MALVERN, Pa.—Robert Marsh, 83, founder of American Telecast Corporation, died of congestive heart failure, May 4th, surrounded by his family at his Pennsylvania home.

During World War II, he served in the Army Signal Corps in the Pacific Theater where he participated in several landings. He was awarded the Bronze Star. Marsh’s early career consisted of numerous entrepreneurial ventures. In 1975, he founded American Telecast, an industry leader in direct response marketing. The industry pioneer wanted everyone to succeed in business. He intuitively understood that if you help enough people to get what they want, you eventually get what you want.

Marsh is survived by Marjorie Damron Marsh, his wife of 61 years; two sons, John and David; and daughters, Karen Heft and Laurie Shipley; 11 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Operation Smile at 1-888-OPSMILE or 6435 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23509.

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Well, it’s getting to my favorite time of year! No, I’m not talking about the NHL and NBA playoffs, although they’re a bonus. I’m talking about an annual tradition where the cherry blossoms accent our nation’s capital and ERA members congregate to discuss with lawmakers important issues that affect the very vitality of our industry.

I was lucky enough to be embraced by the direct response community about 15 years ago. And, in that time, I’ve seen a lot of changes that have been mandated down to us by the very people we put into office to govern us. Most legislation I’ve applauded because it makes us stronger as an industry and solidifies our future. Some I’ve scratched my head at and wondered why they came to the conclusions they did. In the end, I determined that you and I are ultimately to blame for their poor decisions. WHAT?! YOU? ME?? How can one person or an individual be saddled with this blame? But, in reality, standing idly by and not participating in the legislative process is why.

ERA realized this fact three years ago and put together the Government Affairs Fly-In. It is an easy way to make our voices heard. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the first session. I was absolutely giddy to be a part of something so important. Upon arriving for the day’s events, we were broken up into teams and assigned a lobbyist that would serve as our guide through the halls and administrative offices of Capitol Hill. Each lobbyist caught us up to speed on the pending legislation. That year, it was net neutrality and online taxes, and how we could present our side of the issue in a uniformed and concise manner. We were also given a list of our congressional and senate members we had prearranged meetings with. Participation, so far, in the legislative process was as easy as getting on the waiting bus outside the hotel that took us to Capitol Hill.

Once on the Hill, our teams split up and headed for our perspective meetings. Standing on the front steps of the Capitol, I couldn’t help but feel dwarfed by the immenseness of what I was about to do. On the bright, sunny day, I reached the top of the stairs and took one last look down the Mall with its monuments and reflecting pools and knew this was going to be a special day. Entering the building I couldn’t help but feel that this is what our country is about. Hundreds of people swirled around me as they swept their way to their destinations at all levels of the rotunda. What struck me the most was how relatively quiet it was. I could hear every step I made on the marble floors echo through the labyrinth of hallways. It served as a comforting melodic beat as I moved to my meetings.

My first meeting was with a well-tenured congressman from Arizona. He and his staff were warm with their welcomes when we arrived. When we sat down, they listened respectfully as each one of us presented our part of the solution to pending legislation. It was an easy-going give and take of dialogue as the topics of our industry rolled on. Before I knew it, an hour had passed and our points were presented satisfactorily. Each meeting afterwards progressed in the same manner, with each party treating the other with respect and quite a bit of admiration for the task at hand. It was, to me, the democratic process at its best and as it was designed to be.

Getting on the bus to head back to the hotel, I took a last look back at the lit Capitol, shining outward into the night sky, and reflected. I realized then that we all made a difference that day because we came to voice our opinion on subjects that were important to this industry and to our livelihoods. I can remember a time when I thought I was a part of the legislative process by merely voting for my representatives. But, I now realize that checking a box (or hanging chad) is not the end of individual responsibility in the legislative process—it is only the beginning. The next step is as easy as joining hundreds of your fellow colleagues and me, on May 20th, on Capitol Hill for ERA’s GA Fly-In. I’m hoping to hear more than my own footsteps echoing through the halls, but rather the thunderous roar of all of us marching to ensure we influence those who influence us. After all, we’re all in this together!

Scott Swanson is vice president of sales for Motivational Fulfillment and Logistics Services

Have you been the GA Fly-In before? What was your experience like?

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Pick up the newspaper: Our country and the world are in a state of anxiety about the economy, especially in light of a potential recession. What does that mean to us as marketers? Just how does the recession affect direct response advertising? Recessions are different from other economic downturns and need to be approached differently, but there are ways to weather the storm.

History teaches us that recessions reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one. Indeed, firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased advertising.

By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256 percent over those that didn’t keep up their advertising. Why? One reason is that a recessionary market can provide an opportunity for businesses to build a greater share of market through aggressive advertising. Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves about the short-term benefits of advertising: It creates sales immediately; it generates added business from current customers; and it brings in new leads and prospects. In short, as one marketer pointed out, “When times are good, you should advertise. When times are bad, you must advertise.”

One trait of a true recession lies with shifts in consumer patterns. We can no longer expect even our core base of customers to behave in ways familiar to us and comfortable to them. Preparing for changes in consumer behavior will allow us to jumpstart new messaging, platforms and technologies—when this makes strategic sense—to capture the attention of both loyal and new customers. One false assumption is that it’s safe to reduce the advertising budget if the competition is reducing theirs. Research shows that companies maintaining or increasing advertising during periods of economic slow-down will boost market share. (more…)

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Is your company trying to make a more concerted effort to look outside for new products? These days, most businesses are. Fact is, not all good ideas come from inside your company, and it’s smart practice to be on the lookout for innovations available to license. Not only does this strategy help you discover fresh ideas, it also can lead to a more cost-effective way of finding new products.

Unfortunately, new product ideas probably aren’t going to fall into your lap. Your company needs to take a proactive approach, methodically seeking out new ways to find product ideas. One good place to start is at trade shows and especially an invention trade show. Trade shows provide businesses with a lot of new ideas in one place. Many of the innovations exhibited at trade shows are available to license, so in the span of a day or two, you can view hundreds of potential new products.

Many of these types of events are actually specific to inventions seeking licensors or manufacturers. You never know…you just might find your next hit product.

Nicole Hait is director of INPEX

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I recently heard a statistic that 76 percent of consumers don’t trust advertising. Ouch, that’s gotta hurt. This means that your industry’s credibility is only slightly more viable than Hillary’s sinking odds at snagging the Democratic nomination.

Just when you think the direct response industry, or the advertising industry at large, have finally gained some street cred, we get sacked with more FTC complaints against Kevin Trudeau or revelations that Lipitor ads featuring Dr. Robert Jarvik are misleading.

There’s a reason why “Saturday Night Live” has consistently come up with relevant material to ridicule the ad industry…we practically spoon-feed it to them.

All jokes aside, enough is enough! Join ERA and Electronic Retailer at our upcoming events, where you have the power to learn about and change the course of your industry.

April 30, NYC – ERA Legal Series: Practical Knowledge for the New Technology Landscape

The seminar will shed light on the most recent FTC developments and offer practical insights and in-depth legal solutions in the area of emerging technologies, notably behavioral advertising.

April 31, NYC – Electronic Retailer LiveEdit Lab

Discover the fate of paid programming at our Executive Media Summit, followed by a day of relevant sessions geared to keep your business ahead of the game and afloat in times of economic uncertainty.

May 20, Washington, D.C. – ERA Government Affairs Fly-In

Finally, if you truly want to be involved and have your voice heard on behalf of the industry, join with your colleagues as we teach you the legislative issues facing your business. You’ll then be paired into groups with a seasoned lobbyist to meet with your elected representatives in Congress on Capitol Hill to voice your concerns.

It’s your industry; perhaps it’s time to take some ownership.

Pat Cauley, eMedia Editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine

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According to ERA’s most recently commissioned paper, Mapping the Path to Purchase, Forrester Research suggests that television drives online sales. Indeed, 44 percent of the study’s respondents went to retail to find a product they saw on an infomercial or home shopping channel and more than one-third of consumers visit engines (eBay, Yahoo, Google, etc.) to compare prices, with more than 50 percent of those making a purchase.

But wait, there’s more; now it’s the consumers themselves who are creating pathways and signposts. It’s interesting, looking at the apparent quick rise of the “consumer influencer.” It seems just yesterday when branding was king and PR, marketing, research and agencies pushed sales. But today, through the power of blogs, online communities, forums, boards, videos on YouTube, Facebook and more, customers are definitely in charge.

I wonder what retailers think about how this will all shake out? How do retailers leverage those consumer influencers?

Sieglinde Friedman is ERA’s vice president of strategy

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Here’s a few photo highlights from parties held during ERA’s recent eRetailer Summit in Miami. Check back often, your mug shot may be up next!

Click here for more information about upcoming events!

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Senator John Kerry is up in arms. And no, it has nothing to do with Clinton, Obama, McCain or even Iraq. Recently, Kerry wrote a post for the popular Huffington Post blog in which he detailed a despicable occurrence that took place at the FCC hearing in Cambridge with Comcast concerning Net Neutrality. As if its move to block certain content a few months back wasn’t bad enough, Comcast actually stooped to paying people off the streets to pack the seats that would have otherwise been given to the hundreds of concerned citizens left literally outside in the cold.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Who cares what John Kerry or the Huffington Post say, I’m a conservative!” Well, don’t take Kerry’s word for it. ERA’s own vice president of government affairs, Bill McClellan, was there in person to witness the entire debacle. As I described in an earlier post, Net Neutrality is one of ERA’s core government affairs initiatives, because keeping the Internet free and open is vital to everyone’s continued e-commerce success. With all this talk about repurposing infomercials and content on the Internet, how would you feel if Comcast decided your site was taking up too much bandwidth and they simply stopped allowing consumers access? They wouldn’t be that shameless, would they?

I can’t stress enough the amount of money, time and energy the telecos spend on Capitol Hill lobbying to take control of the Internet, dividing it into a two-tiered system. Are you concerned but don’t know what you can do to help? I encourage you to join ERA on May 20th on Capitol Hill for our annual Government Affairs Fly-In, where we will brief you on the issues and set you up with your elected representatives so that you can voice your concerns about the vitality of your business and its bottom line’s dependence on an open Internet.

Pat Cauley, eMedia Editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine

Our exclusive interview with Senator John Kerry

Our exclusive interview with Arianna Huffington

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