to all of our ADDY Award winners! We were pleased that so many people turned out to celebrate the great advertising being created in the Abilene area.

The theme for the gala was Lunar (Chinese) New Year, which was reflected in the beautiful lanterns provided by the Grace Museum. I received many comments from people who enjoyed the great Chinese food provided by Alley Cats / Top Cat Catering, and beverages provided by Cypress Street Station. Special thanks go to Taylor and the rest of the staff at the Historic Paramount Theatre who helped us put such a great evening together, and to Mayor Norm Archibald for being such a consummate Master of Ceremonies.

Now that the local/regional level of the competition is complete, our Gold ADDY winners will proceed to the district level, where they will be competing against advertising from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas (AAF-District 10). Silver winners also have the opportunity to participate in the district competition (Silver winners should receive information soon from the district ADDY Chair, Marc Eisenberg about how to participate). We wish them all luck at the judging in April!

- Kit Sweeney, ADDY Chair

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