Campaign 2008: Vote For "Your Brand Is Not My Friend" at SXSW

So SXSW (South by Southwest, for the uninitiated), arguably the world's premier internet marketing festival, is considering presenting a panel discussion based on my landmark "Your Brand Is Not My Friend" series.

It promises to be a really excellent discussion on a topic that really needs discussing. I've managed to wrangle up a pretty diverse crew, so you'll get to hear from a variety of viewpoints on top of which, none of the panelists are exactly shrinking violets.

The panel will be hosted by Brian Morrissey, the well-respected digital editor of Adweek. Brian stands out among his peers for his keen grasp of what's going on in the industry at large and in the digital space in particular. He also writes a blog called Internal PigDog, that's rapidly becoming a must-read for serious runners, so he's a participant as much as an observer.

Now for the panelists. (In alphabetical order by last name:)

Cam Beck, Experience Planner at Dallas-based Click Here. Cam, a former US Marine, brings his unique no-nonsense, customer-centric viewpoint to his work and to his popular blog ChaosScenario. He is also responsible for bringing this panel to life. (Since I'm way too disorganized to have ever gotten myself organized in time to propose it.)

Noah Brier, Head of Planning and Strategy at The Barbarian Group. Noah is one of the industry's best thinkers, as evidenced by his eponymous blog, NoahBrier.com. His intellectual approach is tempered by a real-world, practical take on how technology affects us, a talent that served him well during his years at Naked.

Christina Kerley, (CK), Marketing Specialist at ckEpiphany, brings a fresh and unique voice to everything she does. A marketing specialist with an MBA and over 15 years experience, CK is a strong believer in authenticity and in companies doing the right thing as a means of achieving success. You can read her opinions on the very popular CK's Blog.

Michael Lebowitz, Founder & CEO of Big Spaceship is one of the ad industry's leading lights. Big Spaceship is widely recognized as a creative leader in the digital space and Michael has been particularly vocal about the need to recognize the changing paradigm in the industry as digital advertising moves beyond banners and the way that effects both creative output and creative credit.

Ian Schafer, Founder & CEO of Deep Focus, is another industry luminary. His outspoken speaking style (also on display in his blog IanSchafer.com) has made him a favorite at conferences. His strong advocacy of social media and the need for clients to recognize the importance of longer, deeper engagements has made Deep Focus-- already a creative powerhouse-- one of the industry leaders in the social media space as well.

Oh, and of course that Alan Wolk guy will be on the panel too.

Since 30% of the decision as to which panels are chosen comes from SXSW's audience participation vote, I'm asking my readers to help out and send us to Austin. Here's how to vote:

1. First you need to register to vote here.
2. Once that's done, you can vote for the panel here.

It's quick and easy and you won't be getting spammed because of it.

Thanks for your support and I can promise you that if elected, I will continue to work for the good of all people worldwide. That, and put on a helluva show down in Austin.

Spread the word. Tell your friends.