Linda Antus Acceptance Speech

Linda Antus, President & CEO, Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network

Cincinnati Marketing Legends Award Speech | AMA Cincinnati Pinnacle Awards | June 8, 2017

Thank you, AMA members and enthusiasts, who made this award possible.

You may know the 4 P’s in marketing: Product, Placement, Price and Promotion, but there are a few other P’s in my experiences:

Performance

Creativity and Innovation that impacts. Build on big ideas with sound

implementation.

Strategy > Implementation > Measurement > Repeat

Partnerships

Relationships are intimately connected with performance as the most important elements of success, in my experience. Results are typically achieved more readily together with other stakeholders. There is no “I” in teamwork.

Principles

Constantly improve and aggregate your most valuable and different experiences and learnings—always work to top your best performance and operate with integrity. Do the right things for the right reasons. As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

Passion

There is no substitute for an emotional connection with your work. Love it or leave it. Remember, as Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

People

The most important ingredient in the recipe for success. I have a number of key people in the legend of my decades of marketing experiences and they begin with a number of folks at my table. Please raise your hand when I mention you.

First and foremost, my mother, Dede Stalf, who, together with my dearly departed father, Earl, were the model for my ideals and work ethic. Thank you, mom, and miss you so much, dad.

My dear husband, Paul, who has known me and “loved my ideas” as he said over 30 years ago when we met at Madison Square Garden in New York City where we both worked. He tells me I have spent my whole life training for the career I have now and he is right! Love you, dear!

And last, and certainly not least, some of my wonderful RTN team of staff and board: Heather, Julie, Mike and Melissa. You guys make it all possible. You enable us to take the ideas from strategy to successful implementation, and then repeat, together.

Thank you all for your passion and excellence in marketing and your support of the AMA, Cincinnati, and these awards.

Let me leave you with my mantra, from the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

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