Tag Archives: Response Expo

Apr 18

Response April: A Capital Vision, A Capitol Vision and an Important Cause

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I’m back again with some links from this month’s edition of Response Magazine and some back story on each piece. Please click on any of the links to jump to the stories included within!

Capital One's Patrick McLean

Capital One’s Patrick McLean graces Response’s April cover.

  • The April cover features Capital One’s Patrick McLean. The story grew out of an initial meeting in Boston during the fall 2011 Direct Marketing Association (DMA) annual convention. McLean was on an interesting panel about digital marketing, and after watching some of the session, my goal was to get him involved with a speaking opportunity at Response Expo, which will take place on May 15-17 in San Diego. Well, after a few conversations with Pat and Capital One staff, not only did we confirm him to be part of one of our high-profile sessions next month, but we also convinced him and Capital One to be featured on our cover. With a background in telecom, McLean’s transition to the financial services sector has gone rather smoothly, and his ideas about digital, online and social media marketing are intriguing. If you missed the story link above, here it is again:“Building Social Capital”

    DC Visit

    A great day on Capitol Hill

  • My monthly Editor’s Note column touches upon my recent visit to Washington, DC, with publisher John Yarrington, as sponsors of the DMA’s annual “DMA in DC” event. What a great experience it was for both of us, from working closely with Rachel Thomas, Linda Woolley and the rest of the DMA staff, to hearing the concerns of industry leaders about regulatory topics and government action, to visiting with Congressional staffers on the Hill to share concerns about the industry. At the same time, we were able to catch up with some DC-area clients, including Time Life’s Tim Pearson, FaceTime Strategies’ Todd Mason and Venable’s Jeff Knowles and Chuck Wilkins. A worthy three-day trip, indeed. Check out my take on it here: “Response Goes to Washington”
  • Lastly, but most importantly, the April issue also includes an exclusive interview with long-time DRTV industry executive Ray Golden, who is battling terminal cancer. Ray’s diagnosis was a gutshot to many in the industry who not only enjoyed doing business with him, but also counted him as a personal friend. The silver lining? Response is stepping up to the plate — and asking all of our DR industry friends and cohorts to join us — to support the Amber Golden Educational Fund, which Ray started to benefit his daughter, who is in her third year in pursuit of a nursing degree. For more on this moving story, and how you can contribute, visit our Field Reports exclusive with Ray right now: “Ray Golden Speaks on His Career and His Daughter’s Battle” 

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!

Mar 14

Response March: The Power of Housewares in DR; Flying High at Response Expo; and a New Partnership With the DMA

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Since our wonderful senior editor Jackie Jones took on this month’s cover feature about Hoover’s recent foray into direct response TV, this month’s recap is a little shorter. But here goes:

  • Having just returned from the annual International Home+Housewares Show in Chicago, I can tell you for a fact that the market’s excitement for and use of DR marketing is at an all-time high, as I contended in my March Editor’s Note.
    The Housewares Show was once again a hot spot for DR leaders.

    While there, it was a pleasure to meet Chef Rick Tarantino and Susan Zaso, crucial contributors to our feature story about celebrity chefs and their influence on housewares marketing. At the same time, it was great to catch up with Concepts TV Productions‘ Collette Liantonio, who authored a great column for the issue about how housewares marketers are using DRTV to help out consumers facing the tough economy. It’s always great when an issue of Response really comes together and is well timed, and, thanks to our contributors, this was definitely one of those!

  • We also announced a couple of big news items in this month’s Field Reports section, including welcoming ex-Blue Angels leader John Foley as the keynoter at Response Expo 2012. If anyone can fill the big shoes of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Sir Bob Geldof — our past two Expo keynote speakers — it’s Foley.
    Blue Angels Keynoter

    John Foley will keynote Response Expo on May 15.

    His inspiring talk is also full of great business insight and is sure to wow our attendees. Finally, Response has teamed with the Direct Marketing Association to sponsor its DMA in DC event on March 26-27. For marketers interested in learning about the hottest regulatory topics facing their businesses and reaching the right government representatives to tackle those issues, the DMA in DC event promises to be a great forum!

 

Feb 22

Response February: Growing Hair, Inside Jerry’s ‘Circus’ and a Rant on the DRMA’s 5th

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Once again this month, rather than just putting links on Facebook and Twitter with my Response Magazine stories, I figured I’d transition the links to a single blog post that I could then link to said social media. Plus, this forum gives me a little space to expand on each story and give you some deeper background.

  • The February cover features Bosley’s Rob Spurrell. The story actually grew out of an initial call with Steven Aquavia, the director of marketing for the Beverly Hills-based leader in hair-loss solutions and medical hair restoration. Steven will be a featured speaker at Response Expo 2012 in San Diego this May. I was intrigued by the 37-year old company’s marketing story, and Steven kindly linked me to Rob, a 15-year veteran at Bosley. Rob was an intriguing interview, especially when discussing the company’s huge success the past two years, despite marketing a high-priced “vanity” service in a down economy. If you missed the story link above, here it is again: “No Splitting Hairs”

    Bosley, Jerry and a rant.

    Bosley's Rob Spurrell leads the way into the latest issue of Response.

  • Our February issue also includes an exclusive interview with TV talk legend Jerry Springer. Why Jerry? Well, aside from the obvious comedy of his over-the-top talk show that’s now in its 21st syndicated season, “Jerry” is a haven for DRTV advertisers. As NBC Universal’s Brian Levy, who pitched this story to me in autumn 2011, knows from his experience with that company’s syndicated program media offerings, “The Jerry Springer Show” has brought tremendous success to its advertiser base. Even more impressive than Springer’s self-deprecating sense of humor over the phone, however, was his own clear knowledge of why his show works for DRTV advertisers. Once again, if you missed that first link, here’s your second chance to read my one-on-one with Jerry Springer: “Springer’s ‘Circus'”
  • Finally, my monthly Editor’s Note column touches upon the fifth anniversary of the Direct Response Marketing Alliance (DRMA), the magazine’s associated networking group that I helped found. We’re happy that the DRMA has, to this point, fulfilled its mission, and clearly our members and the leaders of our business deserve the lions’ share of the credit for that. However, we’ve experienced — first hand, time and time again — the high costs, the red tape and the petty politics most people experience when dealing with less-effective industry trade groups. There’s no doubt that the avoidance of these things has been a boon to the DRMA’s success thus far. Again, here’s the link if you missed it above: The DRMA at 5

Once again, thanks for reading and interacting with Response!