Read this article about the 5 Best Ads of Super Bowl XLVII!

http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/advertising-branding/5-best-ads-super-bowl-xlvii-147027#taco-bell-viva-young-5

Do you agree? Which one was your favorite? Tell us!

Hopefully, you got done with your last minute Christmas shopping today. It’s definitely a hectic season for retailers and marketers. If you get a chance, read this article about Kmart’s Valentine’s day promotional items. Even before people finished shopping for Christmas, Kmart is thinking two steps ahead and selling Valentine’s day products such as pink cuddly teddy bears. What do you guys think? Too early?

The article says that almost all holidays are starting earlier and earlier in stores.

-Black Friday now starts before Thanksgiving.

-Christmas starts before Halloween.

-After Christmas sales start Dec. 23.

-And yes, Valentine’s Day now starts before January  in some stores.

Read the article and tell us what you think!

Be safe when you are traveling, and enjoy your time with your families!

2012 has flown by for most of the AMA members and officers. It’s almost Christmas time, and it will be 2013 soon. Adweek has selected the 10 Best Commercials of 2012. Many brilliant ideas were shown through this year’s “most entertaining, intriguing, power, and beautiful spots.” Check out the full article on Adweek’s article, “10 Best Commercials of 2012!”

And here’s one of the best commercials of 2012:

What do you guys think? Seen better ones from this past year? Share your thoughts!

AMA|UAB has been very busy with getting ready to participate in the 35th Annual AMA International Collegiate Conference! This year’s theme of the conference is Live the Marketing Life. Last year’s conference was full of top marketers such as the CMO of Google and McDonald’s North American marketing director. There are also several competitions at conference such as a business simulation and sales role play.  AMA|UAB is making plans to attend, and we need to start getting a head count of who all wants to go. You must be a member of AMA|UAB to attend the conference.

Last year, AMA|UAB was recognized as a Top 25 Chapter out of more than 300 student chapters. AMA|UAB will be competing in several different competitions such as the Donate Life American organ donation case study competition, T-shirt design competition, and more. We are very excited about traveling down to New Orleans, LA, for the conference, and we hope to well-represent UAB!

The AMA International Collegiate Conference will be held on March 21-23, 2013, at Sheraton New Orleans in New Orleans, LA. This year’s Keynote speakers will include Jeffrey Hayzlett, the former CMO of Kodak, and Nate Riggs of the Karcher Group. Please visit the official AMA International Collegiate Conference page to see more details and the complete schedule of the conference.

If you are a member of AMA and interested in going to the AMA International Collegiate Conference, please contact Jonathan Compher (jcompher@uab.edu). We will have concession stand workdays to help covering the costs of the conference.

If you are not a member, please go see Ms. Laura Tull (laurawtull@uab.edu) at BEC 219B to join AMA|UAB!

Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to share a funny Confession Ecards and a great blog I stumbled upon.

Is anybody else addicted to Pinterest? Most ladies that I know are on Pinterest, and they work on different “projects” with the ideas that they get on Pinterest. Pinterest has been a great tool for retailers to market and share their products. It is a great way for retailers to connect with consumers, and also great for consumers to connect with other consumers. There is no doubt that Pinterest has a huge effect on consumer purchases and trends.

And here’s a cool website to check out! Pinstrosity is a blog that shows “original vs. failed attempts” Pinterest projects. It is quiet funny to see the comparison between the two because we can all agree that not all our Pinterest-inspired projects turn out as amazing as we thought.

Go check out Pinstrosity! And happy pinning on Pinterest!

Voting for the Presidential Election 2012 is just one day away!

The candidates are utilizing internet ads and video ads for their campaign this year. Total spending on internet ads are $300 million, which is a double from how much they spent in 2008. The use of video ads is now becoming not only a fundraising tool, but also a branding medium. Do you think that the use of internet and videos for the Presidential campaign will affect the voters’ decisions?

Go read this article, “Race Tightens, and So Does Ad Inventory,” and share your thoughts!

This afternoon, AMA|UAB hosted a Halloween Party with the UAB School of Business Faculty and students. For the past few days, we had a Halloween Fundraiser event where students got to vote for one male and one female faculty member to dress up in wacky costumes at the Halloween Party. Each votes were $1, and AMA|UAB successfully raised some money from this fundraiser.

And our “winners” who got the most votes to be dressed in wacky costumes were Professor Gelber and Dr. Turnbull!

Professor Gelber and Dr. Turnbull in their wacky costumes!

Students and faculty enjoyed the entertainment from the two professors and the snacks and treats provided by AMA|UAB!

AMA|UAB wishes everyone a Happy Halloween, and don’t eat too much candy!

It will be interesting to see how the Hurricane Sandy impacts the market in the long run as well. And to everyone up in the north, try to stay dry!

You can read more about the economic impact of Hurricane Sandy on this article!

Monday Funday with games, pizza, and free Rockstar Energy Drinks!

One of our guest speakers from BBVA Compass Sporting Marketing Team, Robert Hernandez, at our meeting.

Breakfast Mixer with the Birmingham AMA Board Members, UAB School of Business Faculty, and students.

Breakfast Mixer.

Habitat for Humanity Workday.

AMA members working hard at the Habitat for Humanity Workday!

AMA Marketing Week – Habitat for Humanity Workday.

For more pictures and stories about Marketing Week 2012, please visit our AMA|UAB Facebook page!