Is social media a bubble? Do I need 1 million fans to be a success? Bust these social media myths and more with disruptive marketers from Attention, Morgans Hotel Group and Barbie, at Social Media Myths: “You Did What?! in Social Media,” on Thursday February 10, at Hudson Hotel from 1:30-2:30 PM, followed by a 30min Q&A session.
Speakers:
- Curtis Hougland, Founder & CEO, Attention
Curtis opened the first joint PR and online marketing practice in 1993, working with Internet pioneers including CompuServe, AOL, Prodigy, Microsoft and Sprynet. One of the PR industry’s first creative directors at Middleberg, he grew the agency into one of the most successful consumer technology agencies prior to its sale to Euro RSCG in 2000. Curtis tested his word-of-mouth campaigns by co-founding Film Movement (sold to Blockbuster in 2006), the first company to release films simultaneously in theater and on DVD.
- James Zito, Vice President, Interactive Marketing, Morgans Hotel Group
As Vice President, Interactive Marketing, for Morgans Hotel Group, James Zito oversees all development of Morgan Hotel Group’s E-Marketing/E-Commerce initiatives. Before joining in 2006 Mr. Zito spent over 16 years with Denihan Hospitality Group where he directed all areas of E-marketing and developed and managed an award winning CRM program.
A respected industry expert on Internet marketing, Zito served as the 2006-2008 Co-Chair of the North America HSMAI Internet Marketing special-interest group, and has spoken at events including Ad Tech, HITEC, Hospitality CIO Summit, HEDNA, TravelCom, National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM), and guest lectured for the New York University’s Masters in Hospitality program. Mr. Zito has a Bachelor of Arts from William Paterson University.
- Lauren Bruksch, Director, Marketing, Barbie at Mattel
Lauren Bruksch is a marketing director for the Barbie brand at Mattel, Inc. In her position, Lauren plays an integral role in forging strategic marketing partnerships and oversees social media and digital marketing, philanthropy and special projects for the brand . Laur en manages the Barbie brand’s partner ship s with the CFDA and fashion community, and she has been instrumental in securing the brand ’ s partnership s with T he White House Project and “ 10 Women to Watch ” list .
Most recently, Lauren spearheaded Mattel’s first original digital reality series, “Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend.” Lauren also serves as the one of the judges on the web series, as a representative and the voice of the Barbie brand. Additionally, Lauren oversees all of social marketing for the brand, including Barbie and Ken’s facebook, Twitter and Foursquare accounts.
In 2009, Lauren was one of the key players who helped Barbie celebrate her 50th anniversary with a unprecedented runway show at New York Fashion Week and a celebrity birthday bash at Barbie’s real-life dream house in Malibu, Calif. Lauren has worked on the Barbie brand for more than 6 years, and recently began working across the girls ’ portfolio of brands at Mattel.
Register for this event here.


