On Monday, July 19 from 8:30am to 10:00am, IFT will hold a Symposium (Number 097) "Technical marketing: Effectively bridging the gap between R&D and marketing" in Room S502ab of the McCormick Center. Since 1995, one calculation shows advertising prices in product development media have fallen roughly 20%, while in the same period, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 30% inflation. This, along with the advent the Internet, has greatly changed how trade media interacts with marketers of technical products and their targetted audience.

The symposium’s three presentations focus on three key areas. The first presentation, "The Changing Nature and Roles of Trade Media in the R&D And Marketing Loop," will be presented by Prepared Foods' chief editor, Claudia D. O'Donnell. It will offer insights on efficiently delivering messages between marketers and scientists and highlight the key issues in communicating to audiences of mixed technical understanding. This presentation will explore how information technology is driving revolutionary changes in media. These repercussions are far-reaching and impact the economics of every step in the communication channel between marketers and their scientist audience. As those in communications strive to understand how to best use new technologies, from digital products to social media such as Twitter and LinkedIn, additional challenges exist when targeted messages need to be delivered to the sophisticated, demanding audience of food technologists. This presentation presents an overview of changes in the nature of trade media in terms of resources and technologies, provides “food for thought” in communicating through trade media to audiences of mixed technical understandings, and offers nuts and bolts tips in effectively working with trade editors.

The second presentation, "Marketing and Its Role in the Innovation Process," presented by Hamsa A. Thota, Innovation Business Development, will discuss the importance of integrating marketing in the innovation process and explore the role of cross-functional teams in the execution of the innovation process.

The third presentation, "R&D and Marketing: An Essential Partnership to Deliver Customer Value," presented by Lorraine L. Niba, FrieslandCampina Domo, will examine how bridging the divide between the R&D and marketing functions helps to meet customer needs and brings value to the customer.

From the July 6, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition