Is the DMA one dead dog away from being a country song?

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?

Then, I look at Gerry Pike (aka the Little Engine that Could) and the survey results on his Polynesian Train Wreck of a website and I think. Good Lord. How many responses were there, Gerry? One? Five Hundred? No, I imagine you can’t talk about it because after all you, are a fiduciary.

DRAMA. DRAMA. DRAMA.

Yesterday, someone accused me of being the Perez Hilton of the industry. This is amusing on many levels but mostly because (a) I know jack about celebrity gossip and (b) I am the one who has consistently told people that I do not want to hear about Greco’s wife, sons, football sponsorships, spa bills, or anything to do with anything that can’t be substantiated. We all have to answer to our own God(s) or forensics accountants, as the case may be. What Greco has or has not done with his money is none of my damn business and I want to hear about it as much as I want to hear about Gerry’s Royal Silk business. Not. At. All.

FOLKS, NEITHER GERRY PIKE NOR JOHN GRECO ARE THE ISSUE.

When I started in the internet business, people told me I was nuts. They said that the internet was like teenage sex — that everyone was talking about doing it but nobody was. I was in my early 20’s and I knew that was not exactly accurate but I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t about to school the likes of Bernie Goldberg on the art of getting action. I mean really. Have you met Bernie?

Later on, when I got kinda-sorta-a-little known (in my small, small, small part of the world), people told me I was lucky. It was never my hard work, it was always my fortune. I didn’t say anything about that either. I knew I was indeed lucky but I also knew that I had worked my big-cookie-fat-ass off. More important, I had been smart enough to realize early on that I was never going to be able to compete in the world with the likes of Katie Muldoon, Jack Baer, Jack Schmid, John Coe, Vic Hunter, Liz Kislik, Don Libey and Tracy Emerick. They had been working longer than I had been alive! Plus, those people are SMART. I am just scrappy.

These days, I look at the 4K (Kool-Aid, Kumbaya & Kampfire Klub, also known as the social media crowd) and I think…. Twitter is a time-suck….. What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook….. How do you pay your bills with social capital, you wackasses? This has no ROI…. This has no value….. What a waste of damn time! Too much talking and not enough action! Are you people flipping nuts or just smoking crack?

And then I remember, that’s what people said about me — about giving up a good-paying job to “chase rainbows.”

I remember what it’s like to have passion. Passion for what you do and what you believe in.

WHEN DID DIRECT MARKETERS LOSE ALL THEIR PASSION? WHY HAS IT BECOME TEAM GEHN (GERRY/JOHN) VERSUS TEAM APATHY?

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I don’t care how much John Greco gets paid and I don’t think Gerry Pike would be a good DMA president. (I don’t think that was Gerry’s intention but if it was, he should have been a lot more explicit about it.)

I care that this industry survives. I care that the people around me like their jobs and have fun at what they do. I want them to make a lot of money — not get a lot of followers, make a lot of money.

I get what my dear friend, Grace Cohen posted on this blog. I heard folks like Kevin Kotowski. Those are good people and they have good points.

I understand the DMA isn’t what it used to be. And I also get that some of it is our damn fault.

You can give your vote to John Greco, Gerry Pike, Bill Bass, Gene Raitt, Steve Fuller — just give it to someone.

Make a statement that this industry is worth it. That you are not apathetic and that you believe in what we do.

Yell from the rooftops that you have passion. Even if it’s just a little. Even if it’s fast and furious like teenage sex. Even if you now need little blue pills or a 19 year old hottie.

THE TITANIC HASN’T SUNK YET

Last fall, people who were planning on voting for the Manchurian Candidate (read: Obama) told me that if I didn’t like Obama but didn’t love Palin, I should give my vote to Obama because at least he promised hope…

Since it seemed to work for him, I’ll tell you what I hope for…

I hope for a profitable DMA with a President like Ben Perez, Steve Berry or Markus Wilhelm.

….a Board with people who really care about marketing — like Ruth Stevens, Kevin Hillstrom, Rob Sanchez, Bernice Grossman, Cyndi Greenglass, Bill LaPierre, Lois Boyle, George Mollo, Curt Barry, Charlie Silver, Glenda Shasho-Jones, Lee Odden, Mark Amtower, Lois Geller, Carol Worthington-Levy, Dick Goldsmith and Coy Clement. People who aren’t interested so much in building their resumes as changing the face of direct marketing as we know it.

….a staff that can work together with folks from outside organizations (like Catalog Choice) that doesn’t bully them or think they’re going to go away just because they ignore them.

….conferences just as big, if not bigger, than Internet Retailer with new, interesting, relevant content and speakers.

….lobbying that is just a little tougher with lobbyists that eat small babies and mainline Red Bull.

…and direct marketers who are better off now than they were yesterday… last month… or last year…

WE’RE NOT A COUNTRY SONG QUITE YET

Our dog isn’t dead. We just need to give him a little love.

P.S. I get there are some folks who are scared to come out for Pike, for various reasons. I could go on and on about how fear got us in this mess in the first place but I will spare you that rampage for another time. What I can say is that you need to give someone your proxy. Doing nothing is of no help to anyone. You either want change or you don’t. You have a voice. Use it.

P.P.S. The deadline to send in your proxies is close of business tomorrow (Friday.) Saving them because you think you can use them to see the big smackdown between Pike and Greco is of no use as there is reportedly a Board Meeting before the Annual meeting. Please. Please send your proxies to someone who can use them.

A SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THEIR ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE ASKED ME TO TAKE THEM OFF MY LIST OF MISSING PEOPLE:

You acknowledge the public debate has been spirited. The board, which is supposed to represent the public, does not seem to have reflected this spirit. The public has had absolutely no sense, based on public statements from the board, that the board has any indication there is any sort of conflict.

You’re going to hold a board meeting in advance of the annual meeting. In the name of representing the membership, will you make the minutes of that meeting public? If so, why not make public the minutes of prior meetings, so we can evaluate both your statement that you are representing the membership — as well as either substantiating or refuting Pike’s claims that he has made requests for information which have been ignored?