If a nearly illegible note on my page-a-day calendar is correct, John A. Greco Jr.’s term as the new Direct Marketing Association president and CEO started at 12:01 a.m. Monday. This means that most folks will read this column within his first 24 hours on the job.
That’s enough time to bring out the long knives, don’tcha think?
Well, no, there’s no need to sharpen the quills just yet. But it’s a fine time to offer some thoughts on the DMA.
When I spoke with Greco after he was named, but before he took office, he mentioned that he wanted to go out among the industry, shake hands and get feedback from marketers. I can’t help with the first two, but I can offer Direct Newsline’s “Letters to the Editor” section for your open missives to him.
My own suggestions center around making my job as an industry reporter easier. As a DM reporter, my chief praise for the DMA as an organization is that its press liaisons have been uniformly professional and well informed.
My chief complaint is that its Web site is the slowest to load and browse of any I’ve encountered. I dread when it is absolutely necessary for me to log on to it in search of information. For folks on the fence about, say, registering for a conference or purchasing research briefs, the site’s slowness to load has to be a turnoff.
During industry conferences, I hope Greco will be a visible and accessible figure – not just part of the opening keynote and the first luncheon, but out shaking hands and talking with conventioneers in the corridors. In the interest of his dignity, we’ll spare making him wear the crown, scepter and sash of office in public – at least for now.
So, folks, send me your suggestions. Keep ‘em clean, keep ‘em constructive and keep ‘em signed with your name, title, affiliation, city and state. We don’t run unattributed letters.
If I receive no reactions, I’ll assume all is well regarding how the industry views its primary organization. It’s in your hands.
To respond to the opinions in this column, or to offer your own to Greco, please contact rlevey@primediabusiness.com
