The Future of Marketing panel, presented by Potomac Tech Wire, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 7:30 to 10:00 A.M. at the Ritz Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard in Mclean.  The Future of Marketing event is part of the Potomac Tech Wire breakfast series that brings together senior executives in the Mid-Atlantic to discuss technology and business issues in a conversational, roundtable environment, moderated by the editor of Potomac Tech Wire. Speakers include:

Please join us on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 1:00-2:00 P.M. for a free webinar about DC- and Baltimore-area consumers.

Consumers in the DC and Baltimore areas are using daily deal websites such as Groupon and Living Social and engaging with user-generated product and service review sites like Yelp in ways which impact their purchasing decisions.

Design Army has been featured in the Sept/Oct issue of Amtrak's ARRIVE magazine ... Medical Predictive Science Corporation hired Environics Communications for a national awareness campaign for MPSC’s Heart Rate Observation System ... Qorvis Communications has a new pro bono partnership with The Dance Institute of Washington ...and, TGD Communications won three Graphic Design USA Awards.

The National Guard Bureau, the joint U.S. Army-Air Force entity that administers the Guard, is reviewing its nine-figure event marketing and PR account with an RFP released this month, reports O’Dwyer’s.

According to a piece by Greg Hazley, the review includes

Diane Tomb has been named president and CEO of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO(R)). Tomb, who ran a strategic communications and public affairs company that she founded in 2003, will move the organization’s headquarters to Washington, DC.

The same group that hacked NBC News' Twitter account on Sept. 9 and sent tweets about a bogus attack on Ground Zero apparently grabbed hold of USA Today's Twitter feed and fired off a clutch of messages, reports CNET.

The taunting tweets from

The Baltimore Sun will begin charging frequent users of its website a subscription fee Oct. 10, joining several news organizations that have recently established price tags for online information, the newspaper reported.

The Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter (PRSA-NCC) celebrated the value of public relations and honored the talent and innovation in Washington public relations professionals at its 43rd annual Thoth Awards, held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Joe Grimaldi, CEO of Mullen and Wednesday’s keynote speaker during Advertising Week DC, provided an overview of how a business can survive and grow during periods of change. Grimaldi told the luncheon audience that running a business is a bit like making tomato sauce - i.e., everyone knows the ingredients you need, but “the trick is how you put it together.”

The newest addition to the public affairs industry, NextWave Advocacy, launched this month. Tom Herrity, known for leading Direct Impact and DDC Advocacy, founded the firm with partners Bill Colton and Todd Benjamin.

NextWave's capabilities center on its GO Team- short for Grassroots Outreach Team - a group of telephone mobilization specialists located across the country.

The National Assessment Governing Board awarded a $348,000 contract to Widmeyer Communications to assist in developing reports on the preparedness of 12th graders for college and job training ... Clyde’s Restaurant Group has launched “Good Things Have A Way Of Coming Together,” a campaign created by Pappas Group to promote Clyde’s new locally-sourced, grass-fed, hormone-free hamburger ... Environics Communications announced that Erica Hiar joined the agency as an account executive in the firm’s U.S. health sciences practice ...

Mike August, principal at August Lang & Husak, has been presented the Silver Medal Award by the DC Ad Club at a luncheon held during Advertising Week DC. The award, presented to one person annually, recognizes an individual for his or her contributions to their companies, the general advancement of advertising and the community and for their creative ability. In accepting the 2011 award, August said that advertising "can be a truly noble profession

Wells Fargo has formally launched its rebranding of Wachovia.

Nearly three years after its $15.1 billion purchase of the ailing financial franchise, stated Danielle Douglas in the Washington Post’s Capital Business, San Francisco-based Wells Fargo is rebranding the name on the former Wachovia locations. Expect a blitz of advertisements, stated Douglas, “in Metrorail stations, on buses, billboards and television heralding the transformation of Washington’s largest bank into ... well

More than 90 thought leaders and innovators from brands such as Google, Microsoft, CNN, YouTube, Yahoo!, Cisco, AdAge, Huffington Post, LivingSocial, Gowalla and Yelp! are set to share their insight on a variety of digital marketing and business strategies, Sept. 28-29, at this year's Digital East 2011 conference set for the Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner.

Laura Nichols has been named executive vice president for global communications at the DC-based Motion Picture Association of America. In her new position, she will oversee all MPAA international and domestic communications, media relations, new media development and special events.

McLean-based Gannett Co., Inc, reported that chairman and chief executive officer Craig A. Dubow will take a leave of absence to address continuing issues relating to prior medical conditions. Gracia C. Martore, president and chief operating officer, will serve as principal executive officer during his absence, as she did during a prior medical leave in 2009.

The lawsuit by Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder against the Washington City Paper is over. The focus of the suit was a story, “The Cranky Redskins Fans Guide to Dan Snyder”, that, claimed Snyder, contained a number of untrue items. According to a Washington Post piece by Erik Wemple, “Statements from both sides indicate that the cessation of these hostilities is a one-sided matter.

Consumers in the Baltimore and Washington, DC, areas are using daily deal websites such as Groupon and Living Social and engaging with user-generated product and service review sites like Yelp in ways which impact their purchasing decisions.

By Debbie Friez

Privacy laws remain the same, even in electronic mediums. Many organizations think the rules might be different, but actually the same rules apply. This was a key point from the National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America’s September Read More »

Qorvis Communications adds Heather Hopkins as a managing director ... QGA Public Affairs adds Jim Manley as a senior director ... Environics Communications adds Kelly Mack as a senior account executive ...Matt Gillis has been promoted at Millennial Media ... The San Diego Padres named Sarah Farnsworth senior vice president, public affairs. Earlier in Read More »

 Advertising Week DC, Sept. 19-23, celebrates the best of the advertising, marketing and media community with a week dedicated to networking, professional development and education. At Advertising Week DC, you’ll learn more about the trends, resources, and strategies that will work for your clients and brands. With four days of content, including two days of concurrent sessions, Advertising Week DC is

United Way of the National Capital Area has teamed up with RP3 Agency for the second time for the 2011 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). RP3 will promote United Way NCA and its member nonprofits as beneficiaries of the campaign, which is created and run by federal employees to demonstrate a commitment to public service both in the DC region and nationally.

SmithGifford has been appointed creative agency for Inova Health System. The agency is charged with developing a brand positioning strategy and creative development for a new corporate reputation campaign to launch this fall. Specifically, SmithGifford will work with Inova Health System to develop a complete branding campaign, including broadcast, print, online and collateral.

Both the DC and Baltimore ad communities are holding their annual “advertising week” this month.

Advertising Week Baltimore 2011 is scheduled to run September 13-15. The three-day event, to be held at the Pier 5 hotel in downtown Baltimore, will feature speakers from national and local ad agencies as well as the Baltimore Ravens, Nike, and

Capitol Communicator has updated its Home page to better serve readers and sponsors. Capitol Communicator’s video channel has been converted to YouTube and our Blip Channel will be phased out over time.  You can still reach our Blip episode archive by going to http://blip.tv/capitol-communicator . We are planning to eventually convert our YouTube channel to a Google/YouTube brand channel. Agencies, video production firms, producers and others

The American Marketing Association (AMA) and the American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF) named Brendan Hurley, past president of AMADC, as the 2011 Nonprofit Marketer of the Year at AMA's Nonprofit Marketing Conference. This award recognizes extraordinary leadership and achievement in the field of nonprofit marketing.

As the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 approaches, Interface Media Group has partnered with the Washington National Cathedral to produce a weekend of programming commemorating the events that changed our nation and the world.   “A Call to Compassion: Honor, Heal, Hope” will take place Sept. 9 - 11 on the grounds of the Cathedral in our Nation’s Capital.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded multiyear, open-ended PR contracts to five agencies following an eight-month RFP process, reports odwyerpr.com.  According to the report by Greg Hazley,

Citybizlist, the leading U.S. provider of on-line local business news and financial information, has launched “Citybizlist Rewards”, a new local deals program for its readers. Powered by Group Commerce, the new initiative provides exclusive discounts on products and services that appeal to Citybizlist's tightly-focused demographic audience of professionals and entrepreneurs.

DDC Advocacy has acquired BlueFront Strategies, a consulting and public affairs company based in Alexandria. BlueFront’s operations will be integrated into DDCA, which is an issue advocacy firm. BlueFront owner and founder Sara Taylor Fagen will join DDCA as partner and will serve on the company’s board of directors.