The April issue of Response has been available online since early this month, but with the wear and tear of Response Expo, followed closely by last weekend’s run to the Coachella music festival in the desert, time’s been tight for updates! However, the April issue did feature an up-close look at a supplement marketer that’s gone from invention to top-5 in-category at Wal-Mart in just five years, as well as personal thoughts from six of the nine inductees in the inaugural class in the Direct Response Hall of Fame – among other stories. Let’s take a look at those and some of the other key pieces in the issue:

• Our cover feature on top-selling supplement Qunol and its parent company’s leader, Peter Boutros, was part of a true package deal for attendees at Response Expo earlier this month. While working on a special panel on using DR to create retail success with Lockard & Wechsler Direct‘s Dick Wechsler, he mentioned Boutros as a possible speaker. Peter graciously accepted and, after learning more on the background of Quten Research Institute and its use of DR to drive retail – and retail only – for Qunol, it was clear that this was the perfect combination of product and person to highlight in this new era of direct response. In the coming days, when the audio from each Expo session becomes available at ResponseExpo.com, I’d urge you to seek out his session. Until then, here’s the link again, if you missed it above: Energizing Qunol
• We were extremely proud to induct our inaugural class into the brand new DR Hall of Fame on April 4 in San Diego. As part of the coverage, we were able to catch up with six of the nine legendary members of the class in a very special Q&A about their histories in the business, what makes direct response marketing special and their thoughts on where DR goes from here. This story is a “can’t miss” for anyone who fashions him or herself a DR expert. If you missed the link above, click here: Pearls of Wisdom
• In DRMA news, the newly rebranded Monarch Direct Response is in the Spotlight this month. Since leaving Mercury Media to form Media Stream Direct a few years back, industry stalwart Eitan Cohen had built his company into one of the most competitive DR media agencies in the biz. To reflect that growth – and the level of service his clients have come to expect – Cohen and his team decided to rename and rebrand the company last month. If you missed the link above to the Spotlight feature, click here: A New Reign
• Our latest analysis of the DR industry’s quarterly media billings results circles back to long-form DRTV billings’ 4Q 2012 results, which were cause for excitement, as the quarter’s negligible loss helped the final overall total reach $1.05 billion, marking the first year-on-year rise in the long-form space since 2006. Healthy competition for half-hour space, and the continued rise in 30-minute pricing – especially in the cable world – were the main drivers for 2012’s long-awaited results. For a full look at all the categorical and outlet results, here’s the link: 4Q 2012 Results Clinch First Annual Jump Since ’06
• Finally, my Editor’s Note welcomed our 3,000 attendees to San Diego for Response Expo 2013, which was in full swing just three weeks ago (it already seems so long ago). We’re so thankful to all of our, advertisers, readers, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for making the magazine and the Expo the consistent successes they’ve been over the years. From our operational perspective, the 2013 Expo was the smoothest ride yet in the seven years we’ve hosted the event – and much of the credit for that goes to our small but committed staff. We hope that your experience – if you joined us – was not only glitch-free, but fun and fruitful. And we’re looking forward to doing it all over again next April 29-May 1! If you missed the link to my the column above, here it is once again: Who’s In? At Response Expo 2013, Anyone and Everyone

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!