Fields Reports

1 Mar, 2014 By: Thomas Haire, Doug McPherson

Response Q&A

Pinand-Dumpert Dishes on DRMA Member of the Year Honor

By Thomas Haire (thaire@questex.com)

In the January issue of Response, we reported that Kristy Pinand-Dumpert, vice president of sales and marketing for Boonton, N.J.-based Concepts TV Productions, was voted 2013 Direct Response Marketing Alliance (DRMA) Member of the Year. Pinand-Dumpert’s victory in an industry-wide vote became official during a brief ceremony in front of more than 350 industry insiders at the DRMA Winter Bash in New York on December 10.

‚“The Response team has known Kristy almost since the day she jumped into the direct response business. Her personality, commitment and growth mirror the ideals of the DRMA,” John Yarrington, publisher of Response and co-founder of the DRMA, said at the time. ‚“Kristy earned the lion’s share of the more than 900 votes cast by our members. She’s incredibly deserving of this honor against admittedly strong competition. While Kristy earned this award, the rest of our nominees earned their recognition as well.”

Recently, Response caught up with Pinand-Dumpert to get her thoughts the honor after she had some time to let it settle in.

Q: What does it mean to you and your company to be named the DRMA Member of the Year?

A: It truly was a privilege to be in the company of such tremendously talented nominees, I greatly respect and admire each and every one of them. I’m incredibly proud to say that I work amongst friends and in an industry where we genuinely support one another. When the announcement was made that I had won DRMA Member of the Year, the overwhelming support from my community, and my extended family at Concepts TV, humbled me to the point of tears. I love direct response and what we do and am so excited to be a part of this rapidly growing industry. So for my peers to acknowledge that I play a small part in that is an honor for both my company and myself.

Q: Why do you think your efforts and contributions to the DR business helped earn you this accolade?

A: My boss always comments on my ‚“Put me in, Coach” approach to working hard and playing hard for the betterment of our company, industry, clients and peers. By nature, I apply passion and diligence to every task I take on. Whether I’m participating on industry committees, actively advocating educational sessions or attending networking events to forge new partnerships and maintain existing ones, I’m very dedicated to the evolution of direct response without ever jeopardizing its integrity.

Q: How has the DRMA helped your business? What do you believe working with the DRMA does to create a better business atmosphere for you and the industry?

A: The DRMA provides an ideal platform for us to meet new clients, create new partnerships and grow as an industry. It’s instrumental in the vitality of our business, as well as the industry as a whole. The DRMA provides a plentiful pool of clients and vendors for us to work with by orchestrating networking events, educational sessions and trade shows. Our company also stays abreast of cutting edge technologies that help improve business development, thanks to the incredible effort Response Magazine puts forth on a monthly basis.

Q: What was the most significant accomplishment in the past year for your company?

A: This past year, Concepts TV celebrated a remarkable milestone, our 30th anniversary. Being able to say I’m part of that incredible achievement is amazing. Plus, I’m proud to say we had more than a dozen chart-topping spots and infomercials, continuing to help our clients turn their products into household names. We also opened our Los Angeles office, expanding our presence on both coasts. I even had the opportunity to host a 30-minute infomercial for one of Concepts TV’s oldest clients! Their faith in my ability was endearing. Needless to say, it was a very exciting year, and I can’t wait to see what the next 30 bring.

Q: How did the successful products you worked with during the past year fit within the overall concept behind your company? Were any of those products so successful that they changed the way you do business? If so, how?

A: As a company, we are constantly evolving, learning from every production, every success and even every failure. This past year, we saw firsthand the strong response in the Spanish-speaking market and the impact of social media. Knowing these new avenues exist offers exciting opportunities for sales. Moving forward, we keep these nuggets in mind. When Pedi Spin succeeded in the Anglo market, for example, we immediately jumped on a Spanish-language version, knowing beauty is a passion in the Hispanic market. We even engaged a bilingual talent, so the process from English to Spanish was a seamless one for our client. When it’s a testimonial-driven show, the viral world is crucial to our clients. We are always limited to time for TV, but not on the Web! We now capture longer, more compelling soundbites, giving our clients more assets to work with. Although we may learn and grow from every production, one thing always remains the same: the product is the star. Our creative centers on that mantra and we never lose sight of that. Whether it’s a short-form commercial or a long-form infomercial, it’s a consistent concept we apply to each production and pride ourselves on that.

Q: What is your outlook for the next 12 months?

A: I’m very excited about what the next year brings for Concepts TV and our industry. As a company, we will continue to strive to put our creative caps on with new and exciting amazing demonstrations for our products, resulting in more hits for our clients. Plus, we are very excited to grow our company bi-coastally. We’re also committed to keeping up-to-date on the latest technologies and social media trends, so we can stay dedicated to making the production process easier and more seamless for our clients. We will also actively take part in growing our industry by learning from seasoned professionals and our new media mavericks.

Q: What vertical markets do you believe are best equipped to survive current economic issues, and even thrive, in 2014? Why?

A: During my 13 years in direct response, the trends always seem consistent. When the economy dips, the do-it-yourself (DIY) categories usually thrive. The housewares, beauty and fitness categories will continue to find success with direct response marketing. Is eating out too expensive? Easily reheat leftovers with Stonewave. Can’t find the time or money to hit the gym? Exercise in the comfort of your own home with Hip Hop Abs. Is going to the salon a hardship? Now get Salon Styles at home with Air Curler! Regardless of economic status, pet customers remain loyal to their pets and therefore loyal to pet products. With successes like Cat’s Meow, I predict this will also be a ‚“purrfectly” successful category in the upcoming year.