Recently, I argued that "superior strategy and expert execution" are "the twin weapons that are determining who comes out on top" in the DRTV industry these days.
So what does expert execution look like? As I see it, it involves a high degree of competence in five key areas. Click here to find out what those areas are in this month's Field Report.
A friend informed me today of the the sad news that Steve Rivkin passed away on November 16. He was 69.
Steve was a colleague of mine at IdeaVillage, and we remained in contact over the years. I always looked up to and admired Steve as a legend in the field. For those who don't know, he was an accomplished marketing consultant who spent 14 years with Jack Trout and Al Ries at their famous firm. He co-wrote six books on marketing, including four with Mr. Trout. He was also a renowned product-naming expert. I have written about and linked to his Naming Newsletter on several occasions (e.g. here, here and here).
You can read a profile of Steve's accomplishments on Wikipedia. His obituary is here.
I will truly miss Steve. My deepest condolences to his wife and family.
After a fair and objective review of all of the candidates for 2016 DRMA Member of the Year, I have determined that one candidate stands above the rest and should receive your vote.
The SciMark Report endorses: Asieya Pine.
Here are the top three reasons you should vote for Asieya:
So don't delay: CLICK HERE to vote for Asieya today!
My SciMark Report in print for October is now available on the Response Website.
This month I cover: Allstar's True Touch, IdeaVillage's Airbrush Magic and Telebrands' Couch Coat.
Federal authorities arrested an employee of an unnamed DRTV company Thursday for allegedly selling trade secrets, according to the US attorney's office in New Jersey. As explained in a press release:
Ralph Mandil, 37, of West Long Branch, New Jersey, was arrested by special agents of the FBI following a two-month sting operation in which he offered to sell to undercover agents inside information about his employer’s business. He is charged by complaint with one count of theft of trade secrets and one count of wire fraud ...
Between Aug. 1, 2016, and Oct. 12, 2016, Mandil allegedly exchanged emails, phone calls and held meetings with people he believed were representatives of a New Jersey-based competitor of Victim 1. The individuals he was communicating with were, in fact, government agents outfitted with audio/video recording devices.
Throughout those communications, Mandil allegedly offered to provide the agents with proprietary trade secrets belonging to Victim 1, including unreleased product names, specifications, artwork, advertising, market data, manufacturing and other information, in addition to providing them with access to Victim 1’s “drop box,” or cloud storage account, in exchange for $197,500.
Mandil faces up to 10 years in prison for the theft of trade secrets charge and up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge.
I asked Telebrands President AJ Khubani to comment on the news. "Hopefully this will make people in our industry think twice about sharing valuable trade secrets," he said.
