People are the Killer App
“Generate buzz.”  “Go viral.”  “Tweets and fans.”  These phrases are now common place within the marketing stratosphere.  But even with all the new focus on social media tools, many organizations struggle with how to incorporate these tactics into a results-driven strategy that truly connects a community of brand ambassadors.

Word of Mouth Guru Geno Church from Brains on Fire will host “People are the Killer App,” centered around the theme of stories as the ultimate connector between company and customer.

You’ll learn:
-    It’s about passion conversations versus product conversations
-    Movements begin with the first conversation
-    Why people are the ultimate killer app

Geno will reference results and methodology behind case studies from successful word of mouth movements, including the award-winning Fiskars Brands “Fiskateers.”  You’ll also learn how to identify your own brand story and connect with a community of true brand ambassadors.


Geno Church - Word of Mouth Inspiration Officer, Brains on Fire
Geno was born and raised in the South and proudly calls Greenville , SC his home. He spent two years at Furman University and went on to the University of South Carolina to receive a degree in Advertising. In his 13+ years with Brains On Fire, Geno has helped build word of mouth into the identities of brands that include Fiskars Brands, the American Booksellers Association, Rawlings Sporting Goods, National Family Partnership, Earshot Independent Music Stores, the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities, and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth led anti-tobacco movement). Geno is responsible for developing word of mouth, buzz, viral and evangelism strategies for Brains on Fire’s clients.
Geno has been repeatedly recognized as a thought leader in both the identity and word of mouth realms and has also received awards from numerous organizations, including the 2004 National ADDYs, where he received honors for his work with Rage Against the Haze. Rage also won a coveted gold Effie award in 2008 and a Wommie award in 2006 from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. The Fiskars Brand Ambassador movement, of which was Geno’s brainchild, was also recognized by ad:tech and the Forrester Groundswell awards in 2007. In addition, the children’s book he helped illustrate and create, The Red Ribbon Works, was used as a backdrop for President Clinton’s War on Drugs.
Geno has given presentations at numerous events, including the National Conference on Tobacco and Health, the American Public Health Association Exposition, several Word of Mouth Marketing Association conferences, Social Media 2007 in Atlanta and Customer Management World 2007 in Johannesburg , South Africa . He is a frequent contributor to the Brains on Fire blog, which is one of the top marketing and word of mouth blogs in the world and referenced industry wide on a weekly basis.
Geno is a co-author of the book Brains on Fire published by Wiley Publishing in 2010.  Books will be sold at the event and Geno will remain for a booking signing after his keynote address.