A Hat-Tip to the Bagel Man: Murray Lender

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Greetings on this warm breezy summer late March day. Here in Northern Virginia, my cherry tree blossomed three weeks early and is already past peak. My plum-tree leafed out over the past weekend. And my dogwood tree is about to flower–a FULL MONTH EARLY.

How about that climate change?

But I digress.

Murray Lender helped turn the bagel--a staple of Eastern European Jewish cuisine--into a classic American food item. And as a TV pitchman, he helped bring Lender's Bagels to the masses. (photo h/t the Lender Family)

Today, I honor the memory of Murray Lender who died yesterday at the age of 81.

He was an incredible marketer and salesman. Murray–along with brothers Sam and Marvin–turned their late father’s New Haven, Connecticut-based bakery into the world’s largest manufacturer of bagels. Lender’s Bagels pioneered high-volume bagel production, singlehandedly created the frozen bagel category, and helped boost sales for other brands in the supermarket frozen food aisles. One story has it that other manufacturers sought the marketing maven’s help with sales promotion; March was always the slowest month for frozen food sales at grocery stores. So, Murray came up with the idea of “Frozen Food Month.” Soon after, frozen food category sales took off.

The bagel is a staple of Eastern European Jewish cuisine. But Murray, the charming TV pitchman, turned the bagel–and specifically Lender’s Bagels–into classic American food. His commercial fame landed him a guest appearance on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show couch.

Growing up in New Haven, I knew Murray but not well. But I can tell you that I’ve never met a more generous man.

Years ago, I had developed a business model for a consumer marketing process–even got a patent for the technology that I had invented. I called Murray and asked if he’d be willing to free up a half-hour of time for me to run through my pitch because I truly valued his knowledge of consumer brand marketing and his business “sechel” (good sense). I asked for thirty minutes, but Murray gave me over three hours of his time; where other people I’d shown the business plan shot it full of holes and told me to give up, Murray offered only high praise and encouragement. He congratulated me for being creative and daring, and he offered great counsel.

That was Murray. A prince among men.

The hits on his online obituaries are already trending skyward. And I am pleased to see that he is described in many of the headlines as “Philanthropist Murray Lender.” From talking to the people who knew him best–including his daughter Haris–it is clear to me that is how he wanted to be most-remembered. Murray donated time and money to many causes, including the Lender School of Business Center at Quinnipiac University and the New Haven Jewish Federation. A playground in New Haven, built on the land where the original bagel shop stood, is named in Murray Lender’s honor.

His funeral will take place this Sunday in Connecticut; I am sorry that I won’t be in attendance. I wish his family and friends strength during this difficult time.

Godspeed, Murray. Godspeed.

And now, a word from our sponsor

Recognizing Your Inner-Entrepreneur

Cross-posted from Start It Up:

UPDATE Feb. 25, 2011: Here's my kid at "Invention Convention" discussing her BRILLIANT idea for a glow-in-the-dark mobile phone skin.

It’s Invention Convention Week at my kid’s school. And her class of Fourth Graders is busy placing finishing touches on their invention prototypes. The big “reveal” is scheduled for next week. (More on Invention Convention–as well as photos of some of the winning kid-ventions–coming soon.)

Nothing matches the joy of a 10 year-old child who believes she has solved one of the world’s most-vexing problems. Meet some of today’s adult-aged inventors and you will recognize in them the same zeal–the same kid-like enthusiasm for problem-solving–as my kid and the rest of her Fourth Grade class.

This is a great time to be an inventor.

For sure, this is an especially great time to be an entrepreneur.

It is true that inventors and entrepreneurs are natural born problem-solvers. But what other traits signify a great entrepreneur? Look inside yourself and see if any of these attributes apply:

• Not afraid of risk-taking and failure. Corporate executive veterans often go through their careers fearful of failure, because–in some big organizations–it is not tolerated. On the other hand, successful entrepreneurs understand that there is a causal relationship between risk and success.
• Nimble. Successful entrepreneurs can turn-on-a-dime. Often, they find the greatest success by responding in big positive ways to otherwise insurmountable crises. Think of all the eco-entrepreneurs who repositioned their environmental hazard products for immediate use in last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup.
• Passionate. The greatest entrepreneurs are full of passion. Watch entrepreneurs “pitch” regional angel investment groups and be struck by their fire-in-the-belly enthusiasm. It is infectious!
• Multi-Tasker. Successful entrepreneurs ably balance multiple work and life requirements simultaneously. Many full-time parents run profitable enterprises from their homes. And often they spend more time with their kids–and more productive hours working–than their peers toiling at traditional office settings.
• Skeptical. But not cynical. Successful entrepreneurs don’t take things at face-value. They need to see proof-of-concept and are not satisfied until they do!
• Boot-Strapper. Successful entrepreneurs find novel ways of reducing costs and doing things for themselves–like building their own websites–to conserve cash.
• THINK BIG. (BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Successful entrepreneurs are ever mindful of scale. And we know that some enterprises currently operating out of house garages and basements will someday become Wall Street darlings!
• Access to steady cash-flow. I wouldn’t recommend switching from a conventional job to entrepreneur unless there is enough money in the bank to support your living expenses, or, your spouse or significant other provides a steady income.

If you are thinking about hitting the re-set button as an entrepreneur know that you are going to trade a steady salary, benefits, and routine for a big roll-of-the-dice. But if you are a true entrepreneur…you are ready for what could be the journey of a lifetime.

Buckle up! It’s going to be a fun and wild ride!

Will It Be Worth the $3 Million Investment? (We’ll see…)

Cross-posted from Start It Up:

Will "The Force" be with Volkswagen? Soon, we will all find out.

Super Bowl Sunday means one thing to the team at Start It Up: IT’S COMMERCIAL TIME!

Every year, we look forward to the :15s, :30s, and :60s that run during the Big Game. And this year, with ad revenues way up (and inventory sold out), we wonder who will win the most: FOX and their local affiliates?…the agencies?…or the brands?

Truth be told, many of the spots will be memorable and entertaining. Come Monday morning, all of us armchair-quarterbacks will remember the story lines of the best spots. But only Agency Suits and the Don Drapers they work with, plus CMOs and Marketing MBA-candidates will recall correctly the brands promoted.

So why would a consumer brand cough up $3 million for :60 of fame?

In a word: BUZZ

On Wednesday, Volkswagen let their Super Bowl spot “The Force” go viral. As of today (Saturday), it has logged an astounding 10 million+ views on YouTube. If you haven’t seen this clever spot, check it out here:

Agency of Record: Deutsch LA

On Monday morning, will new car buyers run to VW showrooms to pre-order a new 2012 Passat?

Das Auto hofft, dass sie Autos verkaufen!

In other words, our friends and neighbors at Volkswagen Group of America headquarters in Herndon, Va. certainly hope so!

For more on marketing with impact–including the fine art of branding–check out our friend Randall Beard’s Blog.

Should The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) Be Saved?

Over the past two years, I have asked myself and others this question: “Should the Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) be saved?”

My affiliation with The DMA has lasted more than 25 years. During the early part of my direct marketing career, I appreciated how The DMA connected me with industry leaders who helped me hone my skills, expand my network, and maximize my career prospects. I remember well attending my first DMA Annual Conference in San Francisco and thinking “it doesn’t get any better than this!”

In 2006, The DMA was top of the heap. Incoming DMA chair Markus Wilhelm addressed the DMA06 general session, proudly proclaiming that DMA members had grown direct marketing into an economic force. I was in the room when Wilhelm announced that the direct marketing industry had grown to represent ten percent of the U.S.’s gross domestic product. Attendees answered with thunderous applause.

But fast-forward three and-a-half years to Spring 2010 and The DMA finds its fortunes reversed.

The DMA has disappeared from our radars, the amount of (industry) news it generates has slowed to a trickle. Its 2010 membership directory is much narrower than the previous year’s edition. And the DMA has cancelled scores of conferences.

Worse, I have heard from many executives not renewing their DMA memberships in 2010; with their budgets slashed, they can no longer justify spending thousands to send staff to DMA conferences, let alone cover their airfare and room accommodations for San Francisco (where DMA10 will be held this fall).

Without a doubt, the economy has hit all us direct and interactive marketers hard. Actually, the downturn’s impact has been, to paraphrase a comic entertainer friend of mine, “Krakatoan.”

As is the case with hundreds or perhaps thousands of direct and interactive marketers, I too can no longer justify renewing my DMA membership, nor can I see clear to attending this year’s show in SFO. I just don’t have the financial resources that I used to have.

However, something else has been happening at The DMA. At a time when we all needed The DMA the most, this once-mighty voice whispered. Long gone was the leadership direct marketers had come to expect from The DMA. Instead, some executives say they feel that The DMA is now interested mainly in “maximizing its returns from [their] membership.” In other words, The DMA’s mission is to get The DMA’s members to spend more.

Call me a cynic, but I believe The DMA has put its own needs well ahead of its members. And now the chickens have come home to roost.

The current DMA regime should drive up to Stew Leonard’s Dairy in Norwalk, Conn. and study the words carved into the granite boulder at that famous store’s entrance:

RULE #1: The customer is always right.
RULE #2: If the customer is ever wrong, re-read RULE #1!

But what are the chances of that road trip from Manhattan ever happening?

The DMA has announced that it has engaged an executive recruitment firm to find its next CEO. That’s certainly a step in the right direction. But one has to ask: can The DMA currently afford to hire a new CEO? I don’t know the answer to that question. But given how The DMA’s membership department has, over the past 6-8 months, called repeatedly to talk me into renewing my lapsed membership, I have to wonder if The DMA can afford a CEO earning a hefty six-figure salary and the upside compensation and benefits that go with it.

This direct and interactive marketer and once proud member has grown weary and now believes that The DMA has become a Potemkin Village.

Still, nothing would please me more than to see The DMA return to its fighting form. Whether or not hitting the re-set button is successful, The DMA should make the effort to recapture its former glory (and relevance).

That’s my take. What do you think?

Clorox Goes for Transparency, Lists “Ingredients Inside”

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

The Clorox Company, long a proponent of green business best-practices, has extended its commitment to product manufacturing transparency by listing its products’ ingredients on-line.

Clorox’s corporate website now includes a new Ingredients Inside page which provides easy click-throughs to each of the company’s products, ingredients, and Material Safety Data Sheets.

We are encouraged that this formidable consumer packaged goods marketer has taken such big steps for the sake of transparency. Yet another reason why discriminating green business executives – The Green Suits – will favor career opportunities with The Clorox Company and other committed green businesses over non-compliant companies.

Great Doritos Spot! But Will It Actually Sell…Doritos?

Have you previewed the ads for this year’s Super Bowl? The “House Rules” spot for Doritos may be the-most LOL funny entry in years. Question is, will it create the intended ROI and sell a whole lot of…Doritos?

Greco is Gonzo; The DMA Searching for New Leadership

In a move that should surprise no one in the direct and interactive marketing spaces, John A. Greco, Jr. has resigned his post as President and CEO of The DMA.

From The DMA News Release:

New York, NY, January 19, 2010 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit multichannel direct marketers, today announced they will begin a search for a new President & CEO to replace John A. Greco, Jr. Mr. Greco has resigned his role effective today and DMA has organized a search committee to identify possible candidates.

…

“As we enter into the new decade and are anticipating an economic resurgence, it’s more important than ever to ensure that both traditional and digital multichannel direct marketing is at the forefront of that recovery,” said Eugene Raitt, Chairman of the DMA Board of Directors. “Bringing in new leadership to the management team focusing on the areas we intend to grow will be part of that process. The committee will conduct an aggressive search and I’m confident that we will find an exceptionally qualified individual to fulfill the DMA’s vision and goals.”

He continued, “DMA has committed to further developing the power of multichannel direct marketing for advertisers and consumers in the digital age. By continuing to develop strategies, content and thought-leadership, digital marketing principles will be fused throughout DMA; enabling us to grow membership, expand partnerships, enhance the Organization’s role within digital marketing and produce advanced thinking and educational programs worldwide.”

“We are grateful for John’s able service and dedication to the Direct Marketing Association over the past five years. We wish him much success with his future endeavors,” concluded Raitt.

To paraphrase the late President Gerald R. Ford, “The long national nightmare is over.”

Greco’s tenure was certainly controversial; while staging several rounds of severe staff layoffs, he raked in a total compensation package rumored to be worth nearly $1 million per year.

In October, at the onset of the DMA09 conference and exhibit held in San Diego, California, the Executive Board agreed to expand to include voting and non-voting seats for “reform bloc” candidates. Further, it agreed to form a By-Laws Committee to review the association’s governing laws and procedures. And, perhaps most important, it created a Compensation Committee to review and set management executive compensation parameters, that as Reform Bloc leader and current Board Member Gerry Pike indicated at the time, “would bring salary expectations in line with reality.”

And with that, Greco’s days running The DMA were numbered.

We wish Board Chair Gene Raitt and his executive committee well as they transition to new leadership. This industry will need all The DMA can muster.

In 4 Minutes…

Cross-posted to Sturdy Roots Blog:

…this viral-video does more to envision our future as marketers than The DMA has in the past four years.

Just another reason to submit your DMA member voting proxy TODAY, BEFORE 12:00 Pacific Time, to Gerry Pike for a better DMA.