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Counselor Senior Editor Michele Bell's slanted view of the world.
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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!

Here’s vice president of ASI Canada, Freddy Oesen, one of my all-time favorites, buying his beloved Ron Ball, ASI’s vice president of supplier sales, a bouquet of pretty roses on the street corner in NYC. I think they’re having a bromance! ; ) On Monday night during the ASI NY Show, I put together a small, intimate dinner of fun, larger-than-life personalities from the industry. We had a sinfully sumptuous meal at Del Frisco’s and enjoyed every minute. (From left): The delightful and lovely Missy Kilpatrick from Castelli, ASI’s Ron Ball, ASI Canada’s Fred Oesen, J. Charles Crystalwork’s Fran Ford, Creative Promotions’ Sharon Biernat and Vantage Apparel’s Ira Neaman.
Real estate guru and sassy sistah Barbara Corcoran spoke at ASI’s first-ever Women’s Summit at the Millennium Hotel. All the ladies in attendance were in agreement: She, and the event, were fan-freaking-tastic! Geiger’s Jacqui Hornberger, a spitfire in her own right, explained to the industry ladies in attendance at the Women’s Summit some of her tips for sales success.
Great times on Times Square! Here’s ASI’s vice president of distributor services, Heather DiPrato, me, my pal Sharon Biernat from the Chicago-based distributorship Creative Promos, and ASI’s distributor sales rep Meghan Bogarde vamping it up in the big city. Fun fact: Heather DiPrato and I share the same birthday (August 9) and are both Leos, yet have drastically different personalities (she, responsible, measured, contemplative; me, none of the above). This is what your room looks like when you share it with your distributor gal pal (in this case, Creative Promotions’ Sharon Biernat) who has multiple sample boxes shipped in daily for a crucial sales appointment with ESPN. In all fairness, my side of the room was equally trashed — with about 20 pairs of stilettos, all wildly impractical.
On Tuesday night during the ASI NYC Show, I headed back to the fabulous Del Frisco’s with my BFF Sharon Biernat and two of my industry faves: Jim Hagan, president of Counselor Top 40 supplier Sweda and his consigliere, Scott Pearson, vice president of product development. Here’s Sharon and Scott, who has — I swear to God — one of the most infectious and joyous laughs ever. Hence, his nickname, “Giggles.” Me with Jim Hagan, Sweda’s smart, suave and hilarious president. People who know me who’ve seen this photo describe the look on my face as “the harbinger of mischief and mayhem.” I do not disagree.
This year’s Counselor Top 40 banquet was held at the famed and illustrious Plaza Hotel and boy, did it live up to its legendary billing. Here’s a shot of the room where the banquet was held, about an hour before the event started. Though it looks awesome in this photo, I’m telling ya that the finished room doesn’t do this justice. It was, quite simply, breathtaking. Backstory: For years, Damian Want — senior vice president of Logomark — and I have joked that the Counselor banquet is like the industry’s “senior prom.” So what did Damian, who had just flown in from Cali where Logomark is based, do? He called a florist (the one Oprah uses, no less!) and brought me a wrist corsage! How sweet and hysterical is that??? So, this is our official “2010 Counselor Prom” photo… all that was lacking was the obligatory slow-dance to “Always & Forever.” Thanks, Damian — you rock!
As usual, I stacked my table at the Counselor banquet with all my favorite industry crazies. Here, we have Chuck (“Chuckles” or “MotherChucker” to you and I) Fandos, CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor Gateway/CDI (left) and Jim Hagan, president of Sweda. Love, love, love them! Colin Graf (left), ASI’s marketing manager for supplier sales and Jake Krolick, ASI’s marketing manager for online products and services, strike a pose before the Counselor Awards banquet. I’d say they’re voguing, but knowing these two, let’s say they’re roguing.
ASI’s senior vice president/editor-in-chief Melinda Ligos and Counselor editor Andy Cohen get their swank on at the Counselor awards banquet at the Plaza. After the Counselor banquet, all the industry celebs and revelers poured into Mickey Mantle’s bar, right around the corner from the Plaza. Here’s Marc Held, national sales manager for Counselor Top 40 supplier Bodek and Rhodes (is there anyone who doesn’t love the always-awesome Marc Held???), and the lovely Alisha Zavadil, marketing specialist for Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business.
Dan Townes, owner of Shepenco/Shelbyville Pencil and the reigning Mouth of the South, shown here with the beautiful Sadie Schlief, the director of promotional products for American Solutions for Business. Benn Chazan (left), sales manager for BamBams, was kind enough to join Jeffrey Townes — Dan’s son and definitely the kinder, gentler, quieter Townes — and I in doing Patrone shots for Cinco de Mayo. Yeah. I felt those the next day.
Ira Neaman (left), owner/president of Counselor Top 40 supplier Vantage (whom I have always referred to as my “Yoda of Wearables,” due to his vast knowledge) and Dan Townes, at a pit-stop bar (Whiskey Park) on our way to the bowels of NYC in the meatpacking district. (From left): Andrea Biernat, Sharon’s daughter, is a recent graduate of University of Penn’s Wharton School of Business and is now living in New York and working at JP Morgan. Next to her is her mom and Jeffrey Townes, the third-generation of Towneses in the ad specialty industry.
So we end up at Hogs & Heifers (the bar that the movie Coyote Ugly is based upon) in the meatpacking district and to say it was a dive is being kind. But I — and the rock star industry revelers I was with — happen to love dives, so we were right at home. So closely does this bar adhere to its “F-You” persona, that the female bartenders (wearing bikini tops, no less) strongly suggested (read: berated) Dan Townes and Ira Neaman remove their ties and tux jackets. Hence the reason — when I woke at 8 a.m. with my eyelashes stuck together after getting in only three hours earlier — I had Ira’s tie stuffed in my purse. Here, Ira and Sharon Biernat play pool with some colorful locals. (Note the guy behind Sharon with the Pabst beer can… LOVE it!) Witness Joe Haley, ASI managing editor and star of The Joe Show, hamming it up with The Naked Cowboy, a legendary, infamous New York City personality. We thank God that Joe didn’t follow his lead and offer himself up as The Naked Editor (insert Simpsons-esque Mr. Burns shudder here). ; )
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Tuesday
March 30, 2010

Unleash Your Guerrilla Marketer!

Filed under: Editorial, Fun

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.

The very first Google Doodle, created by Dennis Hwang in 1998, to commemorate Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s trip to Burning Man in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.

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:

With a Celtic influence, this design was conceived for St. Patrick’s Day, 2010.
Love was in the air at Google on Valentine’s Day, 2010.
Where creativity and nerdiness meet, this Google Doodle was done to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Tetris, on June 6, 2009.
Last year’s Earth Day-inspired Doodle, on April 22, 2009.
Created on August 25, 2009, this Doodle celebrated the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first telescope.
The Google Doodlers give a shout-out to astronomers, amateur and otherwise, on August 12, 2009, to tout the Perseid meteor shower.
As the Google Doodles have grown in popularity, others have “guest doodled,” including Scott Adams, the creator of “Dilbert,” and artists for DC Comics, who penned this to signal the opening of Comic-Con in July, 2009.

Send me your favorite guerrilla marketing stories!

Cheers,

— M

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Monday
March 8, 2010

Call for Submissions!

Filed under: Editorial

Hi Everyone & Happy March!

Next week, my editorial colleagues and I will be going through submissions for this year’s ASI Spirit Awards. I’d hate to see you and your spectacular promos left out!

If you’re a supplier, have you done a creative, effective self-promotion mailer to distributor clients that shows off-the-charts ROI (see below for some examples of previous winners)? If you’re a distributor, have you done a campaign for a client that wowed them and has measurable results? If so, please e-mail me the details ASAP at mbell@asicentral.com.

Good luck and more next week!

— M

Bodek & Rhodes’ organic promotion. Read the story.   iClick’s Starbucks promotion. Read the story.
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Tuesday
February 16, 2010

Screwed By Lloyd Dobler…

Filed under: Fun, Personal

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re all having a cheery and festive February and aren’t buried in the remains of The Blizzard of 2010 like us icicles on the East Coast.

Itchy to get out of the house, I met my friend Meg — who, as we met on the first day of first grade, is my oldest friend — for lunch the other day. She brought her 12-year-old daughter and let me tell you: This girly girl was decked out from head to toe in everything Robert Pattinson — the mopey guy from the Twilight movies who looks like he needs a bath and a B-12 shot. She had a T-shirt, a button, a book bag and a hat, all adorned with his pasty face. Why? Valentine’s Day was approaching and she was expressing her adoration of sullen Edward Cullen. Of course, I let loose with a tirade.

“Where was all that stuff when we were young?” I asked her mother. Where was the gear logoed with the fine visage of Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles, and Lloyd Dobler, the weirdo, kickboxing iconoclast from Say Anything, or The Breakfast Club’s resident bad-ass, Bender — the first in a long and sketchy line of bad boys to pique my interest. I felt gypped, and wasn’t shy about ranting.

Robert Pattinson, star of the stunningly successful Twilight movies. Can someone buy this boy a brush, a sandwich and a sun lamp, for the love of God? Say Anything’s Lloyd Dobler: Oh, Lloyd… To me and my girlfriends you were anything but “null and void.” You can be our Key Master anytime.
Sixteen Candles’ Jake Ryan: The boy who ruined dating for scores of teenage girls when they quickly realized that few guys would live up to his standard of being way hot, too cool and sensitive in that broody, sexy way. The Breakfast Club’s John Bender: To spend time with this smart-ass, whip-smart, degenerate-with-a-heart-of-gold, I would have followed him down the halls, through the ventilation ducts, across the ceiling panels — and right behind the bleachers. And you better believe he would’ve had my diamond earring.

Meg, always the voice of calm and reason to my torrents of reactionary mouthiness, pointed out that we did, in fact, have tons of logoed items from Duran Duran, The Cure, The Thompson Twins and Bananarama in our youth, but it’s different — the music industry has always been ahead of the curve in promoting its pop stars (think The Beatles).

All I’m saying is, movie star groupies and teenyboppers today have it easy: There are vast amounts of imprinted merchandise with which to express their affection for silver-screen boy toys. But for Lloyd Dobler and his ilk back in my heyday, not so much. To paraphrase a line from Say Anything: I gave him my heart, and I didn’t even get a pen.

Who was your teen crush? Do tell …

Cheers, and more next week!

— M

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Tuesday
January 19, 2010

PSI’s Dusseldorf Show Gets Its Gold On!

Filed under: PSI Shows, Travel

Hi Everyone!

Just got back from the 48th PSI Show in Dusseldorf, Germany, which was quite the success! The show, the largest ad specialty trade show in the world, attracted 883 exhibitors, nearly 19,000 distributor attendees from all over the world, and took up more than 370,000 square feet of exhibition space.

It was a special year for my PSI friends, as the organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The show’s exhibitors seemed to give a nod both to PSI’s golden year and the hot commodity that is gold, as that was the predominant color most items were shown in. My favorite new items? A pocket, portable GPS device for those walking around a city, personalized logos to customize bottles of beer and wine with one’s face, a motorized mini-hovercraft toy that can be controlled by your iPhone, BlackBerry, etc., and a watch that doubles as a phone… How cool and secret agent-ish is that?  

Other news included the announcement of ProPSI — an alliance of Pro Exhibitors & Publishers and PSI, who are joining forces to create a new show that will be held from August 25-27, 2010 in Amsterdam. (Will I be there? That’s a “hell to the yeah!”) For more information go to http://www.pro-8.eu/page/news/155

I took some photos, below, but here are some from PSI’s professional photographer of the 48th PSI Dusseldorf Fair: http://www.psionline.de/bildergalerie_messe_1-946.html

The 49th installment of the PSI Dusseldorf Show will be held from January 12-14, 2011. For more information go to www.psionline.de.

Cheers, and more from the PPAC Show in Toronto next week!

— M

Here’s my travel pal Ed Koehler, ASI associate publisher and an all-around super guy! My favorite thing about Ed? He has a voice like Lurch from the Addams Family. Listen here: http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/yourang.wav. In this photo, we were at a fabulous Mongolian barbeque restaurant in Düsseldorf called Mongo’s, where they have intensifying degrees of hot-sauce marinade. Special Ed went for the hottest, called “The Bomb.” This is his reaction after taking his first forkful. Me? I drank my weight in Riesling… ; ) (From left): My boss, ASI executive vice president & publisher, Rich Fairfield, Polyconcept’s CFO and member of ASI Advisory Board, Yann Leca (have I told you all lately how much I adore Yann???) and Ed Koehler, having dinner aboard Polyconcept’s boat which they keep docked on the River Rhine for the duration of the show. The Polyconcept staff — about 100 people — stay on the boat, and clients and special guests are invited to join them each night for dinner.
Why do I love Europe? Because the boys look like this… Meet Francois Vehoeven (left) of the Netherlands-based company Big Bang and Albert van der Veen, PF Concept’s director of product development. They were as charming as they are adorable… These sparkly white winter woodland sprites were the spokesmodels for the Thermo Togo booth at the PSI Show. They looked like the ice princesses from fairyland, and as though they needed some Irish coffee to warm up…
A unique way to exhibit promotional displays, these life-size cut-outs were eye-catching and drew lots of traffic to the supplier’s booth. The Polyconcept team invited their friends and clients from Staples Promotional Products for dinner on their boat and graciously invited me along too. It was a relaxed, fun and interesting evening, and meeting Nina was highlight — she’s one of my new favorite industry people. (From left): Graham Winter, managing director of PF Concept UK Limited; Yann Leca; U.K.-based Nina Lyons, purchasing manager for Staples Promotional Products; U.S.-based Howard Trilling, vice president of international sales for Staples Promotional Products; Polyconcept’s chairman of the board, Philippe Varnier; and U.K.-based Rod Cullen, managing director of Staples Promotional Products.
The PSI lounge, a rest area for attendees, was tres cool and came complete with squishy beanbag chairs, hanging beads (which reminded me of the kind you used to have to walk through to get into that Den of Iniquity of 70s retail stores, Spencer’s Gifts, where my mother was convinced orgies were being held under the black lights and velvet posters of nymphs riding unicorns) and a bar. I sank into one of the bean bag chairs and wallowed in the comfort, until it was time to get up again. Then, I struggled like an upside-down turtle on its shell… 
The Macma booth — which, with its partner company’s booth, Easy Gifts, costs over $1 million (US) — is spectacularly baroque/rococo, in a red and black velvet, True Blood/Marie Antoinette kind of way. After the second day of the show, a party was held in the Macma booth, featuring a band, open bar, hors d’oeuvres and many smoking (both in the aesthetic and inhaling sense) Europeans.
Philippe Varnier, Polyconcept’s chairman of the board and the suavest man alive, and me during dinner. Jeff Kramer, the founder and former owner of Bullet Line — which was sold to Polyconcept in 2006 — recently bought a thoroughbred race horse. Its name? “Thank You, Philippe.” (See images, below) 
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Friday
January 8, 2010

Hot Times in Chilly Orlando…

Filed under: ASI Shows, Editorial, Fun

Happy 2010, Everyone!

I’m just back from the ASI Orlando Show, where — despite record cold temps (in the ’30s!), the show was a huge success. From Education Day, to General Colin Powell’s keynote address, to the sizzling fashion show and rollicking amusement park gala, the show was a fantastic way to kick off a new year and decade.

There were tons of creative, wow-worthy new products introduced by our industry’s ingenious suppliers and everyone’s mood was positive, upbeat and optimistic.

Here are some quick photos from the trip, and more next week when I’m in Dusseldorf, Germany for the PSI Show — the world’s largest ad specialty event.

Cheers!

— M

Dave Saracino, one of the industry’s favorite personalities and the man at the helm of Counselor Top 40 supplier BIC Graphic, held court at an Orlando establishment — Aw Schucks — with as much character as he has. The highlight? Senoir Saracino did a rousing rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” When you’ve loved and lost like the Chairman of the Board and the vice president of BIC, you bring down the house.  (From left): The always-charming president of Counselor Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America David Nicholson, Counselor Top 40 distributor Gateway/CDI’s CEO Chuck “Chuckles” Fandos and Polyconcept North America’s national sales manager, Scott Anderson, my new favorite person. David graciously invited us all to dinner and that evening was the highlight of the show for me. Rock on, revelers.
Counselor Top 40 supplier Gemline’s national sales manager, Steve Hettrick (center) and Chuckles Fandos — someone who just makes me happier whenever I’m around him — pose with a friend at Aw Shucks. If you ever get a chance to have some cocktails with Chuck or his partner at Gateway/CDI, Conrad Franey, run, do not walk.
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Wednesday
December 23, 2009

See You in Orlando!

Filed under: ASI Shows, Editorial

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re enjoying this fabulous holiday season and are getting ready for a new year and decade so awesome that it’ll erase all the angst, stress and hardships of the last one.

Are you going to be in Orlando for the ASI Show from January 3-5? I am! If you’re there, please join me on Education Day (Sunday, 1/3) for two panel discussions I’ll be moderating.

If you’re an exhibitor, take a break from setting up your booth on Sunday for a free luncheon panel just for suppliers featuring four top distributor salespeople: Dan Jellinek from Touchstone Marketing — one of Counselor magazine’s Fastest Growing Distributors; Mercy Crespo from Counselor Top 40 distributor HALO/Lee Wayne; Burke Buchanan from Counselor Top 40 distributor Vernon; and Joe George from Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business. They’ll share with you what it takes to win and keep their business, and their stance on topics like who’s responsible for product safety, what makes a great supplier and what they’d like to see from trade show exhibitors. This exhibitors-only luncheon discussion, “What Distributors Want From You,” will be held from 12:00-1:30 p.m. in room 202AB of the Orlando Convention Center.

If you’re a distributor, join me for a panel discussion on a topic near and dear to my heart: “The Fine Art of Creative Self-Promotion.” To be held on Sunday, 1/3, from 2:45-3:45 p.m. in room 104 of the Orlando Convention Center, this panel will feature: Power 50 member Greg Muzzillo, co-CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor Proforma — a company that’s won numerous awards for its phenomenal self-promo campaigns; Leo Eisner, a 50-year industry veteran and top sales rep with CounselorTop 40 distributor HALO/Lee Wayne who’s generated a majority of his business over the years through self-promo initiatives; and Jake Krolick, ASI’s new media marketing guru, who’s an expert at using tools like video, Facebook and Twitter to boost sales and business.  

I look forward to seeing you all at the first national ad specialty trade show of the year, and hope you can make it to one of my panel discussions. 

Have a very Merry Christmas and a spectacular 2010!

Cheers,

M  

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Wednesday
December 9, 2009

Be a Giver!

Filed under: Editorial, Fun

Hi Everyone! 

I hope you’re all doing well and embracing the spirit of the holiday season. I love this time of year for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that festive benders are sanctioned as “yuletide cheer.” ; ) 

Another reason I love the holidays is that everyone seems so much more giving and altruistic. Not so altruistically, I ramp up my charitable efforts in December because I know that as the year comes to a close I’ll be needing a Silkwood shower-style karmic cleansing and will have to do lots of good deeds to neutralize 12 months of toxic, self-indulgent antics. Let’s just say that I’m a charter member of Santa’s “bad” list. (Yet another example why I prefer the Easter Bunny… He’s not so big into the pesky judgements.)

Here’s a cool way you can share the holiday spirit: As one of the hosts of ASI Radio (www.asicentral.com/radio), I — along with Melinda Ligos, Joe Haley, Kathy Huston and Andy Cohen — will be doing a radiothon on ASI Radio this Tuesday (12/15) at 10:30 a.m. to raise money for members of the military transitioning back to life in the U.S. after their service overseas. See below for more details and to find out about some of the cool items we’ll be auctioning off from my beloved BFFs at Gemline, IMC, Leed’s, Logomark and Sweda, among others. Big kudos to those companies for being so gracious and generous. 

So, if you can donate an item, please do; if you can pledge money, that’d be super too. ‘Tis the season to be ginchy, not Grinchy! ; )

Cheers!

— M

PS: Here, for you viewing pleasure, one of my favorites of the Christmas season: The “Mr. Heatmiser” song from The Year Without a Santa, as sung by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMjAf8Nwohs

ASIRadiothon: Help ASI Raise Money For The G.I. Go Fund
The hosts of ASI Internet Radio’s Tuesday Morning Show are getting their charitable vibe on this week. Just launched yesterday, we’re introducing the first-ever ASIRadiothon. The live event will take place next Tuesday, December 15, at 10:30 a.m. eastern time when we’ll dedicate our regular radio show to a charity drive to benefit The G.I. Go Fund, a great organization that assists veterans when they return to the United States.
 
In conjunction with the live Radiothon, there’s a silent auction taking place this week. Go to www.gigofund.org/asiradio now to check out the items up for bid (high-end promotional products all donated by industry suppliers). There are watches, sleek pens, gift sets, sunglasses, digital photo frames, and more. In this silent auction, items will go to the highest bidder and the top bid each day will be updated on the Web site. Check back often. It’s a great way to donate to charity and do your holiday shopping at the same time.
 
The G.I. Go Fund is definitely a worthy cause to donate to this holiday season. The organization helps veterans with financial and medical assistance upon their return from overseas. And it even sets up job fairs exclusively for returning veterans so they can find work and acclimate quicker into everyday life. Jack Fanous, the executive director of The G.I. Go Fund, will join ASIRadio on the phone next Tuesday to share stories of veterans he’s encountered and tell our audience exactly how his organization helps these people. It’s sure to be a revealing phone call to start of our Radiothon show.
 
So, join in on the charity drive and help us raise money for this valuable cause. Go to www.gigofund.org/asiradio now to bid on items in the auction or to make a donation. And make sure to log-on to www.asicentral.com/radio on Tuesday, December 15 at 10:30 a.m.eastern time to take part in the live Radiothon. Call the show at (215) 953-4979 or e-mail us at radio@asicentral.com to pledge your donation – and help us make the lives of returning veterans that much better.

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