Alcone Puts Damiano at Premiums Helm
Alcone Marketing Group has tapped Frankel veteran Ray Damiano to lead its burgeoning premiums division.
Damiano becomes president of Alcone Merchandise, a new post at the division that was formed in August. Alcone also will add staffers in its Irvine, CA headquarters and revamp its premiums Web site Skymilesshopping and Detroit and Darien, CT, offices.
“The way clients are approaching branded merchandise is evolving and changing,” said Matt Alcone, chairman and CEO, Alcone Marketing Group. “Clients want merchandise programs which accomplish specific, strategic marketing objectives. … That’s why we went outside of the traditional merchandise industry in hiring Ray Damiano.”
Damiano was president and CEO of Publicis Dialog’s Southern California office in Irvine and had been president of the same office when it was Frankel Southern California. Parent Publicis Groupe merged the Frankel office into Publicis Dialog last year as part of consolidation of its below-the-line agencies.
Alcone’s premiums business accounts for 30% of its revenues. Premiums work has grown quickly for the shop via current clients including DaimlerChrysler, eBay, Pernod Ricard USA and BAX Global; last month, IHOP hired Alcone to create an online commerce site set to launch in November.
The 28-year-old agency reorganized in August into four business divisions: Alcone Merchandise, Alcone Promotion, Alcone Fulfillment, and Alcone Digital. Bill Hahn was named president of Alcone Promotion; Robb Romano became executive VP-managing director of Alcone Fulfillment. Senior VP-technology Steve Wallace oversees Alcone Digital.
Omnicom-owned Alcone ranked No. 43 in the 2003 PROMO 100 with 2002 net revenues estimated at $80 million, down 34% from 2000. The agency did not participate in the 2004 PROMO 100 and won’t discuss current revenues.
