Out of Africa

This morning, after I posted a reply to Bill Bass (a DMA board member), I asked myself: why in the hell am I doing this? We are unbelievably busy and I don’t have time for drama. As much as I like hearing from all my old friends, clients, vendors and far-too-many people named Anonymous, I have to ask myself…

Is the DMA as relevant as the fax machine, the 8-track or the CB radio? Is any of this really worth it?

Why I am supporting this organization when there are so many others that I really like? (Here’s looking at you ACMA.)

Why am I even bothering to defend an organization that puts out a Voice of a Customer (VOC) survey and then apparently suppresses it? How much did the DMA pay for it, and why — and at whatever the cost was — did management not either take advantage of it, or allow members — whose dues paid for this research — know about it and benefit from it? more

Have you seen any of the following people?

Leslie Abi-Karam, Pitney Bowes Inc.

Christine Aguilera, SkyMall, Inc.

Bill Bass, Fair Indigo

Ronald Bliwas, A. Eicoff & Company

G. Steven Dapper, hawkeye

Glenn Eisen, Guthy-Renker LLC

Rick Erwin, Experian

Nancy Evenson, NetNowVideo

Brian Fetherstonhaugh, OgilvyOne Worldwide

Steve Fuller, L.L. Bean Inc.

Andrew Goldberg, Publishers Clearing House

Susan Goodman, Goodman&Company

Karen Haefling, KeyBank more

When it comes to pop culture, I’ve never been one of the cool kids.

While all the other girls were pouring over magazines like US, People, InTouch, OK and LifeStyle to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip, I was reading the Economist and National Review.

As I said. Not cool.

From what I’ve ascertained (mostly from standing in lines at the supermarket), it appears that there are two ways to break down celebrity couples. If it’s love, you combine their names. Tom-Kat (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), Brangelina (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) and Spiedi (Spencer Pratt and Heidi-What’s-Her-Name.) If it’s war, you assign teams. Team Paris versus Team Nicole. Team Britney versus Team K-Fed.

In the world of what’s hot and who’s not, love is all rainbows, unicorns and adopted babies. War, on the other hand, is serious business. There are two distinct teams and you need to choose sides. You’re either Team Jen or Team Angelina. You must pick one. Abstaining is not an option.

So I ask you, WHERE THE HELL IS TEAM GRECO? more

Last week, before I put up my Is John A. Greco, Jr. Really Worth $838,528* Post, I e-mailed Tim Parry to ask whether or not I could use a picture of two girls Jell-o wrestling as a visual.

2.2 seconds later, I received an autoresponder. Unfortunately, Tim Parry was out of the office.

I posted the article sans the wiggly jiggly.

About an hour later, a friend called to tell me about the “Shut Amy Africa up. Send the bitch a cookie” Campaign. more

The interwebs are abuzz with direct marketing folks chatting about the smackdown between Gerry Pike and John Greco of the Direct Marketing Association.

Seems most of the discussion is focused on Greco’s salary — a figure that’s almost twice the industry average for a national nonprofit according to the ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership.

Truth is, I don’t really care how much John Greco is paid. I don’t spend my time thinking about how many days he works from home versus the office. I don’t wonder how much his spiral staircase cost or if he ever even got one. And I certainly don’t waste my time obsessing about whether or not his son spent two weeks in Italy. more

I’m not a journalist and I don’t play one on TV.

I probably should wait for someone like Ken Magill or Richard Levey to post about this and then make my comments.

But, I am not a patient person and really, this is happening NOW — as in right this very minute — and I have neither the time nor the temperament for them to dot all their i’s and cross all their t’s.

Is this acceptable for someone like me — someone who is not a reporter — to post? Probably not.

Is this the way it is in 2009? You bet your bottom dollar.

So, what’s got me all hot and bothered? more