Monday, March 8, 2010

RMI attends CAP Workfest

On March 3rd, Debbie and I were in Jackson County, Kentucky volunteering for Christian Appalachian Project’s Workfest, whose mission is to aid the poor in Appalachia. The job at hand was to replace a worn and leaky roof. Debbie worked with the crew whose responsibility was to rip off the old roof (7 tons and 3 layers worth of shingles) and lay down tar paper. I was in charge of cutting tin sheets to size to replace the discarded shingles. Though it was hard work, it was gratifying to be able to directly help out a needy family.

We took some other photos too, click on this link to see them.

Labels: client, employees

posted by Rich Leary at 8:42 AM   0 comments

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Catholic Digest unveils a new website

Catholic Digest has been working on re-creating the look and feel of their new website for the past few months. Yesterday they launched the new site and I must say it’s a huge improvement. RMI is excited about the website and thrilled to share the news with our audience.

The home page is welcoming and clear in demonstrating what Catholic Digest is about. The navigation is easy; you can visit pages that focus on faith, family, people, recipes, well being, travel, making a difference, and more. I love the recipes and their readers’ stories which share true life experiences.

On the website they also announced the launch of the “Voices of Catholic Digest” blog.

Labels: client

posted by Cyndi Lee at 11:00 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Kelly gets roasted for a good cause!

The National Press Club hosted a dais of amateur roasters, who poked fun at and toasted Past-Chair of the DMA board Kelly Browning, to benefit the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s Conference Scholarship program.

Kelly, being a good sport, allowed the illustrious panel which included our very own Rich Leary to make fun of him and his long history and involvement in the direct mail industry. The packed room was filled with laughter and water was even seen coming out of a client’s nose as some obvious and some inside jokes were shared.

The response to the roasters by Kelly was hysterical and will not be forgotten anytime soon. The evening was wonderfully entertaining and brought in over $4,000 for the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s Conference Scholarship fund.

For more pictures of the event, click here.

Labels: client, DMA Nonprofit, DMA Nonprofit Federation

posted by Tally at 7:51 AM   0 comments

Monday, December 14, 2009

Why magazines won't die

Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc, posted a really great article on 12/10/09 in FolioMagazine.com about why she thinks magazines won’t die. She talks about which magazines she chooses to read, and why - and I can relate. I want a magazine to sit back and relax with, and I’d much rather it be one that is going to give me a great experience and surprise me with information, pictures and more throughout the entire issue. Maria references Garden & Gun as one of her favorite magazines when it comes to getting a really entertaining reading experience. I agree (although I may be little biased here because I have been working on the Garden & Gun file for about a year).

When I was first introduced to Garden & Gun I was a little skeptical about how the marketplace would react to the title; Garden & Gun. Garden & Gun is a southern lifestyle magazine that covers so much - from the sportsman’s side of things, to the beautiful landscape, and gardens of the south. After getting to know the magazine more and seeing how it has grown since the launch, and the positive reaction from the marketplace and readers, I have also become a big fan. From the lovely photos of places and people, the articles on art, antiques, wine, recipes, gardens and more, this magazine is very intriguing and is a great experience to read it. This is one of those magazines that does it right and you save and leave on your coffee table to read again.

Personally, I don’t think we have seen the last of magazines shutting down but there are so many that are doing it right and continue to grow utilizing all the media channels successfully – including print. So while there are other magazines I prefer to read online or get a digital version, there is still a handful that I won’t stop getting through the mail because of the quality of the content and the experience it gives you that you don’t get online.

Labels: client, magazine, print

posted by Cyndi Lee at 1:46 PM   0 comments

Friday, November 6, 2009

RMI gets pink!

Labels: client, fundraising, nonprofit

posted by katie geraci at 1:27 PM   0 comments

Monday, October 19, 2009

Catholic Digest picks Catholic Charities USA for their 2009 Love Your Neighbor Award

This month Catholic Digest readers choose Catholic Charities USA as the 2009 recipient of the Catholic Digest Love Your Neighbor award.

Catholic Charities USA will use the $5,000 award money towards their mission to reduce poverty, support families, and empower communities. Representatives from the organization were presented with a check by Catholic Digest publisher Bret Thomas at the 2009 National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC) in Washington, DC.

Labels: client

posted by Cyndi Lee at 6:41 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Pink On Purpose

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has started Pink on Purpose to draw attention to the fact that 1 out of 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. With these alarming numbers they want everyone to know that early detection is the best way for prevention.

Participation is simple. Just pick a date, any date that works for you, and then sign up on their website. You will receive a package full of supplies including decorations and more information on how to donate if you want. Each person who wants to be involved donates $5.00 and on your designated date you wear pink, the symbol for breast cancer awareness. It's easy and it goes to a worthy cause.

Labels: client, fundraising, nonprofit

posted by martin stein at 12:23 PM   0 comments

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Pegg Nadler named Direct Marketer of the Year by Target Marketing

Target Marketing’s October 2009 issue announces their Direct Marketer of the Year is Pegg Nadler, Vice President of Database Marketing at Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.

I have known of Pegg Nadler for many years in the industry but I never had the privilege of working with her until January 2007. At the time, Pegg was undergoing a huge project building the HFM Marketing Database when RMI partnered with HFM in managing their list rental file. We spent a lot of time with Pegg and her team constructing the new list rental database. It was such a pleasure to work with her on this project and we continue to work with her as she is always finding new ways to improve the database. She is a wealth of knowledge, a visionary and extremely strategic. With all these ingredients she is truly a successful marketer.

I have also had the pleasure of serving on the Direct Marketing Club of NY’s board of directors with Pegg for the past two years. There she brings so much of her strategic methodologies and is a great asset to the club.

RMI congratulates Pegg and wish her many more years of success!

Labels: award, client

posted by Cyndi Lee at 8:25 AM   1 comments

New CSPI study asks for additional FDA regulation

When I hear a client's name (CSPI) mentioned in the media I always tune in to see the latest announcements, but with a headline of the “10 Riskiest Healthy Foods” my interest was really peaked.

After watching the report and reading the article I hope I can keep my family and myself safe but I am a little concerned about eating these foods out:

• Leary Greens
• Eggs
• Tuna
• Oysters
• Potatoes
• Cheese
• Ice Cream
• Tomatoes
• Sprouts
• Berries

Thanks to CSPI for another informative study.

Labels: client

posted by Tally at 7:15 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Retro is in at ALA

In the New York Times last week there was an article addressing the effects of this economic downturn and how it’s generated a trend of innovative, or if you will, retro thinking. Volkswagen featuring the 1964 Beetle in commercials and Nationwide Insurance resurrecting its “Nationwide is on your side” catchphrase are examples.

American Lung Association is no exception. In an effort to stem the decrease in donations ALA is interjecting modern flair into their century old Christmas Seals promotions. This popular promo, which mailed millions of decorative stamp-sized seals for Xmas card envelopes, was extremely successful over the decades up until the early 90s. Coinciding TV spots included A-List celebrity endorsers such as John Wayne and Gary Cooper. However, as ALA’s original mission of fighting tuberculosis expanded to include contemporary respiratory threats such as air pollution and smoking, their Christmas Seals promo remained relatively unchanged. Though Wayne and Cooper aren’t with us anymore, in the new TV spot a modern actor is shown lighting a gas lamp which goes into freeze frame then morphs into a seal, the exact seal from decades earlier and as a voice intones. “In 1946, the American Lung Association added clear skies to America’s Christmas wishes” as the seal is pressed onto to an envelope the voiceover continues, “For over 100 years your gifts to Christmas Seals have helped us fight for healthy lungs and air. Celebrate another year.”

The average direct mail donor to Xmas Seals ALA is 68 year old females. Only 10% of respondents aged 25-34 said they were “very familiar” with Xmas Seals. Compared to nearly half of those over 65.

ALA’s hoping to create more awareness in the younger audience by putting this ad, and other new retro ads, not only on TV but on-line with a Facebook application for sending virtual Xmas Seals to friends.

Real innovative thinking from a time past. Here’s to its success.

Labels: client, direct mail, fundraising

posted by Rich Leary at 8:30 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Fall Fun from Arbor Day

Labels: Arbor day, client, fall

posted by Alan Yu at 8:45 AM   0 comments

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Change the title

The title if this article is terrible but the message is one that RMI adheres to strictly.

Labels: client

posted by martin stein at 9:16 AM   0 comments

Friday, May 1, 2009

No Recession Here: GMCR thrives in a downed economy while promoting social responsibility

Labels: client, environment, green, nonprofit

posted by Hillary Taylor at 11:15 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A weekend with the trees

On Friday afternoon, our Alan Yu, Debbie McLain and Mike Kertelits skipped town to spend the weekend on the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City. According to Mike, the farm was "very inspiring," it looked "like Arbor Day took 260 acres of woodlands, and plopped them down right in the middle of the corn fields in Nebraska."

The plan was to attend the 2009 Arbor Day Awards Ceremonies & Banquet and tend to some business - but the photos show they ended up doing a lot more: tree climbing, playing a marimba, sawing a log, touring Hero Gallery... (why wasn't I invited?)

They also had the opportunity to visit Laura Smith's Pioneer Elm Tree, planted last year in her honor. We've been told it will grow to be very big and very beautiful some day...

Until next year, it's out of the trees and back to selling and mail planning for this trio. Maybe next year they'll invite me too.

Labels: client, employees

posted by becky terhaar at 6:26 AM   0 comments

Friday, April 10, 2009

Coincidence? I think not.

I watched a program called Children of the Mountain on ABC’s 20/20 at the beginning of March. I was so overwhelmed by how little these people live with everyday that I felt compelled to do something. So, I sent an email out to the office saying that if you are doing a little spring cleaning in your closets consider donating them to a clothing drive RMI is sponsoring for our client Christian Appalachian Project. I figured we could get a box or two of clothes to send to their offices.

Well… the response has been tremendous. The RMI staff, and a few friends Martin notified of our drive, collected over 20 giant boxes of adult and children’s clothing. That is over 2 pallets worth of goods to be transported.

While we considered our options for shipping such a sizable donation to CAP, Tally came across a story on MSNBC about a mom in Old Greenwich, Amy Guerrieri, who was inspired by the same program and created a partnership with CAP to distribute supplies.

What are the chances? Amy and her husband Rob’s company, Rockin Water happened to be planning a May delivery and was gracious enough to take our donation in their next shipment.

A big thanks goes out to the RMI Staff, and Martin’s friends: Pam Lucchesi, Karen Mullen, Lori Ylagan and Kristen Briody for their contributions to our clothing drive.

Check out Amy and Rob’s company website to find out more about their amazing product, and what they’re doing to help people in Appalachia.

Labels: client, nonprofit

posted by Siobhan Caragine at 11:09 AM   0 comments

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Time Inc. launches PeoplePets.com

In the Ides of the superstar blog ICanHazCheeseburger.com it makes sense that Time Inc. would capitalize on a new wave of pet audiences and launch PeoplePets.com. Plus they've done it incredibly well...

What makes this site so great is that it's fun. There are plenty of products on the market already that cater to providing information about pet care, but what this site does is it lets the reader engage with the site and its community, almost as a form of recreation. Users can post pictures about their pets, answer polls, enter contests, give their opinion, pick up on pet trends and more.

I don't even own a pet right now (sadly) and I like it! ...And apparently, so do the advertisers.

Labels: client

posted by becky terhaar at 5:17 AM   0 comments

Monday, March 2, 2009

1/3 of all cancers in the US could be prevented

That was one portion of the ground-breaking news reported on Friday, February 26th when AICR/WCRF launched the most comprehensive report on cancer prevention policy ever undertaken.

An e-newsletter from AICR on friday said "We can prevent over 45% of colon cancer cases and 38% of breast cancer cases in the U.S. by making changes in our diet, physical activity and weight control... The new WCRF/AICR Report is called Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention - Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. The report tells us what kinds and how many cancer cases can be prevented, and it details 48 specific policy recommendations that would significantly reduce the burden of cancer now affecting more than 1.4 million Americans every year."

The link above will take you to a landing page where you can view further video coverage or download a PDF of the entire report. Donations can also be made directly to the organization and their cause here.

AICR's strides towards cancer research and prevention is truly remarkable. RMI is so proud to have been a part of their fundraising efforts for over 20 years. We congratulate you all on your hard work and continued dedication.

Labels: client

posted by becky terhaar at 9:42 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Off come my clothes!

Labels: client, employees, fundraising

posted by Michael Kertelits at 6:33 AM   0 comments

Friday, December 12, 2008

Consumer Reports goes to the mall

In an effort to reach new targeted markets Consumer Reports was in 16 malls around the Boston area. In 3 of the malls they set up kiosks called Smart Labs which had 6 stations housing LED monitors and free access to ConsumerReports.org. The idea was to get younger shoppers, who might not otherwise do consumer research before making a purchase, to log onto their online service. The other malls had stations where they could get passes for 24 hour free access to the service, which ran from November 25th through December 7th.

Labels: client, publishers

posted by martin stein at 11:55 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Connie Awards

This past Thursday, Rich Leary and I attended the National Wildlife Federation's National Conservation Achievement Awards and Dinner - known informally as the “Connie Awards.” The night went to honoring those individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting wildlife through education, advocacy and on-the-ground conservation.

The evening was held at the prestigious Mayflower Hotel. The MC of the evening was the energetic and charismatic Jack Hanna. He was assisted by several of his furry and scaly friends. Personally, I prefer the furry but all were entertaining in their own non-threatening way.

It was a wonderful evening that turned this young marketer from an observer to an activist. Those attendees and honorees made compelling comments regarding the future of our planet and seeing those animals directly affected tugged at my heart strings. Isn’t it true how people have a tendency to disregard things if it doesn’t directly affect them or if they don’t see it for themselves? Well, I am here to tell you that I saw all I needed to see and heard all I needed to hear to realize that if we, or our children, don’t do something to help reverse the effects of what we have already done, then we are just sitting back letting our planet die right before our eyes. Now I am not one to wag my finger in anyone’s face but I hope that if anything, this blog makes you think. It’s a step in the right direction.

PS: The picture above is of me and the lovely Martina White from NWF.

Labels: client, NWF

posted by Justine Ciocchi at 9:09 AM   0 comments

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Alliance for Pediatric Quality recognizes CFF

What an honor it is to work with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. CFF was just selected by the Alliance for Pediatric Quality “as a program of excellence because of its impact on improving the quality and length of life for children with cystic fibrosis”.

You may not hear about CFF as much as I do but they are constantly in the news for breakthroughs in research, clinical trials of new drugs, and developing new treatments and programs for treating cystic fibrosis. The organization has also been highlighted for their unique business model of funding development and testing of new drugs, and for their amazing efficiency and fiscal responsibility.

CFF is truly an inspiring organization and RMI is honored to help them in their fight against cystic fibrosis!

Labels: client, nonprofit

posted by Debbie McLain at 7:50 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Congratulations to the VFW

Labels: client

posted by martin stein at 10:05 AM   1 comments

Monday, July 28, 2008

List of the Year Winners

Labels: client

posted by martin stein at 6:14 PM   0 comments

Monday, May 5, 2008

Debbie & Justine spend some time in the trees

Labels: client, employees, green

posted by becky terhaar at 12:28 PM   0 comments