In 1995, when I started my first agency the concept of direct response marketing was really pigeon-holed to infomercials. Short or long form, infomercials from either the As Seen On TV companies such as the granddaddy of them all, Ron Popeil's Ronco to smaller firms with their one great product. Back in the day, companies like Ronco owned the airwaves. The diversity of products from Chia pets shaped like President's faces to meat injectors, endless ab tightening products, Chop-O-Matic, Pocket Fisherman, egg cookers and hair spray that covered male pattern baldness (swear Ron Popeil invented that too). The demographic was "blue hairs" andREAD MORE
Country music remains the hottest genre second to none in terms of popularity, music downloads and concert tickets sold. Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood; the list goes on and on. Many of these country music stars are crossing over in ways they never have before like Carrie Underwood launching her own activewear line or Trisha Yearwood hosting her own cooking show on Food Network while writing NY Times Best-selling cookbooks. Don’t forget about ole Zac Brown who has his own TV show co-hosted by his celebrityREAD MORE
This isn't a scientific analysis, just what is on my office white board. The type of celebrities being requested continues to be all over the place because each company has it's own corporate culture and brand identification. Although the world of hiring celebrity spokespeople tends over time to be one of copy-catting, there are still unique factors that each company and their agency weighs when deciding who can best represent the brand to a core of consumers with a predisposition to buy their products. The following are the top 5 industry categories in ascending order who are in search for a celebrityREAD MORE
Booking celebrities has been part of my business for over 20 years. Big names and small. We have booked Hilary Swank, Pele, Martha Stewart, Mario Lopez, Bethenny Frankel, Jen Selter, Venus Williams, Danny Glover, Arnold Palmer and Sir Richard Branson to name a few. As Donald Trump said, there is an "art of the deal". It starts with the 5 tips for hiring celebrities you should always consider! Tip #1: Be honest about your budget! Everyone wants the biggest, best, most famous star with the biggest social media, but that comes with a price tag. Don't be so cock sure that just becauseREAD MORE
Change for the sake of change, is never a good thing. ESPN, the industry leader in creating, covering and analyzing sports and sports programming is making some moves. I find it refreshing when an industry giant is proactive not reactive. It would be so easy for ESPN to just sit on its corporate ass and funnel the cash into Bristol, CT. Part of this is a response to Fox Sports and the network sports programming. Part of this is minding the shop, so to speak. But the truth is, there is a history of excellence and a desire to workREAD MORE
I think to be great in anything you need to stay ahead of the competition, know what is trending before it becomes common-place and be creative in your thought process. In my position as an industry advocate and analyst I hear and see a lot of things, most of it is just pontification by middle-aged white executives espousing the same shit they have for 30 years with a new coat of paint on it. Barf! But sometimes, when the stars align I hear something that I think to myself, now that is a really dope idea! I read an articleREAD MORE
I know, many of you are sick of hearing about Donald Trump. While some of you can't get enough. What a paradox in American pop culture and politics. Now clearly Mr. Trump is not the 1st celebrity to be elected to office (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, John Glenn, and the most famous of them all, Ronald Reagan to name just a few). Why is Donald Trump leading the pack? What are the analytics telling us and what is just common sense? The polls I have read this weekend show that his lead is strengthening in several key categories including women,READ MORE
What every brand covets is an educated consumer with a predisposition to buy their products and/or services. Unfortunately, very few brands and their agencies have a solid plan that works for customer acquisition via social media. Sure, sure, every social media agency will tell you about the one client they "blew up" their client's Facebook or Instagram numbers. But on average, most digital agencies have limited success, can't replicate the success they have and are very much in the business of new client acquisition versus client performance. That is harsh. And time and time again I hear from clients, friendsREAD MORE
I must say, I have been an evangelist for many social media stars in the last 3 years. Usually in the health and fitness category. These women aggregate huge audiences and they do it unbelievably fast! The growth rate of a sexy social media star who knows how to build a "community" will surely outpace corporate America 10,000 to 1 on platforms such as Instagram, Vine and YouTube! It's clear why. People, especially teens, like hanging with good looking people via social media. They follow people that in real life would probably not hang out with them. Millions of teens follow the youngREAD MORE
The emerging story has been simmering for years about the true nature of who Jared Fogle is, how long ago had others known about his alleged interest in under-aged children and pornography? Subway, one of the fastest growing QSR franchise chains in the world has presented to consumers the image of Jared Fogle, an overweight customer who utilized Subway's low fat/calorie meals to lose weight and change his life forever! In essence, Subway turned Jared Fogle into Paul Bunyan! Bigger than life. A folk lore giant of the highest caliber espousing the virtues of using Subway as a means to an end.READ MORE
What is the term we always hear in meetings with clients and agencies who are looking for corporate spokespeople? Authenticity! And nowhere is it more poignantly represented than by former news anchors and on-camera news reporters! They are experts in framing discussions and getting to the bottom of things, while educating an audience on the most important aspects of any topic. Over the last six months, the search for corporate spokespeople/brand ambassadors across various categories from beauty care to financial services has led my team of researchers to double down on its efforts to find great story-tellers who have a presence on-camera and at leastREAD MORE
I have worked in and around health and fitness for over 20 years. I have been to a bag full of IRSHA and ACE shows. I have represented over 20 nationally know health, fitness, wellness and nutrition experts from all over this country. And one of the most interesting developments over the last 20 years is how important Corporate Wellness has become as a mantra to HR professionals across every category of company from emerging start-ups to Fortune 50 companies! Corporate Wellness can also have many different faces depending on the company, it's budget and the amount of space available to executeREAD MORE
I find myself again at the crux of making another decision on asset allocation and the growth of my businesses. It is never an easy decision and depending on who you speak with, it comes down to the two (2) titans of new business creation: Pay per click (PPC) vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Now, I can no longer claim to be a novice. I have employed social media strategists, experts, analytics freaks and people who mine the internet for choice keywords and back-links. So, I can hold my own in a conversation of geeks discussing the future Google and/orREAD MORE
I find myself again at the crux of making another decision on asset allocation and the growth of my businesses. It is never an easy decision and depending on who you speak with, it comes down to the two (2) titans of new business creation: Pay per click (PPC) vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Now, I can no longer claim to be a novice. I have employed social media strategists, experts, analytics freaks and people who mine the internet for choice keywords and back-links. So, I can hold my own in a conversation of geeks discussing the future Google and/orREAD MORE
I am quite sure the executives at Wasserman Media Group are just fine with the way the U.S. Women won the 2015 FIFA World Cup in glorious fashion over Japan. Wasserman reps many of the top U.S. women's World Cup players including the face of the sport for years, Alex Morgan. Wasserman has done an amazing job cultivating a fan base and corporate sponsorships like very few have in the Olympic movement for Morgan. She reps clothing companies, insurance companies and many others. Her face is plastered on TV commercials, billboards and social media. So to many people's surprise, Carli Lloyd, who hasREAD MORE