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"Koeppel Direct's media buying expertise has played an integral role in making my company successful. Koeppel generated so much business for our company, occasionally we have to limit their media buys, in order to handle all of the new business." | |
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MEDIA BUYING DIRECT RESPONSE TELEVISION (DRTV) ARTICLE ...... |
A message from ERA (Electronic Retailing Association)'s President & CEO regarding the success of FLBA Invention Showcase
Published: 06/06 - ERA |
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On Wednesday, ERA, in partnership with Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda and
sponsor Koeppel Direct, a leading direct response TV media buying firm announced the winners of the
Invention Showcase to find America's best young inventor. Sister team Julia (18) and Caroline (16) La
Roche from Farmville, VA won the $20,000 grand prize for ?Flea Tea,? a natural herb remedy that kills fleas
on cats and dogs without any harmful side effects.
Mitchell Duffy (16) came in second with "Butter Blaster," a device that evenly distributes butter throughout
an entire bucket of popcorn. Third-place went to Tyson Williams (18) for his ?Floating Game Table,? a
table-top with built-in drink holders and chip tray for game playing in the pool or spa. Christopher
Messick (16) was fourth for the ?Gesture System for Computer Interface,? a device consisting of two
gloves which read all the movements of the hands and allows computer users to type, move the cursor and
input entire phrases, all without ever touching a keyboard or computer mouse. The second to fourth-place
winners each received $2,500.
The announcement was covered in more than 50 print outlets from Virginia to Las Vegas and was featured on a
DC FOX news program.
I imagine some of you are reading this and saying to yourselves, ?Great, but what did ERA get out of
it??
As you know, over the last three years, ERA has committed itself to enhancing and broadening the
credibility of electronic retailing. The Association has worked on this objective in many ways and
corporate social responsibility is one tool to help achieve this goal. It isn't just about doing the
right thing, it also offers direct business benefits.
"This program seemed a natural fit for our student membership," said Jean Buckley, President and CEO of
FBLA-PBL. "Today, they impressed us all with their innovative ideas produced by America's most creative
minds."
The six finalists were also given the opportunity to spend time with contest sponsor Peter Koeppel of
Koeppel Direct, a leading DRTV media buying firm who provided tips to success in product selection,
effective direct marketing and promotion.
"As an entrepreneur who started my own business, I am honored to be the sponsor of this incredible
program and to contribute to the future success of these young inventors," said Peter Koeppel, Founder
and CEO of Koeppel Direct.
Working with the Future Business Leaders of America, ERA benefits from goodwill by association,
which helps move the public opinion barometer from simple awareness to favorability.
ERA's efforts to protect the young contestants' ideas and inventions further enhances its
organizational esteem, and helps demonstrate its leadership in integrity and ethical business practices,
and that of its member companies.
The ERA FBLA Invention Showcase also demonstrates the association's forward-looking direction to broaden
its membership to the next generation of electronic retail marketers. This future focus with an eye toward
growing the ERA brand is an important industry-positioning asset.
Perception is truth. The Invention Showcase reflects the principles ERA members enact every day and
offers a means by which the association can manage and influence the attitudes and perceptions of
its stakeholders, build their trust and enable the benefits of positive relationships to deliver
business advantage.
While the press coverage from the event has certainly helped increase awareness of ERA - which is always a
good thing - the opportunity to enhance our image and reputation is the greater commodity going forward
as we continue to grow the association, and build strategic alliances and relationships on the
Hill.
ERA congratulates the winners and wishes them the all the best in their future endeavors.
More information about the ERA FBLA event can be found in the Press Release section of www.retailing.org.
Click Here to read the press release from ERA.
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