In which you tell us what you really think
Spot on
I meant to send this email to you last month when I first saw your goals for the magazine. I’m a seven-year reader of PROMO magazine and have been a contributing writer for the past three years….I think the goals you presented in the February issue are spot on.
I think there is much that can be done to improve the (often false) perception of the promotions industry, and to shed light on what is really going on out there.
Bill Carmody
Chief Marketing Officer
Seismicom
…love the market-focused editorial approach you’re taking. You have lots of fans at Yahoo!
Eric John
Director, Marketing Solutions-Promotions
Yahoo! Inc.
Tipping point
As someone who has seen agency hierarchy from all sides (at an ad agency overseeing Absolut Vodka, then client side brand management at Keebler and Pfizer, and now managing partner of The Topspin Group — promotional marketing), I thought your introductory column in [March] was very well stated!
It is still amazing to me the lack of retainer status and consideration promotion agencies receive when compared to ad agencies. While keeping in mind that the economic recession has put even more pressure on promotions to help deliver the short-term numbers AND lasting impressions for brands as advertising budgets get cut or eliminated.
Keep shouting!
Andy Judson
Managing Partner
The Topspin Group
State of the industry
Thanks for sharing results from the Annual Report [at the 2003 Annual Convention of the PMA]. I feel privileged to have gotten the preview in Orlando. This is great state-of-the-industry stuff that everyone at my agency should be absorbing and more importantly, sharing with our clients to educate them on the importance of their spending choices. Thanks for the value add.
Toby Simpkins
VP, Director of Promotions
Cramer-Kraselt
Love those lanyards
The ultimate lanyard is at the Super Bowl, where they sell them for $20 a pop in the parking lot, so that you can put your commemorative ticket in them (which costs a lot more than the lanyard and combined can get into the thousands of dollars). If you wear the Super Bowl ticket lanyard and go through the security at the stadium it will set off the alarm when you walk through the airport type security. After the game there are people who are looking to buy them as you walk out of the stadium in order to sell on the collector market. This is not summer camp, but a trip to the most American of sporting events.
Anyway, I enjoyed your article [Homework, January] and thought I’d pass on this little bit of lanyard lore.
Mark Westcott
President
Westcott Promotion Group
Fond glance
I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy reading your nostalgic column in PROMO [Backward Glance, see page 130 of this issue].
Idea suggestion: Have you considered writing a story about some of the other famous collectible kids radio and cereal premiums? Personally, I love the plastic premiums of the 50’s and 60’s — especially the Quisp and Quake cereal premiums.
By the way, I recently read a great story in an old (March 14, 1949) issue of Life about Sam Gold, the famous premium creator. If you haven’t seen, it’s a fun read.
Keep up the good work!
Barry Gilbert
President
The Promotion Shop, Inc.
