ATTENTION! The ERA Annual Awards - the premier awards program for the DR industry - is looking for submissions for the 2010 Awards. You have until Monday, May 24 to prepare and submit your finest campaign or production. Categories range from Best Long Form U.S. Hispanic to Best Live Shopping On-Air Guest and everything in between.
While you’re at the Canadian Marketing Association National Convention later this month, don’t forget to attend the ERA Networking Reception on Wednesday, May 26 at Rosewater. ERA hosts these Networking Receptions throughout the year and across the globe during major DR-related industry events. We want to provide our members a convenient way to interact specifically with other DR marketing industry professionals away from the sometimes hectic and difficult to manage trade show floor.
To learn more about the ERA Networking Reception: Toronto and to register, please visit retailing.org/Toronto. Also check out the photos from the 2009 ERA Networking Reception: Toronto! For a complete list of upcoming ERA events, visit retailing.org/events. Hope to see you soon!
The Electronic Retailing Association has surveyed its membership and the direct-to-consumer commerce community at large and learned that the industry is looking for more original content to help companies improve their bottom line.
ERA has listened. And now we’re responding.
We’ve already taken steps toward becoming a true content-driven association and will be dramatically increasing the publication of original content and research.
But we need your help.
Please take less than five-minutes to complete this survey. We’ll use the results to shape ERA’s editorial calendar to ensure that we deliver you timely content on the topics most crucial to your business—and in the formats you prefer.
Be sure to include your contact information in the space provided on the survey to be included in a drawing for a FREE All Access Pass to the 2010 ERA D2C Convention at the Wynn Las Vegas September 21-23 — an $800+ value!
In case you’ve missed the news, registration for the 2010 ERA D2C Convention is officially open! Not only has THE ONE show for the direct-to-consumer marketing industry moved to a fabulous and exclusive new venue (hint:it is a homophone of “win”), but for a limited time you can register and receive special savings!
Register by July 1 and receive a Show Floor Only Pass for FREE (ERA members) or $99 (non-members). The All Access Pass is only $835 (ERA members) or $1,399 (non-members). New this year, you will also need to separately register for a ticket to the ERA Annual Awards Gala - just $179 (ERA members) and $299 (non-members): www.D2Cshow.org/registration. Go ahead little birdie - spread your wings and register today!
ERA’s annual Government Affairs Fly-In is where direct response executives get together to advocate for our industry on the Hill. First, participants get the latest information on upcoming legislative and regulatory proposals. Then they have a hands-on opportunity to present our industry’s concerns directly to members of Congress and their staff. The work you do at the Fly-In lets lawmakers know we aren’t just advocates in Washington, rather we are an entire industry of entrepreneurs that can be affected by what happens inside the Beltway. Of course the event wouldn’t be complete without great networking, so we include two vibrant networking receptions. Plus, spending time on the Hill is like playing a team sport, so you get beyond exchanging business cards and start forming real relationships.
We’re also adding new features this year. Because we are moving the Fly-In to Tuesday-Wednesday, we’ll have more meetings with members of Congress. Plus, our education will be both more informative and more interesting than ever before. You’ll have an in-depth educational webinar before the Fly-In. At the Fly-In you will participate in an interactive game where you can experience the day to day pressures faced by a member of Congress. This is a helpful tool for those new to politics and seasoned veterans alike – plus it’s a lot of fun. (Warning: This can get competitive!) We’re also including an exciting presentation on how the electoral landscape may change in 2010 – so you can be in the know before anyone else.
So far members of the DR industry, including many from ERA’s Latin America Council have donated over $18,900 to help aid in relief efforts in Chile. Two ERA member companies, A3D and Falabella, have offices in affected areas. To the left is a picture from the A3D offices after the earthquake hit.
It appears that nearly 2 million people were affected by this disaster. It is estimated that rebuilding will take at least 3 or 4 years and may cost tens of billions of dollars.
Please take a moment to consider helping our DR industry colleagues and all of the Chilean people affected by this disaster.
Acclaimed celebrity host and industry veteran Forbes Riley will be inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame on March 14 in Chicago. She follows in the footsteps of fellow Hall-of-Famers and fitness icons Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack LaLanne, Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda—just a few of the more-than-50 inductees.
According to a Hall of Fame spokesman, Forbes is joining a prestigious inductee class of six for her work as a celebrity spokesperson and for using her passion and dynamic personality to bring others to fitness across multiple mediums.
ERA and Electronic Retailer magazine are proud of Forbes and congratulate her on this incredible achievement!
“Chicago, Chicago
That toddlin’ town
Chicago, Chicago
I’ll show you around, I love it
Bet your bottom dollar
You’ll lose the blues
In Chicago, Chicago”
Lose YOUR blues and join your direct response industry colleagues on Monday, March 15 at the first ERA Networking Reception of 2010. Conveniently taking place during the International Housewares Show in Chicago, this ERA Networking Reception is one that you won’t want to miss. ERA Networking Receptions draw large, but social and manageable crowds, allowing you to easily make new contacts away from the busy show floor of the Housewares Show.
Come to Flatwater Restaurant (just over two miles away from the convention center) from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. and eat, drink and chat the evening away. There is also a networking dinner taking place after the reception at Flatwater should you wish to continue the networking after the reception ends.
Electronic Retailer’sJanuary 2010 issue featuring Jeff Taylor (founder of Monster.com and CEO of Eons.com) is now available online. For more information on Jeff’s upcoming keynote address at the ERA Great Ideas Summit, click here.
The FTC has recently released new Guides on Endorsements and Testimonials. These new Guides mean new rules for all types of marketers and talent. But are you ready to comply? Take this pop quiz to see if you are prepared:
Can celebrities have liability for endorsing a product that does not work?
Can you ever use a disclaimer like “results not typical�
Do you need to do a study to show what the generally expected result will be for your product? If so, what kind of data do you need?
Are you responsible for the claims your affiliates make? If so, what can you do to avoid liability for the actions of rogue affiliates who make claims you don’t agree with?
A celebrity wears clothing with your logo as part of a contract. Is this an endorsement?
What is a clear and conspicuous disclosure on a blog?
When you show a testimonial, are you claiming that others will experience similar results?
Can you structure your TV spots in a way that does not send consumers the message that they will experience similar results?
(How) Can you comply by simply editing your existing spot?
What is the FTC particularly concerned about? How can you make sure you are complying with the Guides?
Get the answers to these questions and ask your own at the ERA Spotlight Sessions: Endorsements and Testimonials. The first session is December 7 in New York City, the second session is December 14 in Long Beach, CA and the final session will be a live webinar on December 17 (free to ERA members).
Rich Cleland, an Assistant Director in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection will participate in each session. He will be joined by top legal experts in the industry to answer your questions. The two in-person sessions will be half-day events including two panels and a question and answer session with all of the panelists. These in person sessions will give you the opportunity to meet and share strategies with others experiencing similar challenges. See the details and register now. retailing.org/ERA_Spotlight_Sessions
The spookiest of American holidays is just days away. If you’re like me, you’re still scrambling for a unique and easy-to-throw-together-last-minute costume. The thought entering an over-stimulating and smelly party store just days before Halloween is out of the question for me, but will be my outfit be as cool as others?
Apparently the days of your dad throwing a sheet over your body and calling you a ghost are over. The costumes these days are more and more intricate and creative. From Kate Gosselin wigs to the late Michael Jackson and DRTV’s very own Billy Mays outfits, the best-selling costumes this Halloween season are personal and fierce!
Think dressing up as the legendary Billy Mays is tasteless and offensive? Well, Billy’s son, Billy Mays III, gives these outfits the Mays’ signature two thumbs up seal of approval! He’s even throwing a contest for his fans to see who has the best Billy Mays outfit on his website www.wheresbillymays.com. So go ahead, bust out your blue shirt and represent Billy’s positive spirit this season - you won’t be alone!
It’s not a far stretch to say that everyone that attended the ERA Networking Reception in San Diego on Monday, October 19, had a FABULOUS time. With 200+ direct response pros in attendance on the rooftop of Stingaree, the vibe and overall buzz of the evening was upbeat and optimistic. The drinks were flowing, the atmosphere was perfect and the conversations were flowing! Many people said they were making more connections during the two hour reception than they had made all day on the conference in town!
Having Andi Barness and Ben Freedman from PrimeImage Media at the reception also created a lot of buzz, they managed to get more than a dozen interviews with attendees asking why they were planning on coming to The Great Ideas Summit 2010 in New Orleans. Check out the video they produced below and the pictures that Kim Lewis with ERA snapped. www.ERAGreatIdeas.org
For all of you that attended, we hope it was a worthwhile and successful networking event for you!
Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission released its revised Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. The Guides are more than 80 pages long, so we’re still analyzing the changes. However, there is no question that our extensive advocacy efforts have had an effect on the final iteration of the Guides. The commentary included with the changes explains that advertisements using consumer testimonials should be evaluated by the net impression of the advertisement. A footnote in the revised Guides also suggests that in some cases a disclaimer could be sufficient. A more comprehensive legal document will be circulated shortly, but it is clear from a preliminary review that our efforts have not been made in vain. The 35 advocacy meetings on the Hill, 40 constituent meetings at the Fly-In, the testimony before the Senate, two sets of detailed comments and our suggested language were all helpful in presenting our case to the FTC.
However, the new Guides certainly do present some challenges, both to traditional TV marketers and those in social media. ERA is already planning educational opportunities that will provide suggestions for compliance with these changes. We hope the FTC will seize the opportunity to improve the marketplace by presenting to these changes to ERA members at one of our conferences.
Members who attended the Fly-In, supported the Leadership Reception, participated in the Government Affairs Committee, helped to author and review our comments to the FTC, and of course, testified before the Senate, were all instrumental in mitigating some of the more harmful changes. We thank you.
ATTENTION! The ERA Annual Awards - the premier awards program for the DR industry - is looking for submissions for the 2010 Awards. You have until Monday, May 24 to prepare and submit your finest campaign or production. Categories range from Best Long Form U.S. Hispanic to Best Live Shopping On-Air Guest and everything in between.
The Electronic Retailing Association has surveyed its membership and the direct-to-consumer commerce community at large and learned that the industry is looking for more original content to help companies improve their bottom line.
So far members of the DR industry, including many from ERA’s Latin America Council have donated over $18,900 to help aid in relief efforts in Chile. Two ERA member companies, A3D and Falabella, have offices in affected areas. To the left is a picture from the A3D offices after the earthquake hit.
Electronic Retailer’s 
