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Friday
September 24, 2010 What I Learned on My Summer “Vacation”Filed under: Personal Hi Everyone! As many of you know, I was away for two and a half months this summer, tending to a family medical emergency in Florida. My mom, who lives with my stepdad in Sanibel, had surgery at Tampa General and was in the hospital for 43 days. She’s much better now and at home recovering, but to say it was a trying, stressful, hectic experience (I refer to it as “my season in hell”) is putting it mildly. However, as I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of girl, I made notes during my time away, chronicling the lessons I learned (listed below) – not the least of which is that Florida bugs aren’t bugs; they’re teradactyls. 1. Doctors aren’t gods (but nurses come close). Oftentimes, the nurses were much more patient and amenable to taking the time to explain issues than the doctors. Maybe the most crucial point I learned was that you need to ask questions of doctors and not be intimidated by their position. I told a young attending cardiologist who was treating my mom that I would be asking to see the head of cardiology for a second opinion. When she asked if it was because of her age, I reassured her that that had nothing to do with it, explaining patiently, “I read your notes in my mom’s chart and you misspelled both ‘ventricular’ and ‘thoracic.’” Oy. 2. Pets make everything better. My mom and stepdad have two insanely adorable and spoiled Lhasa Apsos whom they adore. Being away from them for so long was causing my mother great distress, until her pet sitter started texting daily photos of the pups, much to my mother’s delight. It made all the difference. Additionally, Tampa General is one of the increasing number of hospitals that have “pet therapy,” allowing dogs and cats to visit with patients whose condition allows for it. The doctors and nurses told me that in many cases, the pet visits had a more restorative effect than medication. 3. If it sounds ludicrous and nonsensical, it probably is. I’ve never understood how a simple cell phone could disrupt a plane’s operational system or take down a hospital’s monitoring equipment. I think that line of reasoning could best be described as “cockamamie.” Proving my point, not once did the good people of Tampa General — even when my mom was in the ICU — ask me to turn off my cell phone. Consequently, I was able to research pharmaceutical remedies, surgical terms and procedures, locate medical supply stores and pharmacies and write and edit for Counselor and Supplier Global Resource, all while on my hand-held, at my mother’s bedside. What did that teach me? You can conquer anything with one BlackBerry and a pen. 4. You’ll be amazed what you can do when you have no choice. As the person designated to be my mom’s primary caregiver upon her release from the hospital, the medical staff trained me in how to flush an occluded IV line, give an injection, properly sterilize and dress an abdominal incision and monitor a heart rate to determine sinus rhythm. For those of you who know me, you’ll agree that my areas of expertise typically lie in nails, males and cocktails, not surgical recovery. Still, it was my mom and I did it — like a M*A*S*H nurse under the command of Major Manolo Blahnik. 5. Ad specialties really, really work. Whether it was the jaw-droppingly impressive and delicious gift baskets I had delivered to the nurses at Tampa General from Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680), the fun pens imprinted with “Editorial Diva” that my pal Michael Linderman, owner of Express Pens (asi/53411), makes for me, or the notepads and bags from JournalBooks (asi/91340) and Leed’s (asi/66887) that I had shipped to Tampa, each time I gave something away as a “thank you for helping me,” people responded — and wanted to help me even more. 6. Just because it’s a hospital doesn’t mean it’s conducive to good health. Patients in a hospital only average three hours of continuous sleep per night, due to constant interruptions for such things as administering meds and tests, taking vital signs and the cacophony of noise from the monitoring devices the likes of which could rival a casino. Equally counterintuitive, at Tampa General, there’s a McDonald’s and a smoking section on the premises. Come to think of it, with the noise, lack of sleep, calorie-laden food and half-naked people, it’s a little like being at the Palms Hotel & Casino in Vegas. If the Palms smelled like antiseptic and offered IV drips. 7. The Embassy Suites rocks. For the 43 days we were in Tampa, my stepfather and I “lived” at the Embassy Suites near the convention center. I don’t know how we would have survived without the extraordinarily kind staff and heavy pour of the bartender during its sanity-saving daily two-hour complimentary happy hour. Couldn’t get a glass of Pinot Grigio in the state of Florida during the month of July? Yeah. That’s ’cause I drank it all. 8. Lean on your support system. I hate asking for help — it’s just not in my nature. There are times, though, when you simply can’t handle the magnitude of a situation alone. Luckily, I have the Wonder Bra of support systems. So many people have asked me how the management of ASI dealt with me being away for nearly three months. The answer: simply and graciously, continually asking only two questions: “Are you okay?” and “What can we do to help?” 9. It’s the heartfelt gestures that get you through.In the midst of my 40+ day stay at the hotel in Tampa, it was my birthday on August 9. Aside from seeing my mom during the day in the hospital, I was alone at that point and prepared for my birthday to be considerably more craptacular than the lavish, legendary and Dionysian celebrations with friends as in past years. But as I opened the door to my hotel room that evening, it was filled with flowers, bottles of wine and champagne and slices of cake ordered from the hotel restaurant from many of you (thanks especially to ASI’s design chica extraordinaire, Hillary Braubitz, and my trio of distributor divas — WorkflowOne’s Jilly Albers, Creative Promotional Products’ Sharon Biernat and Service With A Smile’s Diane Sakowicz!) who were so gracious as to let me know you were thinking of me. Truly, your thoughful gestures made it one of my favorite birthdays. Well, that and the sinfully sassy Jimmy Choos I bought myself online that night, which I now refer to as my “Leather Boots of Badass.” ; ) Thanks so much for the love and support, and it’s great to be back! More soon & cheers! Michele
Wednesday
September 1, 2010 Football, Vampires & Excessive Eating: Hello, September!Hello there. I’m Jess, and I work in the Production Department at ASI, located in beautiful, downtown Trevose, PA. My job is to coordinate ASI magazines and catalogs. I basically annoy all the other departments into submission so the publications go out on time and in one piece – I’m a professional pest, if you will. I do have a claim to ASI fame, however: I once escorted a certain lovable exclamation point named “Promo” around the trade show floor at ASI New York. So I’m a pretty big deal. And, did I mention that Michele Bell is my mentor? Actually, more like my hero. So why am I writing this blog post? Because Michele said so. And, since you’re reading her blog, I’m sure you know what that means: What Michele wants, Michele gets! While I’m sure this post will not hold a candle to what goes on in Michele’s twisted mind on a regular basis, why not cross another one off the good ol’ bucket list?! So here I will pay homage to September … “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” – the Staples back-to-school commercials say it all. And, while it’s referring to the time of the year when parents and school children flock to office-supply shops and buy up all the loose-leaf paper, I think it really rings true on a deeper level: September is perfection. For starters, you have the beginning of regular-season NFL football (Fly Eagles Fly…), which is the greatest professional sport known to man. At the same time you’re gearing up for the only segment of the never-ending Major League Baseball season worth following. Fall premieres of everyone’s favorite TV shows reel in the testosterone levels between games. I’m especially pumped for the Vampire Diaries premiere on September 9. The weather is becoming borderline acceptable, and aside from a few last-minute beach trips, the pressure to have the perfect beach bod has faded. Come to think of it, you’re the furthest away from needing to worry about being in beach shape. You scoop up another serving of pasta, you add another layer of clothing. September is forgiving like that. On a selfish note, my birthday is in September (shout out to my fellow Virgos). I’m super-excited for the birthday celebration (I will be making my first trip to Chicago –fingers crossed for Oprah tickets) and the attention I’ll receive (I suffer from middle-child, Jan Brady syndrome to the max). Not so excited for the another-year-older part, though … Last but certainly not least, September delivers a batch of particularly scintillating ASI magazines, and I’m in the position of power to have access to them all before they hit the streets. Because I love and must plug the magazines, here are some insider highlights from me to you:
So live it up while it lasts. We have 30 days of bliss until October comes around. And as we all know, October is just creepy and cold. Until next time, peace, love and magazines … –JF
Monday
August 2, 2010 Going With the FlowWhat’s that saying about the best laid plans? Well, in my case this summer, they went to hell in a handbasket. As with every summer, I was planning to spend weekends in my beloved Avalon, NJ (“the sunny place for shady people,” as W. Somerset Maugham once said about the French Riviera), attend the SAAC Show (one of my favorites) and then spend a week in Europe at the end of August with my pal Hillary Braubitz, ASI’s award-winning senior designer who lays out our magazines, at the brand-new Pro10 Show (a collaboration of PSI and its competitor, Pro8) in Amsterdam, followed by a weekend in Paris. Sounds fabulous, right? Enter my mother, Judge Judye (she doesn’t sit on the bench, but is judgmental!) who decided to have an elective surgery at Tampa General (she and my stepfather live in Sanibel, FL) on June 30. The surgery was considered a success, but complications set in and she had to have a second surgery on July 1. Upon speaking to the doctors and my stepfather (who has the early signs of dementia), I immediately flew in from Philly on July 2, and have been here ever since. It’s amazing how quickly you can adjust to a new reality. For the last month, my stepdad and I spend eight to nine hours a day in my mom’s room at Tampa General and our evenings at the hotel. Remember the famous children’s story of “Eloise living at the Plaza in New York”? My version is, “Michele at the Embassy Suites in Tampa.” That the hotel staff has been phenomenally hospitable, gracious and accommodating has made this whole experience that much easier. If there was ever a case for exceptional customer service winning someone over for life, it’s me and my new devotion to the Embassy Suites. What’s been interesting to see, because the hotel is situated right next to the Tampa Convention Center, is the different trade-show groups and conference attendees who have come and gone. The good news? They all love ad specialties. What types of ad specialties they love varies according to the personalities of the groups. For example, the Convention of Physical Therapists went nuts for stress balls of all shapes and sizes; the meeting of Anime and Comic Book fans (which sold out my hotel), whose demographic is over-stimulated Gen Y-ers, got their freak on for bright, shiny, blinky items; the Florida Bar Association had its law students taking the bar exam at the Convention Center last week, so they craved pens, notepads, USB drives and coffee for late-night, last-minute cram sessions. The Stephenson family reunion (with over 200 people in attendance!) snapped up custom T-shirts, caps and slankets, all bearing a familial logo designed by a family member, and digital photo frames. And, the guests who attended the huge wedding held at the Convention Center (and corresponding cocktail parties by the pool and brunches at the hotel) were treated to gift bags filled with logoed, personalized candy, bottled water, beach towels, lip balm and sunscreen. And in answer to the question, “Do recipients take their giveaways with them or leave them in their hotel rooms?” I’ll share with you what one of the physical therapy attendees told me in the elevator one day: “I’d leave my husband behind before leaving the bag of goodies I’ve collected at this show!” The doctors tell me that my mom, who has been making excellent progress in the last 10 days, may be able to go home on August 9 (my birthday, ironically). Until then, I’ll be here – splitting my time between Tampa General (like the Embassy Suites, another extraordinary staff) and the hotel. How do I get by? As Ringo famously said, with a little help from my friends:
More soon from sunny Florida where – on the upside – it’s actually cooler than it’s been in Philly! Cheers, Michele
Friday
July 16, 2010 Counselor “Hot Lister” Jill Albers, account executive at WorkflowOne, guest blogs from ASI Chicago!Filed under: Travel (Read on for a report on the fun side and wild times of the ASI Chicago Show, from Jilly Albers, account executive for Counselor Top 40 distributor WorkflowOne and a member of this year’s Counselor Hot List, who’s filling in for her partner in sugar, spice and all things vice, ASI Editor Michele Bell.) If there was one adjective that could best describe ASI Chicago this year it would be “hot.” Hot products, hot people, hot “literally.” I believe ASI’s Ron Ball described it best as we stood in a cab line Wednesday evening: “Jilly, this has to be the freakin’ hottest day of the year,” he said. With highs getting up into the 90s, the pavement steam rose as the 40-minute-long cab line snaked around the hotel entrance. The heat did not stay outside … it was radiating through the show floor, as well. The aisles were packed and distributors and suppliers alike had an infectiously energy about them. Matty Tomb of Promo Fish had a hot new product line on the show floor. These thermo products are perfect for the health-care, food and energy industries. The products help to monitor temperature, improve quality and save costs.
Following the show Wednesday I caught up with other WorkflowOne colleagues and former Visions Awards colleagues.
The heat followed me Wednesday evening. I had the pleasure of dining at “WE” in the W Hotel. I was ready for what Josh Goodelman of Liquimark and I call “Uncle Ron’s Legendary Dinners.” It started as I sat sipping a French martini at the hotel bar. The swanky lounge lamps and scantily clad hostesses set the scene for what was to be a “hot” dinner with some of the industry’s best. I was seated by Fran Ford of J Charles, Lori Bauer and Quinten Wentworth of Norwood/Bic Graphic, and Damien Want of Logomark. The conversation turned to old industry stories and memories from shows of the past. Ron Ball had a few great stories… with the combination of his 34-year industry tenor and Fran’s paparazzi-like knowledge of the who’s who… we were introduced to the way “things used to be.” The energy and passion for the industry was prevalent as we dined. I looked around and noticed three people at this table were on my Holiday Card List. Was this an industry dinner or a room of old friends that I was blessed to get to spend time with?
As 10 p.m. approached it seems as if we had just been seated. We walked up the grand marble staircase to ASI’s 3rd annual “HOT Party.” The music pumped and glow-in-the-dark necklaces were worn by most. As the night went into full tilt I caught up with old friends and finished the night off at Shenanigan’s (as usual). It was a hot week packed full of hot products and hot people. Now it’s back to Ohio, to set the “hot” ideas I found this week into action with my clients.
Thursday
June 24, 2010 Six Reasons Why I Love the Industry (& Three Reasons I Don’t)Filed under: ASI Shows, Asia, Editorial, Fun, PSI Shows, Personal Hi Everyone! Hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the summer so far! I’ve been reading about how McDonald’s yanked the Shrek glasses (thanks to the sharp, stinging crack of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s whip) because of the minute amounts of cadmium, and found myself getting increasingly aggravated and ranty (never a good combination). Granted, I’ve always had what can be charitably described as “authority issues,” but doesn’t the CPSC have anything better to do with its time than bring the hammer of the Gods down on McDonald’s? The amount of cadmium in the glasses was negligible — certainly less than in the glasses we all drank from as children. How, for the love of God, did we all survive (she asks sarcastically)? Really, have the CPSC, FDA, etc. ever taken a good, hard look at Circus Peanuts and maraschino cherries? Forget about cadmium: If anything’s going to be the demise of our species, I turn a suspicious, gimlet eye in their direction. No faux food like Circus Peanuts — with the consistency of a Serta memory foam mattress — or maraschino cherries, steeped in jars of radioactive-red sticky goo, can be good for you.
So, I’d like to give a shout-out to the industry and show it some love, as I’m tired of it getting bitch-slapped by the CPSC, the FDA, PhRMA and all the other alphabet bullies. Forthwith, the top six things I love about this industry. 1. Suppliers. I’m probably a little biased because I’m the editor of ASI’s magazine, Supplier Global Resource (www.supplierglobalresource.com), which is just for them. But knowing as many suppliers as I do, I’m acutely aware of the burdens and responsibilities that rest on their shoulders. From having to be safety experts, marketing geniuses, DaVinci-esque product inventors and financial lenders to their clients, the success of this industry — in my opinion — begins with suppliers. If I could get them all together in one room and buy them drinks, I’d happily do it. In lieu of that, I’m inviting them to a free luncheon and panel discussion I’m moderating at the ASI Chicago Show on Tuesday, 7/13 (set-up day), from noon-1:30 p.m. On my panel will be four suppliers — MediaTree’s Rob Watson, iClick’s Niko Pamboukas, Custom HBC’s Larry Wilhelm and Build NY Inc.’s David Frank — all of whom had at least double-digit growth in the past two years. Suppliers, come join us, take a break from setting up and listen to your colleagues share their secrets for success. Additionally, there’s a complimentary happy hour just for suppliers at the ASI Chicago Show on Wednesday, July 14, from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. after the show closes in the Exhibitors’ Lounge. I’ll be there, so come have a cocktail with me! ; ) 2. Distributors. Much as the suppliers are my beloved ones, many of my closest friends in the industry are distributors, and I stand in awe of their jaw-dropping creativity. Want to know the way to this girl’s heart? Send me a sample of a well-done, clever, funny, effective self-promo piece and I’m in. For those of you who may be attending ASI’s Chicago Show, I’m moderating a panel discussion on Tuesday, 7/13, from 4 p.m.-5 p.m. on the most effective ways to do self-promotion campaigns. And while the sum total of what I don’t know could stop a herd of buffalo in its tracks, what I do know is that people who do self-promotion campaigns make more sales. Period. 3. Trade shows. Yes, yes — I know the sheer number of them are the bane of some people’s existence. However — even after 13 years in the industry — I still get excited exiting the plane at certain show destinations and giggly with anticipation over seeing all my industry BFFs and meeting new ones. There are many shows I love (and one I don’t… see below), but if you’ve ever been to the SAAC Show in Long Beach and engaged in “Pool Day” (set-up day) at the Hyatt with Awesome Havier the Waiter serving Greyhounds (Grey Goose and grapefruit juice) to the industry’s best characters, social butterflies, rock stars and raconteurs, you know what it is to love being with your peeps at a show.
4. The products. Oh, let me count the times I’ve been WOWED by a product so clever/creative/funny, it slays me. If you love Sexy water, pens that smell like cupcakes (thanks Harris & Karen at All in One!), light-up bunny ears and leopard-print slankets, this is the industry for you. Joe Haley, star of ASI’s The Joe Show, and I still love discovering the next Coolest Product Ever. Admittedly, we’re dorks, but we get why this industry’s product offerings rock. 5. The PSI Show. What? You’ve never been? Please come with me the next time I attend and you will see the genesis of genius design — where trends are exfoliated by other markets, booths that will leave you slack-jawed and exhibitor hospitality that will explain why attendees show up as soon as the event opens each day and stay until the very last second it closes. Offering snacks, beverages (both alcoholic and the other, less fun kind) and comfy seating, each booth is like a mini bistro. No wonder attendees often stay with an exhibitor for upwards of 45 minutes and place orders on the spot. The PSI Dusseldorf Show, held each January (next year’s show is from January 12-14), is the largest ad specialty show in the world and definitely worth a visit. In addition, this year, PSI is partnering for the first time with a competitor show organization, Pro8, to form the Pro10 Show, which will be held in Amsterdam from August 25-27. Yeah. Amsterdam. I’m assuming I don’t need to tell you that I’ll be there. (For more information on the PSI Shows, go to www.psionline.de).
6. Michael Bernstein. His family started Leed’s, and for a while, he ran Counselor Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America. And though he’s not in the industry on the level he once was (much of his time is devoted to a new business venture in the music industry — his first love), he remains on the board of Polyconcept as its vice chairman. I once flew across four states just to have pizza with him at a delightful dive in Pittsburgh called Mineo’s. To bask in his wit, wisdom and misanthropic snark (or have him talk me off the ledge), I’d fly a lot farther. And now, three things I could do without: 1. The cart draggers. Truly, I get why some people need carts — it can be exhausting hauling catalogs and samples around a trade show, especially if you have an injury or ailment. However, when scores of people show up (I’m looking at you, guy with the Dumbledore beard in Dallas last year dragging a wheeled trash can full of supplier offerings…) pulling various luggage contraptions in the aisles and suddenly stop, it can make one (read: Me) nearly pop a cranial vein. Mark my words: I am going to fall over one of those things sometime soon, and it will not be graceful (or quiet). 2. The bitching. Hands up: Who thinks that if people spent as much time selling, creating and marketing as they do bitching, gossiping and lamenting about inane industry nonsense that we’d be well on our way to making up the sales ground lost last year? Just sayin’… 3. The Canton Fair. Distributors have probably never experienced this massive (120,000+ attendees; 10,000 exhibitors), unorganized, sweltering sourcing show, located in beautiful downtown Guangzhou (insert eye roll here) China, but I’m willing to bet many suppliers have. Let me just say this: For those of you who don’t believe in the existence of Hell, I challenge you to walk that show and then come talk to me. Whew! I feel better now, and I hope you do too. Please remember, regardless of what the alphabet bullies would have you think: None of you are poisoning kids, sabotaging a doctor’s ability to offer patient care or single-handedly trashing the planet, so don’t let anyone make you feel like you are. Unless you manufacture maraschino cherries or Circus Peanuts — then you’re on your own. ; ) Cheers to all of you, and hope to see you at the ASI Chicago Show from July 13-15! More soon, M
Friday
June 11, 2010 Guest Blogger: Colin Graf, ASI’s Marketing Manager for Supplier SalesFiled under: Travel So, when Michele asked me to write a guest blog post I was honored, but perplexed. Basically, because many of you reading this have absolutely no idea who I am. I’m just some marketing jabroni. If you attended the most recent Counselor Awards, I was the guy in the kitchen making sure the winners didn’t get run over by the waitstaff when coming off the stage. I’m even surprised Michele trusts that I have the social skills to grace this prestigious space. THE Bellwether Blog … and me. But, who am I kidding? This blog is like the People magazine of the advertising specialty industry. And the only instructions I received from Ms. Bell were, and I quote, “I’ll never tell you what to write or not to write, just don’t use the ‘F’ word, or any variation there of.” I figure that should be easy enough to f’ing do … OOPS! So, being the marketing beotch that I am, I immediately started thinking about what product to promote. Should I talk about Spectrum, the new Catalog ROI Program and the benefits to both supplier and distributors? Maybe all of the new enhancements to the Register Express Box? Digital version, upcoming Gift Box edition in October, new easier-to-use layout… How about the importance of keeping your information and pricing up to date in ESP? Suppliers with out-of-date info drop to the bottom of search results and distributors can easily remove any suppliers that are not “Confirmed Accurate” from the search all together. (For more information or questions about ESP, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at cgraf@asicentral.com.) OK, now that my plugs are done, I’m running with this blog thing. I can write about anything, right? I don’t get this chance often. Let’s talk about something that has piqued my interest lately.
In the interest of full disclosure, I own a cell phone with Google’s Android operating system and LOVE it. But I also own a MacBook, which I also love. What has become of Apple? It used to be the hip, cool, cutting-edge company. That was not so long ago, when I purchased my MacBook. No useless software to uninstall, no 10-minute boot-up, and NO viruses. Sweet – sold! Here’s my credit card. But lately, Google is wiping the floor with Apple, and Apple seems more like Microsoft – the stuffy corporate company that it’s tried not to be. Here are just a few of my gripes and Apple mishaps:
Now on the other hand, Google …
Now I know I’m coming off like a blatant fanboy. And actually, after re-reading this, it seems that I am one. But, Google is churning out user-driven updates, new features and applications fast. Really, right out of the early 2000s Apple textbook. It’s really put Steve Jobs back on his heels. But, the battle has just begun and there is no doubt that we, the end-users, are going to benefit. That’s what makes this so exciting for a geek like me – what new toy will I get to play with in the coming years? So pick your side and pray that it’s the winner. Either way, we all make out.
Wednesday
May 12, 2010 Taking a Bite From the Big Apple!Filed under: ASI Shows, Editorial, Fun, Travel Hi Everyone! We’re just back from the super-successful ASI NY Show and it was a blast! So many special moments (many of which are captured in the photos below), but one of my favorites had to be ASI’s first-ever Women’s Summit. Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul, author of the book, If You Don’t Have Big Breasts Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails… & Other Lessons I Learned From My Mom and star of ABC’s Shark Tank, was the keynote speaker and was just a pistol! She talked about how she parlayed a $1,000 loan from a “former lover” into a billion-dollar business. She was salty, irreverent, whip-smart and very savvy. She also, at one point, flipped off my boss — ASI’s senior vice president and publisher, Rich Fairfield — not once but twice, claiming that he looked like the infamous money-loaning (and cheating) scoundrel of a former lover. “He looks just like him,” she shrieked, as she flipped Rich off again, much to his delighted amusement. (After I picked up my jaw, I nearly swallowed my own tongue after watching the whole interaction go down…) Sponsored by J. Charles Crystalworks Inc. (thanks to Fran “The Man” Ford!) and Fields Manufacturing, the event was fantastic, and started with a cocktail reception at noon (gotta love sanctioned midday drinking!) and included an awesome luncheon, plus a dessert keynote from industry speaker Rosalie Marcus. I sat next to LeAnn Rankin, vice president of national accounts for Senator’s promotional group, someone I’d heard great things about but had never met. I’m here to tell ya that she exceeded the hype and was just delightful… LOVE her! Two things of note: 1) The lanyards from Fields Mfg. that were given out to hold the badges of the women in attendance were tres cool — more like a jeweled, beaded necklace than a regular cotton lanyard. Go to www.fieldsmfg.com to check out their swanky and unusual offerings; 2) The fine folks at J. Charles Crystalworks had a gift for each woman in attendance: A crystal keepsake box, etched with the event’s logo, that — according to industry celeb and J. Charles vice president Fran Ford — was used by former presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton as their inaugural gifts, as well as Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush, who used them as place settings. I’m holding mine right now and it is stunning and impressive! E-mail Fran at fran@jcharles.com if you’d like more info on the gift boxes. Then, there was another first for ASI… We held a breakfast at the W Hotel for members of the business press in NYC, which was a huge success. Print and TV outlets joined Tim Andrews, ASI’s president/CEO, Rich Fairfield, Melinda Ligos, ASI’s senior vice president/editor-in-chief, and members of the editorial staff, who shared scintillating facts and stats about the industry and the 10 Most Innovative Products we’ve seen as of late. Also addressing the members of the press were Jason Robbins, president of ePromos, Anthony Corsano, president/CEO of Anvil, and Sarah Caplan, the 27-year-old entrepreneur who, with her sister, founded the company Footzyrolls — cool roll-up slipper-shoes women can don when their feet start throbbing from their strappy stilettos! (So snazzy are these items, they’ve been selected for the Sex and the City 2 gift bags!) Kudos to my colleague Dawn Shurmaitis for rising to the occasion and being the event planner extraordinaire! ; ) Last, but not least, there was the jaw-droppingly stunning Counselor Awards banquet at the Plaza. The decor, the food, the presentation — everything was top-notch, and I’ve never had so many people tell me how impressed they were with an event, and how much fun they had. The person who does these events for ASI doesn’t like to be named in print, but to him I give a HUGE shout-out for outdoing himself yet again: You are the best, Sat Mamuels. ; ) My only regret? When the Counselor banquet is held in July at the ASI Chicago Show, I at least have some semblance of a tan. At this event, I looked like one of those pale, pitiful, sun-deprived children from Flowers in the Attic. Cheers, and enjoy the photos! – M PS: Big thanks to Proforma’s Greg Muzzillo — this year’s Counselor Person of the Year with his wife and co-CEO, Vera — and ASI’s Don Mennig, executive director of marketing, both of whom were on the “Secrets of Wildly Successful Self-Promotion Campaigns” education panel that I moderated. Their professionalism, preparedness, vast knowledge and humor made it a winner. If you missed it, I’ll be moderating it again on Education Day at the ASI Chicago Show on July 13!
Tuesday
March 30, 2010 Unleash Your Guerrilla Marketer!Hi, Everyone! So can I take a few minutes to wax poetic about how much I love Google? It’s true, I’ve long been carrying a torch for the company founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the two techno-nerds from Stanford, for a myriad of reasons, starting with but not limited to: * Their delightfully idealistic, if slightly naive, mantra: “Don’t be evil” * The fact that they’re such foodies they have free gourmet meals served up daily to employees at the famed Googleplex (Disneyland for Dorks) and that their first chef used to cook for the Grateful Dead * Because the company is routinely at the top of Fortune’s “Best Places to Work” list and was recently named as one of the world’s most ethical companies * Their recent bitch-slapping of censorship in China (that’ll be an issue…) * Because even when they were business neophytes, they had a preternatural sense of how to gonzo market. What do I mean by that? Way back when, in 1998, geeky Sergey and hippie Larry decided to make a pilgrimage to the Burning Man Festival. If you’ve never heard of it, it is a long weekend — the High Holy Days (heavy emphasis on “high”) — of counterculture kooks, wacky college students, gypsy women and men in their 40s with deep-seeded Peter Pan complexes, who all frolic in the desert. (If you want to read more about Burning Man in all its weirdo glory, click here: http://www.burningman.com/) To commemorate Sergey & Larry’s Excellent Adventure, they asked Dennis Hwang, who was an intern with Google at the time known to doodle in meetings, to create a Googlefied Burning Man logo for the occasion.
Cut to today, where — according to reports in Business Week and The New York Times – the Google Doodles generate millions of hits to the search engine and have reached cult-like status. It’s an intriguing concept, I think: The Google Guys looked around at their employees, found one (who would later go on to be Google’s Webmaster) and tapped into his talent. By utilizing Dennis’s doodles (which only took up, they say, about 15% of his overall time), the company generated massive PR and buzz on the cheap. Google’s ingenuity also reminds me of the story I love about Estee Lauder, the cosmetics queen who created the “gift with purchase” concept: When she launched her famed “Youth Dew” perfume in 1953, stores were reluctant to carry it. What did Lauder, ever the enterprising make-up maven, do? She went to various establishments with a bottle of Youth Dew tucked in her purse and strategically “spilled” it throughout the stores, knowing that when women inhaled the scent, they’d be captivated. My point is, getting buzz for your company doesn’t have to cost a fortune — a little mavericky marketing can go a long way. Speaking of which, if you’re going to be at the ASI New York or Chicago shows, join me on Education Day (May 4th in New York; July 13th in Chicago) — I’ll be moderating a panel discussion on the “Secrets of Wildly Successful Self-Promotions.” Hope to see you there! Click here to view an archive of the Google Doodles (http://www.google.com/logos/) and see below for some of my faves:
Send me your favorite guerrilla marketing stories! Cheers, – M |
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