'American Idol' Host Ryan Seacrest Joins Lineup at 4A's Transformation 2014 in L.A. This Month

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Mar 12, 2014) -  The 4A's has added Ryan Seacrest, host of FOX's "American Idol," to the list of speakers at "Transformation 2014: The Idea Effect," conference in Los Angeles from March 16-19, the trade association announced today.

Seacrest will be interviewed in a session with Tim Castelli, President of National Sales, Marketing & Partnerships at Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, on Tuesday, March 18, about the future of radio.

American Express CMO John Hayes has been tapped as the opening keynote speaker for the conference on Monday, March 17, and in the afternoon, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer will be interviewed.

On Tuesday night, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment presents its iHeartRadio "Artists on the Verge '14" with performances by Christina Perri, whose hit, "Jar of Hearts," has sold more than 3 million copies; Swedish trio NoNoNo, known for their "Pumpin' Blood" single; and Aloe Blacc, best known for the songs, "I Need a Dollar" and "The Man."

Branding, data, social responsibility, and entrepreneurship are among the major themes this year, and a significant number of client-side marketers and technology company execs have signed on as speakers.

Additional notable speakers include:

• Jon Feltheimer, CEO, Lionsgate
• Maureen Dowd, New York Times columnist
• Bea Perez, Chief Sustainability Officer, The Coca-Cola Co.
• Icema Gibbs, Director of Corp. Social Responsibility, JetBlue Airways
• Dana Anderson, SVP Marketing Strategy & Communications, Mondelēz International
• Esther Lee, SVP, Brand Marketing, Advertising & Sponsorship, AT&T
• Adam Bain, President Global Revenue, Twitter
• Patrick Harris, ‎Director, Global Agency Development, Facebook
• John Gainor, CEO & President, Dairy Queen
• Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett
• Sarah Hofstetter, CEO, 360i US
• Bill Koenigsberg, President-CEO, Horizon Media

Agencies and brand marketers are amassing troves of data and continue to crack the code on making sense of it. At least one panel will focus on how agencies' ideas drive brand value and measurable sales, and John Montgomery, COO of GroupM, is scheduled to speak about audience, addressability, measurement and mobile.

Another conference feature will be a video exhibit, created by Leo Burnett, which last year won the 4A's TruthBrief Competition for the best agency campaign to attract a new generation of talent to the business. Leo Burnett's winning experiential campaign took the form of a staged video "art show" at a gallery on a college campus in which all of the pieces being shown were advertisements stripped of their logos. The exhibit is being moved to the Beverly Hilton for Transformation 2014.

As part of the entrepreneurial theme, the conference will also feature the "Start-up Showdown" with 10-15 startup companies presenting ideas to a panel of judges including Terry Kawaja, Founder and CEO of LUMA Partners; media veteran Wenda Harris Millard, and Hany Nada, Managing Partner at GGV Capital.

The 4A's will also announce winners of the O'Toole Awards for creative campaigns and media.

Biba Golic, a championship table tennis player and member of the "Killerspin Krew," will add a sport and fundraising mix to the conference by taking on challenges from attendees who will each donate $50 to the 4A's Foundation for a chance to play against her. The 4A's Foundation provides scholarships to diverse students in creative and media arts. Biba, who was born in Yugoslavia and began playing at age 9, has won numerous titles including U.S. National Collegiate Champion Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. 

The 4A's is partnering with Los Angeles broadcast television stations, KABC, KCAL, KCBS, KMEX, KNBC, KVEA and the TVB, a trade association of America's commercial broadcast television industry to present "Experience Los Angeles," a hands-on mentoring program. At the conclusion of the Transformation conference on March 19, advertising and marketing executives including 4A's staff, will visit LA's Trade Technical College (LATTC) to mentor and inspire students studying marketing, advertising, public relations, and business. Topics will focus on media planning, market strategy, creative, media buying, digital media and account management.

Click here for more information. To register, click here. And don't forget to follow #4astransformation for real-time content coming out of the event.

About the 4A's
The 4A's is the national trade association of the advertising agency business. Its membership comprises virtually all of the large, multinational agencies and hundreds of small and mid-sized agencies from across the country. The 1,200 member agency offices served by the 4A's employ 65,000 people; offer a wide range of marketing communications services, and place 80 percent of all national advertising. The management-oriented association founded in 1917 helps its members build their businesses, and acts as the industry's spokesperson with government, media, and the public sector. For more information, visit the 4A's Web site at www.aaaa.org.