<p>Ira Blumenthal is founder and president of Co-Opportunities, Inc., a dynamic business development and consulting firm that counsels world-class companies from industries across the board. A highly distinguished 25-year veteran of the food industry and respected branding and marketing expert, Blumenthal has had a long-lasting impact on a variety of organizations facing change, challenges, and business as unusual. The recipient of the coveted George Washington Honor Medal For Literary Excellence, Blumenthal's first book, "Ready, Blame, Fire!," focuses on the "myths and misses in marketing."</p><p>His second book, "Managing Brand You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Most Successful Self", which he co-authored with Global Coca-Cola President Jerry S. Wilson, reveals the authors' proven seven-step process for personal brand building. In this book and corresponding presentation, Blumenthal challenges you to ask yourself, "What if I was a brand?" He has also written and published more than 100 magazine articles on business development, and as the former host of the popular radio talk show, Success Talk, he interviewed various celebrities and leaders, including Colin Powell, Mario Andretti, and Tommy Lasorda.</p><p>A dynamic and passionate professional speaker, he blends ideas, information, and humor to inform and motivate audiences on how to create the future--not simply react to it. His approach to business development helps people identify opportunities and adapt to market changes by understanding future trends of consumers, advertising, marketing, merchandising, retailing, distribution, production, and management.</p>
Author and branding and marketing expert
<ul><li><strong>Your Best Is Next<span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"></strong></span></li><li>Whether it’s corporations, associations or even individuals, you can’t have a better tomorrow if you continue thinking about yesterday. Looking back over last year, we’ve seen chaos, a pandemic, economic challenges, business uncertainty and greater changes than ever before. We’re confused, overwhelmed, frustrated and often impatient. This is NOT business as usual. This is business as UN-usual.</li><li>And so, the threshold question for us all is simple… “What’s next?” It’s clearly time for RECOVERY and pushing the RESET button on our businesses and lives. It has been said, “If you want to predict the future, create it!” This customizable program (onstage OR virtual) Your Best Is Next, is precisely about creating the future and teaching your organization how to ensure that their BEST IS truly NEXT.</li><li><span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"><strong></span>Managing Brand You<span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"></strong></span></li><li>What if you thought of yourself as a brand? What do you stand for? What do you want to stand for? How are you perceived (brand image)? By the same token, how would you like to be viewed, seen, known for, stand for, and respected (brand identity)? This session, paralleling the successful book by branding experts Jerry Wilson (Global Coca-Cola President) and Ira Blumenthal, provides ideas, insights, information and inspiration on "personal branding" and personal development, success, and more, through the use of branding.</li><li><span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"><strong></span>Change is Inevitable. Growth is Optional<span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"></strong></span></li><li>There is one constant in life and business -- change! Industries, companies, and careers have gone from distinction to extinction because of their inability to adapt, adjust, and master change. This session offers a high-content, high-energy, hands on approach to embracing, as well as capitalizing on change in business building. After all, change is to business what oxygen is to life.</li><li><span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"><strong></span>Brand-Building For Your Future<span style="color: rgb(62, 62, 60);"></strong></span></li><li>Products are consumed. Brands are purchased. In our branded world, we make Xerox copies, blow our nose in Kleenex, snack on Jell-O, relax in the Jacuzzi and cover wounds with Band-Aids. From Nike on our hats to Tommy on our shirts to Swatch on our watches and Starbucks in our cups, branding is critical to business development. This session focuses on the philosophy, strategy, guiding principles and "best practices" to create, build, maintain and manage brand success. Great examples, provocative anecdotes and purposeful humor make this a great session. Everyone's a brand manager!</li></ul>