San Francisco and Sydney, August 26, 2009 – Burson-Marsteller will be a lead partner of the “Future of Influence Summit” held in San Francisco on August 31, linked by video to a simultaneous event in Sydney, Australia. This summit will explore where the influence economy stands today, and the opportunities for companies to reach their customers and tap into this transformation.
At the summit, speakers, panelists and attendees will discuss how influence is the new center of the marketing world. They will also examine the power of influence in content and publishing. Burson-Marsteller Chief Digital Strategist and CEO of its digital media unit, Proof Digital, Erin Byrne will be participating in a cross-continental panel, called “Influence at the Center of Marketing and Advertising.” Panelists in both San Francisco and Sydney will discuss how digital influence is taking central place in the global advertising and marketing industry.
“The way people are influenced is evolving at a staggering pace,” said Byrne. “Online publishing tools, social networks, and mobile communications are providing people with an incredibly robust set of information on which to base the decisions they make each day. This is fundamentally changing the nature of influence.”
“There is a social transformation under way,” added futurist, entrepreneur, and author Ross Dawson, who is helping to organize the event. “Now anyone can be an influencer on a global scale.”
The event will also feature leading speakers such as Howard Rheingold, author of Smart Mobs, Tara Hunt, author of The Whuffie Factor, Brian Solis, author of Putting the Public Back into Public Relations, Joe Talcott, Group Marketing Director of News Limited, top marketing executives and CEOs of the most prominent start-ups in the space.
The summit will build on its history of world-leading innovation in conference format, using video links, conversation, participation and rich content formats to uncover practical insights into the power of influence. For more information please visit http://www.futureofinfluencesummit.com/.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller (www.burson-marsteller.com), established in 1953, is a leading global public relations and communications firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, advertising and web-related services. The firm’s seamless worldwide network consists of 72 offices and 58 affiliate offices, together operating in 83 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Brands, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s leading communications services networks.