GE, PepsiCo Marketing Chiefs to Headline 'Innovating and Marketing in an Accelerated Marketspace' Conference

New Haven, Conn., October 3, 2007 — Top marketing executives and scholars will discuss the latest trends in marketing and consumer behavior at the "Innovating and Marketing in an Accelerated Marketspace" conference at the Yale School of Management on October 19, 2007.

The conference, presented by the Yale Center for Customer Insights and the Yale School of Management Marketing Club, will take place on the campus of the Yale School of Management from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., in the General Motors Room, 55 Hillhouse Avenue. To view the full conference agenda and to register, please visit the YCCI's website.

"A dynamic new marketing landscape has been created by increasingly demanding consumers, the proliferation of digital media, new technology, endless product choices, and globalization," said Professor Ravi Dhar, Director of the Yale Center for Customer Insights. "We have assembled top marketers from a wide range of industries including Internet, media, and consumer product goods, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of marketing and innovating in an accelerating environment."

The conference will feature a morning keynote address by Dan Henson, Chief Marketing Officer of General Electric, who will speak on "Creating a Process for Growth at GE." The afternoon keynote speaker, Antonio J. Lucio, Senior Vice President, Chief Innovation and Health & Wellness Officer, PepsiCo, Inc., will discuss his ideas for "Reinventing Marketing." A roundtable discussion will follow, led by Bruce Judson, Yale SOM senior faculty fellow, and author of Go It Alone. Panelists include representatives from 3M, Campbell’s, Google, Roche Pharmaceuticals, the New York Times, and Unilever.

Conference participants will discuss the challenges of global competition and the need to constantly experiment with new products and new ways of communicating. Speakers will work toward answers to the questions: "What remains the same and what needs to be adapted?" and "How do companies handle these challenges?"

The conference is sponsored by Google.

Members of the press are invited to attend the conference; advance registration is required. Please RSVP to Tabitha Wilde at 203-432-6010 or tabitha.wilde@yale.edu.