The Big Fat Marketing Blog

The ING New York City Marathon may have just rocketed into a new universe. The New York Road Runners, which owns the event, has invited Edison Pena, one of the 33 rescued miners who was running three- to six-miles a day in the mine tunnels, to the marathon as either a runner or guest. (Nov. 1 Update: He accepted the invitation and will appear during race week and on race day).

Nicknamed, The Runner, the 34-year-old is also an avid Elvis fan and reportedly requested tunes from “The King” be sent down to lead the group in song.

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Last week while attending the DMA 2010 conference I watched, like many of us did, the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners. I was intently watching as a doctor describes some of the health problems the men may face including kidney problems and the fact that they had not seen light for over 60 days other than a headlamp ocassionally.

I thought about how hard it would be to come up from the dark and the impact the light would have on them and hoped that when they emerged from deep beneath the earth they would be wearing shades.

As we watched the first miner pulled from the tube I commented that I was glad to see they had more

I have lost count as to the number of DMA annual conferences I have been to, but this year seemed different, especially compared to the last three years or so when the attendance seemed so anemic.

This year around 10,000 people or so were present (from what I could gather) and the atmosphere was energetic. The conference was officially launched with the keynote of the DMA’s new president, Larry Kimmel. He gave a nice, genuine speech, announced a new, enhanced website and actually walked the show and talked to folks throughout; I personally spoke with him Tuesday morning. He may just be the spark the DMA needs to bolster membership and relevance in an uber-changing marketing environment.

This was also the first year more

At this year’s DMA:2010 conference, social marketing was the pretty new girl who’d just moved to town and already had the local boys offering to carry her books and show her around the campus. The boys didn’t know a thing about this new girl, other than that she was cute and, well, new, but they were already ignoring the girls next door in hopes of getting the newcomer’s attention.

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Since the Postal Regulatory Commission rejected the U.S. Postal Service’s request for an exigent rate case, can small parcel companies breathe a sigh of relief? more

When you think about it, Craig Ferguson was a very appropriate choice to host the Direct Marketing Association’s ECHO Awards.

The man clearly gets marketing. He’s on Twitter regularly, representing his brand. He promoted his autobiography “American On Purpose” on his show shamelessly. And, he appreciates Dyson’s infomercial claims about “the proper amount of suction.”

Ferguson took to the stage at San Francisco’s Moscone Center Tuesday evening by cheekily noting that the ceremony was “usually hosted by Jay Leno, and then Conan wanted the job, and now I’m here,” a sly dig at the fact that Leno was initially announced as the ECHO host.

Sure, he’s been around the Emmys and the Oscars, but the ECHOs? “This is the big day!” he joked.

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