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Monday
September 28, 2009 With Glasses Half Full …Filed under: Editorial, Fun, Personal Happy Autumn! As summer is my favorite season, I’m less than thrilled to see it go but welcome the positive aspects of fall, like the latest crop of shoes and boots and the premier of some great new TV shows (more on that later)! Here at Counselor, we’re beginning to think about our awards season and have decided to add a new category to our Spirit Awards to honor industry pros who are using new media platforms for their self-promo campaigns. As an example, check out the latest in a series of Sweda’s hysterical YouTube videos for its 24-hour service. [Click here to watch.] I’m sure there are many companies in the industry crafting cool, creative self-promos using innovative forms of multi-media, so keep an eye out for our call for nominations in February. Here at ASI, one of my favorites is this video on the subject of athletic apparel for Wearables magazine, starring staff writer and our reigning editorial department kook, Matt George. Matt, who’s in his early 20s, reminds me of a big, goofy chocolate lab who pants and gets all excited at the idea of chasing a stray ball or having his belly rubbed. The last 30 seconds of this video make me cackle each time I watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2g1bBzKdDE&feature=player_embedded Speaking of fun, I — and my colleagues here at ASI — always try to stay positive and look on the bright side, despite turbulent financial and market conditions for the economy and our industry. We’re definitely glass-half-full kind of people. As an example, ASI president/CEO Tim Andrews graciously hosted a soiree at his home in Princeton, NJ, last week for the company’s senior leaders. It was a fun and festive occasion, and a great opportunity to relax with work friends you’re too busy to spend time with on a daily basis. I’ve been invited to Tim’s house before, but wasn’t able to make it due to traveling. As Tim greeted me at the door, I told him it was “my first time” and we both burst out laughing, knowing I don’t get to utter a phrase like that too often. Tim’s reason for hosting the party was quite simple: “In an uncertain time, and certainly these have been uncertain times, it’s more important than ever to thank the people who matter — and for me there’s hardly a better way I know than to invite them to come over for a little food, some drink and to be able to spend some time with their colleagues in a social environment,” he says. Here are some photos from the party, featuring some of your favorite ASI characters, I’m sure. Post a comment and let me know who your favorite ASI staffer is and why!
Cheers, and more next week! — M PS: By now those of you who read my blog and my tweets (@ASI_MBell) know that I’m a TV junkie. As I promised myself I would only add two new shows to my already-crowded roster (really, more than that and I would qualify as a crazy cat-lady recluse, just to keep up with all the TV I watch!), here are my picks: For a sitcom, the show Modern Family is hil-arious. It premiered last Tuesday and “The Lion King” moment at the end had me roaring… Click here to watch the 30-minute episode (it’s worth it). For a drama, I went with FlashForward, which premiered last Thursday. I vacillated about whether or not to commit to this one, because it’s premise is a little unnerving, creepy and disjointed and I already get my weekly mind-f**k from Lost. However, having watched the premier, I’m in. In the show, everyone in the world passes out at exactly the same time for two minutes and 17 seconds, which — as you can imagine — wreaks widespread havoc. The last scene from Thursday’s episode alone had me hooked.
Monday
August 10, 2009 The Sounds of SummerHi, Everyone! Hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the summer! First, the wacky, “Are you kidding me, you crazy chica???” news: That sound you hear is hell freezing over, because I am officially on Twitter (ASI_MBell). Yep, my capacity for hypocrisy apparently knows no bounds, after my many “I loathe online social networking” rants. (I still want no part of Facebook, though, and giggled with delight over the best line in a recent episode of Entourage: Vinny to E: “Why aren’t you on Facebook?” E to Vinny: “Because I’m an adult.”) And don’t think the irony escaped me that literally, within hours of me joining Twitterville, the whole system came crashing down. It’s like online social networking heard I’ve bad-mouthed it and retorted with an extended middle finger. Second, I just returned from vacation in my beloved Avalon, NJ and spent lots of blissful beach time reading magazines, simmering in the sun (my skin tone now resembles beef carpaccio) and listening to my iPod. Which got me thinking: Is there anything better than the quintessential “summer song” to put you in a fabulous mood, no matter what season you hear it? Right now, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas (listen to it here) really wants to be the theme song for the Summer of 2009. And don’t get me wrong — it’s catchy, jaunty, and Lord knows I’m on board with any song whose refrain is “Fill up my cup — Mazel Tov!” But when considering the songs that put me in my happy place — those that would comprise my personal soundtrack of summers past — I submit the following, in no particular order: 1. “Sweet Child ‘O Mine,” Guns ‘N Roses. The album Appetite for Destruction came out in 1987, but this song — which saturated airwaves in the summer of 1988 — put the band on the map. What starts with Slash having his way with his Les Paul guitar evolves into a declaration of affection from singer Axl Rose to his girlfriend at the time, Erin Everly (daughter of Don Everly, of the Grammy-winning Everly Brothers). What makes it a lyrical miracle is that a bunch of misogynistic tools managed to craft one of the most stunningly sweet love songs ever. Listen to it here. 2. “All Summer Long,” Kid Rock. Yes, yes — I know he’s douchy and looks like he needs a flea dip. But this song, unquestionably the anthem of the Summer of 2008, still makes me smile when I hear it because Kid Rock (of all people) managed to capture that feeling — the one you had when you were young and summer nights, and the debauchery that went with them, lasted forever. Listen to it here. 3. “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC. They had me, in the summer of 1980, when Back in Black came out and I heard “You Shook Me All Night Long” for the first time. They kept me when I saw the band for the first time and realized that the guitar player producing those incendiary sounds wore knickers, for the love of God. But it’s “Highway to Hell” that has me flooring it at 90 miles per hour in my car through sheer force of osmosis. I came to grips a long time ago with the fact that I — and all my heathen friends — are on the highway to hell; I’ve only recently realized that I’m driving the pace car. Listen to it here. 4. “Little Red Corvette,” Prince. Forget for a moment that when he wrote this song (which is most certainly not about cars, horses or jockeys) in 1982, Prince was not in a little, red Corvette, but in the back of a bright pink Ford Edsel that belonged to Lisa Coleman, his guitarist in The Revolution. So slyly sexy, so tongue-in-cheek sassy, this song alone can steam up any car’s windows. No one does dirty double-entendres like the little man in high-heel purple velvet boots; no one brings the funk like him either. Listen to it here. 5. “Express Yourself,” Madonna. If you can get past her annoying British affectations and that she’s had so much work done on her face it looks like Silly Putty stretched across one’s knee, the Material Girl and her music have morphed so many times, she really is the Mother of Reinvention. Released in the summer of 1989 on the then-scandalous Like a Prayer album, throngs of females everywhere — young and old — got their girl power on strutting around to this empowerment anthem. Listen to it here. 6. “Southern Cross,” Crosby, Stills & Nash. In the summer of 2001, five girlfriends and I rented a house in Avalon, NJ. None of us were in relationships at the time, and met quite the buffet of boy toys. The problem? We all suffered from late-night cases of extreme DUI (Dialing Under the Influence). If you’ve ever drunk-dialed a significant (or not-so-significant) other and woken up to less-than-savory consequences, you know it’s not a pleasant thing. At one point, we all decided to hide our phones after coming home at 3:00 a.m. from the bars. The issue? The next morning, we couldn’t remember where we hid them and had to call from an outside line to listen for the rings coming from the refrigerator crisper, the dishwasher and the toaster oven. There’s a verse in this song, “From a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you,” that will always remind me of that summer. Listen to it here. 7. “Roadhouse Blues,” The Doors. My friend Mark Hobbs (aka, “McDreamy”), owner of Pacific Coast Golf, is the only other person I know who loves The Doors as much as I do. With this song in particular, it’s the lure of the lead-in from Robby Krieger’s guitar, then John Densmore’s pulsing drums, followed by Ray Manzarek’s hypnotic keyboards that bring us to the baddest of all bad boys, Mr. Jim Morrison — Dionysus himself — and his seductive vocals. The Sexiest Rock Star Ever, I’d follow that reptilian devil in slinky leather pants right to the gates of hell. I don’t wake up in the morning, and I don’t drink beer, but you bet your ass that for the Lizard King, I’d give up my vows. Listen to it here. 8. “You Get What You Give,” New Radicals. When things look their bleakest thanks to an awful economy, sluggish sales or general doom and gloom, I challenge anyone to listen to this song and not get an immediate infusion of optimism. Listen to it here. 9. “Reelin’ in the Years,” Steely Dan. First, let me say that I have always worshipped at the altar of Steely Dan, the most sardonic, whip-smart and subversive of all rock genius weirdos. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker may not be much to look at, but their lyrics are simply sublime. (And not just because they pay homage to “the Quervo Gold and fine Colombian.”) Second, you have to give props to a duo who’s been together for 30+ years and has the wink-and-nod humor to name their band after a sexual device in legendary writer William Burrough’s infamous masterpiece Naked Lunch. “Reelin’ in the Years,” released in the summer of 1972 from the Can’t Buy a Thrill album, is a revelation. With the most acute clarity, I remember coming out of the ocean one Saturday afternoon in July of 1999 and walking to my beach chair on 21st Street in Avalon, NJ. The lifeguard was listening to this song loudly on his radio and, with the sky the most azure blue you’d ever imagine, seemingly every adult on the beach was singing along. And then I recall thinking, “This is one of those perfect moments that I’ll remember forever.” Listen to it here. 10. “Bad Things,” Jace Everett. This may be the most aptly-named song in history. The theme of HBO’s fabulously sinister and lascivious True Blood, never has a song woven so well with the surreal (and more than a little creepy) imagery of a TV show’s opening credits. The libidinous beat, with its Southern discomfort undertones, conjures up steamy summer evenings where, make no mistake, things will go very bad, very fast … in a very, very good way. Listen to it here. 11. “No One,” Alicia Keys. This soaring testimony to the power of unconditional love makes even a snarky cynic like me a true believer. Listen to it here. 12. “Liquor Store,” Dash Rip Rock. When Dan Townes, industry legend, one of Counselor‘s Power 50 and owner of Shepenco/Shelbyville Pencil, turned me on to this band, it was this hilarious song in particular he knew I’d love. With the refrain, “I wanna be locked inside a liquor store with you,” it makes me tear up, it’s so romantic. Should the apocalyptic day ever come when I get married, this will be my wedding song (pause for the sound of my mother’s head exploding…). As an added bonus, you just have to love a band that names itself after a character on The Beverly Hillbillies. Listen to it here. 13. “Runnin’ with the Devil,” Van Halen. Ranking right up there with the debate over national health care is this one: Who was the better VH frontman, David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar? Whichever camp you’re in, you can’t deny that the car horn fade-in and Michael Anthony’s thundering bass line in “Runnin’ ” makes it one of the best openings for a song ever. It also reminds me of one of my ASI BFFs, Christian Brandt, executive director of distributor services. He loves Van Halen, and — let’s face it — if you know him like I do, you have to admit that if anyone’s running with the devil, it’s this Christian. ; ) Listen to it here. 14. “Magic Man,” Heart. Of the sister duo Heart, Ann Wilson (the brunette) is a girl after my own heart. She wrote this song as a way to explain to her mother why she just had to leave home for a summer and travel across the country with a hypnotic, enigmatic bad boy — much to her mother’s chagrin. Having once traveled cross-country for the summer in a bus with a band (I was dating the bad-boy drummer), much to MY mother’s chagrin, I am quite familiar with the lure of Magic Man land. I used to be a frequent visitor, and have the baggage to prove it. Listen to it here. 15. “Brandy,” The Looking Glass. What a fine girl you are indeed. Always classier than boozy, haggard Lola with her faded feathers over at the Copacabana, and that boy tease Jessie’s Girl, we rooted for you to finally hook up with with your locket-giving sailor from the sea. He may have had a Brandy in every port, but you can serve us whiskey and wine any time. Listen to it here. 16. “Mexico,” James Taylor. There really are no words to express my love and adoration for James Taylor other than these: There was a glorious five-year stretch when JT would tour each summer and land in Philly on my birthday (August 9th). It was like my own, personal gift from God. One year, as he — alone on stage with only his guitar and amazing talent — sang “Fire & Rain,” some drunk girl in the row behind me kept heckling him, loudly and with profanity, to sing “How Sweet It Is.” Because we were seated within the first five rows, I had no doubt that The Beloved One heard her. Something in me just snapped, and I — to the delight and relief of everyone sitting around us — turned around and punched Drunk Girl in the face, dropping her like a bag of dirt. The moral of the story? No one disrespects Sweet Baby James on my watch. Samba-tinged, “Mexico” is such the seminal summer song that Mr. Margaritaville himself, Jimmy Buffet, covers it (and even manages not to cheese it up). Listen to it here. So for those of you who’d like to create a memorable soundtrack of summer (or any season, really!) for yourself or your clients, I suggest contacting my pals Mark Bruk at CFS Promotions for Now! (asi/42989; ph: 800-800-8285) or Rob Watson at MediaTree (asi/70303; ph: 800-475-8703), both of whom do music download cards, or my girl Allison Schaffer at Sound Line LLC (asi/88241; ph: 800-750-5189), whose company handles customizable music CDs. Music, truly, is the gift that keeps giving. Have I been egregious in leaving off any glaringly-obvious fabulous summer songs? Post a comment and let me know! One last thing: My BFF Craig Nadel, president of Counselor Top 40 distributor Jack Nadel Int’l., has been tortured for as long as I’ve known him (12 years) over the lyrics for “Sympathy for the Devil,” by The Stones (Listen to it here). The song is known for being, aside from downright sulfurous, remarkably historically accurate (it must have been one of Keith and Mick’s rare moments of lucidity when they wrote it). There is one line, however, that has driven Craig and I NUTS over the years because we can’t attribute it to any historical reference. If you’re the first person to post the accurate attribution, I’ll send you a $100 gift card. Here’s the lyric: “And I laid traps for troubadours, who get killed before they reach Bombay…” Please ease Craig’s pain — and mine! ; ) Cheers, and more soon! — M
Sunday
July 12, 2009 The Weirdness of Me…Hi Everyone! I hope you’re all having a fun summer and finding ways to chill (literally and figuratively) and enjoy yourselves. We’ve been busy in ASI’s editorial department, closing our special annual Counselor “State of the Industry” issue (due out later this month), in addition to our other magazines and preparing for the upcoming ASI Chicago Show. It is for these reasons that I’ve been more than a little stressed — which, for those of you who know me, makes me so much more of a delight than I usually am. Let’s just say that some of my eccentricities really start to shine under certain circumstances. For example, I have a tendency when I’m in a mood like this and want something, to write it in verse — usually rhyme, sometimes iambic pentameter — because it sounds sweet and whimsical, and makes me seem (I think) less like the demanding diva I can be. Recently, I wanted my BFF Jeremy Young (one of ASI’s tech geeks) to bring me some chicken salad (one of my favorite things!) that his mother, a fabulous cook who knows her way around a skillet*, had made. To avoid sounding petulant and Veruca Salt-ish (“I want, I want, I want…!!!”), this is what I sent Jeremy to convey my request: Ode to Chicken Salad Though not a fan of salad, green, There is another on which I’m keen, Often described as “finger-lickin’ “ It’s the kind made of chicken!
I think it’s because this was the last thing I wrote before going to sleep that night, and because I had work on my mind and took two Tylenol PM capsules**, I had a trippy (on a multitude of levels) dream that would have had Freud scratching his head and reaching for a tumbler of scotch. In it, Tim Andrews, ASI’s president & CEO, announced to the company that Ben Bernanke — the Chairman of the Fed — was coming to ASI and that I would be the one to make a presentation to him on the company’s behalf***. Walking through ASI on my way to address the Chairman, Joe Haley — my tortured managing editor and the star of The Joe Show — followed me with a little red wagon, handing out seashells to every ASI staffer we passed****. As we got to the auditorium, I took the stage, turned to the Chairman of the Fed, 500 ASI employees, Tim Andrews and the Cohn Family and did the entire presentation in haiku. The last thing I remember before waking in a cold sweat was the look of shocked horror on Tim’s face. The next day I mentioned my dream to Tim, who frankly waved it off as me being a weapons-grade weirdo. Fast forward to about a week later when Tim walked in to my office and told me he had just come from a visit to his home state of Indiana, where he stayed at a place called Hotel Indigo. At this boutique hotel, the menus, room advertisements, key card, “Do Not Disturb” door hanger, bar coasters and napkins — everything — had fun little messages that were written in, you guessed it, haiku.
Tim shook his head in disbelief. “I swear to you,” he told me, “before staying at this hotel and your wacko dream it had been years since I heard the word ‘haiku’ used in any form. You have to admit — it’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation.” How clever is this hotel, though, to tie in the concept of the haiku with all their collateral promotional materials? And how fabulous would it be if they offered some equally cool and inspiring ad specialties to guests as a welcome or in-room gift, or something sent to loyal customers? (Savvy distributors reading out there, I’m talking to you… ; ) ). I love this hotel’s attention to detail and creative ingenuity in employing the under-utilized (though clearly very hip) haiku as a form of communication! Speaking of communicating, next time I blog it will be from the ASI Chicago Show, starting Tuesday, 7/21 and running ’til Thursday, 7/23. If you’re exhibiting, please be my guest at a free luncheon and panel discussion just for suppliers (held on Tuesday, 7/21 from 12-1:30 p.m. right on the show floor). I’ll be moderating a panel of four top-selling distributors who will share with you what it takes to win their business and their loyalty. If you’re a distributor, join me on Wednesday, 7/22, from 2:45-3:45 p.m. (right behind the Advantages’ New Products pavilion) for a panel discussion on super-successful self-promotion campaigns, featuring some award-winning promos that garnered double- and triple-digit response rates and tens of thousands of dollars in sales for the distributors who created them. Cheers, and more next week from Chicago! — M * I myself cannot cook at all, and once had to ask Jeremy — with a furrowed brow and confused expression, “What the hell is a skillet?” ** I’m also mystified that I, certainly no clean slate when it comes to pharmaceuticals, was sent reeling by two little Tylenol PM capsules. It’s like Keith Richards being leveled by a Flintstones vitamin. *** As the majority of my working knowledge of the stock market comes from the movie Trading Places, it should be noted that I’d be the last person at ASI — and that includes the nice high school boy who mows our lawns — Tim Andrews would ask to address the Chairman of the Fed. **** Joe Haley would like you all to know that despite his guest role in my dream, he is neither my lackey nor my bitch in real life. ; )
Tuesday
June 23, 2009 Dreaming of Double-Digit Growth?Filed under: Editorial, Personal Hi, Everyone! We recently had a very special event here at ASI: We hosted the monthly meeting of Specialty Advertising Counselors of the Delaware Valley (SACDV), our local industry association. It was a fun and informative meeting, equal parts networking event and education. There was lots of fabulous food (salad, pizza, hors d’oeuvre, wine, soft drinks, root-beer ice cream floats) courtesy of the event’s sponsors: Admints/Zagabor, ASI, Montco, PromoBiz Coach and Rockland Embroidery. Janet McMaster, education chair of the group, explained the need for grassroots efforts to combat an overly-restrictive and detrimental bill currently before Congress: the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. Janet stressed the need to write your local congressperson to express concern over the negative impact it would have on the industry. She also noted that SACDV will be forming a legislative committee to work as an advocate in the legal arena on behalf of the group and the industry. Dale Denham, senior vice president for ASI, addressed the group in more detail, explaining that if passed, the law would force pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies to reveal the gifting of every item, of any value, once the annual threshold of $100 is crossed. Under the current law, only items exceeding $25 must be reported once the threshold is passed. Information would be combined in a national database that could be accessed by the public. Click here to read more. But it was Gene Geiger’s keynote presentation, entitled “Virtual Business Cultivation: Using Social Networks to Grow Business,” that had attendees tuned in. Gene is such a super guy — one of the most gracious, genteel and dryly funny people in the industry — and his presentation did not disappoint. (He may also be the one person in the industry who could get away with using the phrase “honest to Betsy” — as he did last night — and have it sound endearingly charming.) If you’re like me and get completely overwhelmed by the concept of online social networking and sites like Facebook and Twitter, Gene’s speech was for you. In it, he explained how online social networking isn’t just for kids anymore — indeed, the fastest-growing group of users are the over-40 crowd. Gene said it’s ideal for building relationships and “light alliances” where people can make connections they don’t have the time for otherwise. For more information about SACDV or to request a copy of Gene’s very thorough and comprehensive presentation, go to www.sacdv.org.
Dreaming of Double-Digit Growth? Tired of the doom and gloom financial news? Listen in to the free Webinar I’m moderating tomorrow! We’ve found some industry suppliers who have experienced double- and triple-digit growth, despite the turbulent economy. My panelists will be Fred Antonini, owner of eGrips (asi/54596), whose company grew 1,700% in one year, as well as Brett Hersh, owner of AdMints & Zagabor (asi/31516) and Rob Watson, president of MediaTree (asi/70303) — both of whom experienced 100% growth for their companies from ’07 to ’08 — and Christopher Duffy, senior vice president of marketing at Bag Makers Inc.(asi/37940), a company that grew 47% from ’07 to ’08. Join us for the Webinar tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. (EST) to learn their tips for success, see how they’ve navigated pitfalls and discover how they’ve used innovation and ingenuity to generate spectacular sales in a stagnant marketplace. To listen to the Webinar held earlier today, click here. More next week! Cheers, M
Friday
June 12, 2009 A “Hangover” that Didn’t Make Me Beg for Death…Happy Friday Everyone!!! So just in time for the weekend, and because everyone needs a good, hearty laugh to counterbalance the dreary state of the economy, I am telling everyone I know to run — don’t walk — to see The Hangover. My merry band of movie-going pals here at ASI went to see it last night and I will tell you that I haven’t howled that heartily at a movie since Old School. I thought Forgetting Sarah Marshall was funny; this is riotous in a body-convulsing fashion. At one point, I laughed so hard that my pal Pierre Schnog, a senior editorial desgner for ASI’s magazines, leaned over and asked — in a very concerned way — if I needed medical assistance. I believe he thought my lungs had collapsed because I was wheezing with laughter [click here to hear my turkey-call of a laugh that frightens young and old alike…]. To be sure, many hangovers I’ve experienced have made me weep and beg for a quick, painless death; this one made me cry with uproarious hilarity. In a nutshell, the movie is about four guys who take a road trip from Cali to Vegas for one last night of partying before one of them — “Doug” — gets married. You don’t get to see much of Doug once they arrive in Vegas because he goes missing, and the mayhem that follows is nothing short of Caligulan. [Click here to see a trailer of the movie]. Perhaps I loved the movie so much because some of my trips to Vegas for industry shows have been equally as legendary in their Dionysian debauchery (Shepenco’s Dan Townes, Express Pens’ Matt Linderman, Bravo Awards’ Brian Starke & Greg Livings, On Time Promotions’ Sharon Biernat, WorkflowOne’s Jill Albers and Red Heart Promotions’ Sharon Ross, I’m looking at you…; )). Really now, who hasn’t woken up on the floor of a room resembling the sack of Rome, newly tattooed, with a free-range chicken strutting through the place? Am I the only one??? As sublime as the movie was, my complaint still holds from the last few movies my pals and I have been to — where are the fun, cool and memorable ad specialty tie-ins? I’m telling you: If, for example, at showings of The Hangover, they gave out stuffed tigers, keychains with fake incisor “charms,” imprinted tighty-whiteys (all key plots points from the movie), shot glasses or disposable cameras (so movie-goers could snap evidence of their own extreme partying), the items would be coveted. Mark my words, my friends: If the day ever comes when ASI’s president & CEO Tim Andrews finally shows me the door for being a PITA (Pain In The Ass), I’ll start my own movie promo business going to theaters owners and yapping incessantly to them about how — if they used ad specialties — they’d have legions of loyal patrons. Cheers, and more next week! — M
Tuesday
June 2, 2009 In Praise of Nerds, Networkers & Beloved BFFsHi & Happy June, Everyone! For people of my ilk — the sci-fi/fantasy/comic-con freaks — there can be no doubt that this is our time to shine. The Golden Age of the Geek. In the past two months, movies such as Wolverine, the electrifying Star Trek and decidedly so-so Terminator have opened, with the second installment of Transformers and the sixth Harry Potter coming in a few weeks. It is, indeed, the summer of our most content. Having seen some of these movies with my Nerd Herd friends at ASI (Jeremy Young, Jason Kuttner, Jim Maratea, Seth Kusiak, Samantha Tucker and Hillary Braubitz, I’m looking at you!), here’s my question: Where are the promo products to accompany these big-budget openings? There are few fan bases as rabid in their devotion and loyalty as the geeks, so why aren’t the movie industry, theater owners, etc. doing more to show their appreciation? When the Nerd Herd and I went to see Wolverine, we all gathered in the theater’s lobby after the movie to play one of those games where you maneuver the metal claw to capture a plush toy. (No need to point out the weirdness of a bunch of people in their early 30s and considerably older participating in this… We know.) My techy wizard pal Seth was able to win a stuffed Star Trek “Live Long and Prosper” hand (the Vulcan “farewell” for those of you not cool enough to know… ; ) ), but it cost us all about $15 in dollar bills to do so.
Would it fry the neural pathways of ad specialty buyers to offer some logoed items as free giveaways? Just a thought, but if they want the continued patronage of people with clearly a lot of time, money and freakish devotion, wouldn’t it behoove them to ply the fanboy (and girl) demographic with incentives? Remember: These are people willing to dress in costume and sleep on streets for movie premiers; imagine how fired up their metachlorians would get over an imprinted T-shirt.
SnugZ/USA’s Charley Johnson Gets Connected My friend Charley Johnson, one half of the charismatic SnugZ/USA duo, recently started a new Facebook group called “Promo 35,” which he says will focus mainly on the younger/next generation of the ad specialty industry. It will also spotlight enlightening interviews with some well-known people in the industry — Q&As with Gene Geiger, Bob Stoltz from Sanford Business-to-Business and ASI’s president/CEO Tim Andrews are on the site now.
Though I personally find online social networking to be a scourge, I applaud any effort like Charley’s to make the industry more inclusive. “Only a small percentage of people know the ins and outs of our industry and I would like to bring the knowledge of some of the big players in the industry to more people,” Charley says. “A happier, more engaged employee only makes for a stronger company, which in turn helps the industry. I have many Facebook friends from the industry but they all have their own set of friends — friends they work with back at the office, friends I will never meet nor will you — and these are the people I want to get involved. It’s a piece a cake to send a Friend request and even simpler for these people to accept and not a damn dime is spent.” To check out Charley’s “Promo 35” site, use this link: http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/pages/promo35/106499934072?ref=ts. The site is only one week old and already has over 400 members. Interviews with Dard’s Bonni Shevin-Sandy, AIA’s David Woods, Boundless Network’s Jason Black, The Vernon Co.’s Chris Vernon and Shelbyville Pencil/Shepenco’s Dan Townes, among others, will be posted soon. A Message to Michael Lastly, I’d like to give a special shout-out to my favorite in the industry, Michael Bernstein, who celebrates his 42nd birthday today. Michael, the vice chairman of Polyconcept, and I have been friends since we were 29 years old — I was new to the industry when we met and he was just a guy who worked in the design department at Leed’s. In the 12 years since, he is the one I’m closest to, the one I rely on the most and the one who calls me on my crap.
Henceforth, the top six reasons why the talented Mr. Bernstein is my brother from another mother: 6. Because I’ve always been a sucker for smart-ass, defiant rebels. When we first met, at the 1997 Counselor banquet — when it was the “Top 25” and Leed’s had just cracked the list in the #25 slot — he sat at a back table in the banquet facility with a one-hitter and got progressively high throughout the evening… much to the mystified amazement of everyone who recognized the wafting scent and snapped to attention. 5. Because he’s seen the Grateful Dead more than 120 times and once took me to a Stones concert in Pittsburgh at which we had front row seats — and because he only mildly mocked me as I squealed like a 12-year-old girl when Keith Richards stood directly in front of us and played “Sympathy for the Devil.” 4. Because even though he’s snarky and sarcastic, cynical and borderline nihilistic, he and his wife Amy have Shabbat dinner every Friday night so their four young children get a sense of their Jewish heritage. 3. Because he covets his privacy and keeps such a low profile he makes Keyser Söze seem attention-starved, yet acquiesces to my continued, pesky requests for interviews, quotes and dreaded (for him) photo shoots for ASI’s magazines.
2. Because when I need someone to explain the intricacies of world economies and financial markets — and their impact on the industry — he’s the first one I call. He is the Annie Sullivan to my Helen Keller. 1. Because even though he’s now the vice chairman of a billion dollar global company, he’s still the same person he was when I met him 12 years ago — one of the most chronically individualistic, iconoclastic, enigmatic and funny people I know. Happy Birthday, Michael… ; ) — M
Friday
May 1, 2009 Elves and Ogres and Babies, Oh My!Filed under: Editorial, Personal Hi Everyone! I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of girl, both philosophically and alcoholically. So in the midst of so much negativity — bad economy, sagging industry sales, swine flu pandemic, pending laws that can wreak havoc with the industry — I’m choosing to get my Pollyanna on and highlight the positive. 1. We’re not Iceland. I recently read an article about the economic crisis in that lovely country in the April issue of Vanity Fair magazine and came across this gem: “Alcoa, the biggest aluminum company in the country, encountered a problem peculiar to Iceland when, in 2004, it set about erecting a giant smelting plant: The so-called ‘hidden people’ — or, to put it more plainly, elves — in whom some large number of Icelanders sincerely believe. Before it could build its plant, Alcoa had to hire a firm to certify to the government that the plant site was elf-free. As one government official explained, the process of ‘certifying the non-existence of elves can take at least six months — and be very tricky.’ ” [Click here to read the Vanity Fair article about Iceland] Elves? Really??? Lest anyone question why Iceland fell into financial ruins, it’s clearly because they’re operating under the assumption that they exist in Middle Earth. There’s no doubt that we have issues in the U.S. that require a Herculean effort to fix. What we don’t have, mercifully, is a population and a government willing to let leprechauns, fairies and the Trix rabbit control business policy. 2. Not all doctors are lemmings. Am I the only one who’s had it with the power-tripping dictators at PhRMA riding roughshod over its members? I’ve always been curious how one self-governing body can impose regulations on its members that can be most charitably described as “goofy.” I went to my doctor, a spitfire named Christine, not too long ago and asked her if — when presented with a pen, mug or notepad imprinted with the name of a drug and its logo — she’d be swayed to then write prescriptions to her patients for that drug. She looked at me as though I just offered her a bong hit. “No,” she said archly, “because, you know, I have a functioning brain.” She resents being strong-armed by “a somewhat useful, though oftentimes archaic and cranky” (Christine’s words) governing body. I don’t blame her. If anyone needs a big, logoed bag of “STFU,” it’s the ogres overseeing PhRMA. 3. New blood.This week, I celebrated my 12-year anniversary with ASI. (Tim Andrews, our president/CEO, is never far from a witty, Oscar Wilde-esque bon mot and noted that “it seems like 20 years for the rest of us”). Sometimes, I get that “been there, done that, know everyone and seen it all” weariness. Then, completely randomly, I meet someone new in the industry — someone who makes me remember why I love the people in it so much — and I just get giddy. On Wednesday, I had a 90-minute conversation with Nicole DiTrolio Standley, president of The Perfect Swag in CA (asi/293508) and a blogger in her own right (www.LaDolceSwag.com). I’ll say this as clearly as possible: I Love This Chick! She’s whip-smart, wicked funny, uber-creative and my new industry BFF. She GETS IT, and has reminded me how — when distributors are innovative, eccentric, brave, brash and love their suppliers — they truly can kick ass. Read more about Nicole in the brand-spankin’ new May issue of Advantages in the “What’s Your Story?” section. The writer Hunter S. Thompson repeatedly said, “Crazies always recognize each other.” I am convinced this is now the basis for my friendship with Nicole — together we’ll be sugar and spice and everything vice. See you at the SAAC Show, Nicole — cocktails at the Chateau Marmont on me! ; ) 4. Oh, babies! Now here’s some life-affirming, happy news: ASI vice president Dale Denham’s wife Kim just gave birth to twin girls. Woo Hoo and congratulations!!!
The babies’ names are Kyleigh Anne (7 lbs; 15 ounces) and Kira Michelle (8 lbs; 4 ounces). “Mom and babies are doing great,” Dale says. 5. Summer lovin’. Twenty-eight days from today will be the start of Memorial Day weekend, and I’ll be on the way to my beloved Avalon for the summer — reveling in the sun, cavorting with old friends and disgracing myself like a haggard rock star. Can. Not. Wait. More next week! Cheers!!! — M
Friday
March 27, 2009 BIC’s Dave Saracino Turns the Big 5-0Hi Everyone! Some of my favorite industry characters recently clued me into the fact that Dave Saracino, director of sales for Counselor Top 40 supplier BIC, celebrated his 50th birthday. BFFs Chuck Fandos of Counselor Top 40 distributor Gateway/CDI and Kris Robinson of Counselor Top 40 distributor PromoShop sent me these photos from the rollicking festivities, held in conjunction with a Legacy Buying Group meeting in Las Vegas. Details of the lost weekend in Sin City — like the boys’ behavior — are sketchy, but let’s just put it this way: I think the unofficial name for this group of fun friends should be “The Wrecking Crew.” ; )
“The Legacy Group is a group of six distributor companies totaling about $160 million in sales who formed a buying group in 2000,” says Gateway/CDI’s Fandos. “We share business strategies and lots of fun. Dave Saracino is an honorary member of the Legacy Group because he is, well … Dave.” Fandos also told us that after the group played golf at the stunning Lake Las Vegas golf course, they visited a variety of casinos and watering holes until the wee hours of the morning. “Dave kept the golf theme going by wearing his golf shoes all night.” Post a comment below if you’d like to send Dave 50th birthday wishes! Cheers and more next week! — M |
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