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1> WOMMA Board Announces
Management Changes
The Board of Directors of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) has announced that effective March 31, 2007, founding CEO Andy Sernovitz will be leaving the organization to resume his consulting, speaking, and teaching career.
Susan Tibbitts, Executive Director, who joined the WOMMA staff more than a year ago, will manage WOMMA, supported by WOMMA's recently expanded staff of eight talented association professionals.
Andy's departure recognizes WOMMA's successful growth from a startup to a substantial organization, the successful completion of Andy's role as entrepreneurial founder, and WOMMA's transition to a long-term management team.
On behalf of the members and staff of WOMMA, the Board thanks Andy for his tireless service to the Association and for the contributions he has made to defining and promoting ethical word of mouth marketing practices. Board President Ed Keller observed, "We are very grateful to Andy for his leadership and vision in helping build WOMMA and the word of mouth marketing industry. We look forward to Andy's continued involvement in WOMMA and wish him every success."
2> Letter From WOMMA
CEO Andy Sernovitz
To: WOMMA Members, Staff, Supporters, and Friends
From: Andy Sernovitz, CEO
Date: December 11, 2006
RE: Moving on...
With mixed emotions, it's time to share with everyone that I plan on leaving my leadership role with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association when my contract expires in a few months. It has been an intense and rewarding experience, but it is time to return to civilian life.
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve such a wonderful organization and such incredible people. I am deeply grateful for the dedication and support from so many WOMMA members and friends, and I thank you for letting me share this experience with you.
Come April 1, I'll be consulting, writing, speaking, teaching, and helping a few startups -- sharing the wonders that I have learned working with the amazing innovators in the WOMMA family. I will also be looking for new ways to teach WOMMA's philosophy of ethical marketing to new communities. And, of course, I will remain passionately involved with WOMMA as an active member and will continue to support and promote our amazing organization.
Experience confirms a lesson that my dad taught me about starting a business: The most important service a true entrepreneur can provide to his company is to get the hell out of the way when the startup days are over.
WOMMA is no longer a startup, just as word of mouth marketing is no longer an experiment. We have built the most exciting marketing organization anyone has ever seen, and done it faster and with more impact than anyone has ever done before. We're a classic startup story: In only two years we went from 10 members and a guy working from his kitchen table to a 330-member powerhouse that is changing the marketing landscape.
We have built what we need to keep WOMMA thriving for the long term: True leadership by dedicated elected members; an active, growing membership; a talented professional staff; and a rich set of programs. We have made our topic top of mind with consumers, media, government, and business -- and established ourselves as the organization of record.
Our leadership on marketing ethics has raised the bar for all business. Little ol' WOMMA has changed the game, and made ethics topic No. 1 in marketing innovation. I hope we will continue to lead and drive the conversation. We must do it because it is the right thing to do ... and because honest marketing is better for business. Our movement is the first business organization to put consumers and business on the same side of the table, for the greater good of our companies, our societies, and our families.
I can assure you that I leave you and WOMMA in very good hands. I knew that I could step out when two special milestones were achieved: True member leadership and a talented professional staff.
We have an elected Board of Directors that is truly representative of the membership, with big vision and boundless talent. They are excellent stewards of our organization and vision. I have faith in them to secure our legacy and take it to new heights.
I have complete confidence in our professional staff to run this organization effectively, efficiently -- and with the same spirit of innovation that has made us so successful. WOMMA's team is exactly what we need. Their skill and dedication will surpass your expectations and make your vision a reality.
Most important, however, are each of you. Ultimately, an association is not about its leaders or its staff. It is about the members -- your active participation, your smart ideas, your willingness to work together to build an industry. You have a rare gift in WOMMA, one that few industries ever have: a platform to help you and your company realize your most ambitious visions. Make the most of the opportunity.
Stick with WOMMA. It is the only way to promote and protect your business and our collective interests. WOMMA members are the good guys.
In the months remaining, I'm looking forward to continuing the smooth transition already well underway. But now is a good time to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who made this organization possible. The depth of my appreciation for the staff and hundreds of volunteers can never be truly expressed. The same goes to the friends and supporters who sent in a membership check back in the hardscrabble days, just because we looked like we were working hard and it sounded like a good idea. Your faith in me and the idea that this industry must be pulled together have created a legacy that will last long beyond our own involvement. Please accept my genuine gratitude for your trust and this opportunity.
Let's raise a toast to the greatest business there ever has been. Here's to the next 20 years!
At your service,
Andy Sernovitz |
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DONE:
1> WOMMA Reports Record
Membership Growth
WOMMA just keeps on growing. We're pleased and proud to announce record gains in our membership over this time last year, which we owe to large increases in the number of nonprofit, small business, and standard members who are joining our ranks.
This is an exciting time to be part of WOMMA. We have more members than ever before -- and more are joining every day. It's especially rewarding and encouraging to see more companies joining WOMMA in support of our ethics commitment, which gained fresh momentum this fall behind the release of our Practical Ethics program. Thanks to our veteran and new members alike for your continued support as we continue to evolve as an organization and as an industry.
Welcome to the following 34 companies that joined WOMMA in November:
AdWise Group, American Express, Backfence.com, Batteries.com, BuzzLogic, Career Tours, Chameleon PR, Citrix Systems, Community Analytics, DoubleClick, Doubleday Entertainment, eMarketer, Exclamation Corporation, Fanscape, Frappe Marketing, IAKI, Integral Marketing and Communication, Mamiana, MARS Advertising, Mosaic, Motivation Mechanics, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Move, Passenger, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Product Presentation Circuit, re:invention, Six Apart, This Next, TSO, Vizu, and WebEx
2> WOMMA Hosts Biggest
Ever Word of Mouth
Conference
It's finally here! Today, WOMMA will put its name in the word of mouth record books when it kicks off its December event, the Word of Mouth Marketing Summit & Research Symposium. With nearly 500 participants, it's the largest word of mouth conference ever.
We're taking Washington, D.C., by storm, starting with our second annual metrics conference, the Word of Mouth Research Symposium, where the industry's top researchers will debut 20 fascinating new word of mouth research papers.
Tomorrow, we'll raise the bar another notch when we open the doors to the second annual Word of Mouth Marketing Summit, which will feature two days of intense learning and networking with more than 70 expert speakers, eight authors, and two incredible keynote speakers -- AOL's Ted Leonsis and Mentos' Pete Healy.
As we commence this groundbreaking event, we'd like to thank our sponsors, our media and association partners, our speakers, our members, our Board of Directors, and our attendees for making this conference possible.
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