July Award for Honesty and Humility in the Media

As a native of Big D, I’m proud to give the award to the Dallas Observer. It carried a Page 1 article about the show Top Chef being taped in Dallas, then followed with this correction on its blog (about its description of Janis Burklund of the Dallas Film Commission):

Due to the author being a complete moron, an earlier version of this article misidentified Burklund as someone totally different. We regret the error, because getting the names of people right is definitely in the top 25 of Important Journalism-y Things.

The TODAY Show Features the Direct Selling Association

Congratulations to the Direct Selling Association (DSA) on the terrific coverage it received this week from The TODAY Show! The segment showed the vibrancy of the modern direct selling industry, highlighting the flexibility and fun of running your own business, while painting a realistic picture of the amount of work it takes to be successful.

PCG has worked with DSA for more than five years on an Image Enhancement Program, an integrated communications and marketing campaign designed to help change outdated perceptions of the direct selling business (think Mary Kay and Avon). The effort is paying off. As the TODAY segment noted, there are now more than 16 million direct sellers in the United States – a record number for the industry.

Watch the segment below to get a snapshot of the direct selling industry and an inside look at a home party. It may inspire you to attend a friend’s party or even to host one of your own.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

PCG Featured in Associations Now

It’s always nice to be recognized for a job well done. It happened to us recently in an article published in the monthly magazine of the American Society of Association Executives that recounts PCG’s recent work with the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS).

Trade associations and professional societies are looking for new ways to raise non-dues revenue, and new or expanded sponsorship opportunities are an increasingly popular option. CAS hired PCG to expand its offerings and develop an integrated approach that would provide existing sponsors with new opportunities and bring additional sponsors into the program.

“A smart new sponsorship strategy involves working collaboratively with interested sponsors to create bundled packages tailored to their budget, interest and market,” the article in Associations Now states. “CAS and PCG took this approach when it created the Society Partners Program two years ago. Offered on an annual basis, the program requires an upfront commitment and investment from sponsors, who can then select from a menu of media through which to deliver their messages.”

Our resident marketing expert, Senior Associate Marge Wasson, credits the success of the new CAS program to the fact that it makes the most of the Society’s assets and offers maximum flexibility for sponsors.

If you subscribe to Associations Now, we encourage you to read the full article by Jennifer J. Salopek in the June issue. Page 42.