XBIZ Premiere is pleased to present “Execs of 2016: The Year in Review” — a special showcase of the thoughts and strategies of 2016’s most influential and motivational leaders as they offer their take on the year’s top trends.
Each of the executives we spoke to is among the finalist nominees for the retail industry edition of the 2017 XBIZ Exec Awards.
Branding is best represented by a key and consistent presence of leadership, visibility, support, a key voice for the brand, a brand ambassador. So Daphne and I significantly upped our road game this year to get out and deliver on our promise. -Michelle A. Marcus, Sliquid
The following question about the year in review was asked to those running for the Brand Ambassador the Year Award:
XBIZ: How did you build upon representation of your brand this year?
Bradley Taylor
Senior Sales Advisor, Creative Conceptions
“Being able to liaise directly with our distributors at in-house shows has been invaluable for us this year. It has allowed us to strengthen the relationship between vendor, distributor and store by engaging with our customer base not only during business hours, but also, at evening events, developing personal friendships which are the strongest business relationships you can have, in my opinion. There were, of course, new customers that we could showcase our product to for the first time, not to mention the ability to engage the distributor’s sales team with our product line. This is the first year that Creative Conceptions has had the privilege of engaging on this level with our distributors, and it appears to have really aided brand recognition and our business in general.”
Luzoralia Corvera Acosta
Account Executive, Jimmyjane
“We have a lot of new items we introduced, which created the opportunity for us to offer something for everyone. I want to communicate this while also staying true to the brand and represent the brand at all times. I always try to ensure I am consistent with our image and brand message across all trainings, shows and store visits. I like to look the part by wearing my signature pink Jimmyjane scarf and presenting myself as fun, yet polished and sophisticated, much like the brand itself. First impression is everything. Jimmyjane is a clean, discreet, chic and sophisticated brand, and I strive to personally represent this. I put a lot of effort into my presentations. I go out of my way to make them memorable and engaging. With so many products, there is a lot of new information — and I work to be as prepared as possible. I really value the time with my customers and their staff and hope that at the end of the day, everyone has learned something new. These face-to-face meetings, especially when we have fun doing them, have really helped me connect with my clients tremendously this past year.”
Conde Aumann
Account Executive, The Screaming O
“In 2016, we decided to (build on) the brand by focusing on opportunities for creating more interactions with both our direct and indirect customers. We have quite an extensive database, which allows us to send very targeted information and offers to those we feel would benefit most. We’ve had a great time connecting with everyone and supplying them with all sorts of things to help make their businesses a success and hope to keep expanding those interactions in the upcoming years. If any businesses would like to get added to our database and receive information on all the exciting things happening at Screaming O, they just need to go to our site ScreamingO.com and sign up.”
Emily Silva
Customer Service Representative, Sportsheets International
“What an exciting year for Sportsheets. We added another brand to our family this year: Midnight. It has already proven to be an amazing addition to the family of Sportsheets brands. Midnight is a fashion forward product line and truly is sexy sophistication at a price you’ll love. It hit the ground running, and I am running right alongside it. We have sold out twice since our launch in July, which is fantastic. I build the brand each day by sharing with customers and consumers alike, showing the quality and the fashion sensibility of Midnight.”
Janet Rini
Account Executive, NS Novelties
“NS Novelties is a brand I am so fortunate to be a part of. We strive to be completely hands-on with all of our customers, building on our long-term relationships and educating distributors and stores on the attributes of our distinct and varied collections. The most beneficial branding opportunities for NS Novelties are certainly the many industry and distributor events we are invited to attend and the store trainings we are asked to provide. I find the more we showcase our line in front of our customers and their sales force, the more enthusiastic they become with our advanced line of products and the more momentum we gain. NS Novelties has had a tremendous year of growth due mainly to the support and trust of our amazing customers. We truly look forward to 2017.”
Michelle A. Marcus
VP Of Sales and Marketing, Sliquid
“Branding is best represented by a key and consistent presence of leadership, visibility, support, a key voice for the brand, a brand ambassador. So Daphne and I significantly upped our road game this year to get out and deliver on our promise. I made it a priority to position myself where it truly matters the most: in front of the customer, including more staff trainings, being present at customer events and branching out to other industries to capture a broader audience. I’ve been lucky in my lifetime to have incredible role models that have allowed me to lead by example, and I always strive to be that person to others both in my personal life and my professional life. Representing an honest brand affords me such opportunities. My leadership role is encased with layers of relatable facts, and my passion for what our brand represents directly connects me to others with an emphasis on the educational value our brand is known for.”
Nicole McCree
Product Educator and Sales Representative, Classic Erotica
“Who doesn’t love a freebie or a sample? As a brand leader in the pheromone-infused cosmetic, fragrance and intimate shave care category, we know how important it is to provide testers both on the B2B and B2C level. We’ve found again and again that when we make it easy for our customers to touch, feel and smell our products, we all experience increased sales. One of our greatest successes this year was our free tester program that we offered our retail partners when they purchased a Jelique Pure Instinct Man and Woman fragrance planogram; these SKUs are now two of our top sellers in our fragrance category.”
Robin Stewart
Brand Manager, JOPEN
“One of our most beneficial branding opportunities this year was our mention in Cosmopolitan Magazine. The Callie Vibrating Mini Wand, one of JOPEN’s newest products, was named Most Stylish by the coveted woman’s magazine. This mention created a huge demand for the product, and we completely sold out as soon as the magazine hit newsstands. We even had massive amounts of preorders for the stylish vibe. Our online presence also increased, with our web traffic hitting an all-time high. In order to keep the momentum going, we’re adding a special Cosmo sticker to the product boxes and creating store signage and Web banners. Our goal, with all our branding efforts, is to make the biggest impact with the longest lifespan.”
Steven Guarino
Account Manager, Doc Johnson
“As an account manager at Doc Johnson and part of the incredible sales team here, I am constantly communicating our brand story via our website, social media, trainings, in-store events and trade shows. This year, I’ve traveled to numerous countries to hold Doc Johnson product trainings and create brand awareness — including Australia, New Zealand and Canada — in addition to doing a lot of domestic travel. When it comes to accounts, it starts with a relationship and mutual respect. Many of our accounts around the world have become friends of the brand and know me and the sales team personally. If we can translate our vision and our story correctly to them, it makes their job much easier. Trade shows and in-store trainings and events are particularly important to Doc Johnson in building brand awareness, as they not only support the partnership we share with our accounts, but they also allow for one-on-one conversations and demonstrations to a large group of people in one centralized place. Beyond that, I am frequently working with our customers and the Doc Johnson sales and marketing teams to make sure our brand experience is further delivered through merchandising support and brand materials like creative window displays, banners, billboards and other immersive solutions.”
