1960’s SMEI Launches Tops in Marketing Recognition
In 1966 SMEI sponsored a worldwide program to recognize companies for outstanding marketing achievement. A blue ribbon committee was appointed to review the many entries in the SMEI “Top 20” Gold Medal Award Winners, recognizing companies throughout the world for outstanding marketing achievements.
This program began with a black-tie banquet in 1967 with SMEI President Walter H. Johnson, Jr. making the presentations. The SMEI Top 20 Program received much publicity and at the request of the United States Department of Commerce it was presented at a seminar in Moscow.
The selection committee screened hundreds of entries in order to select the Top 20. The program was presented every two years ending in 1977.
Overall the SMEI Tops in Marketing (Top 20) resulted a great deal of very favorable publicity for SMEI.
1960 – SMEI Proclaims National and Marketing Month
As a means of obtaining public recognition for the important role that selling, sales management, and marketing plays in the free enterprise system, SMEI proclaims February as National Sales and Marketing month. Arrangements were made with the White House staff to have the President of the United States issue a message supporting National Sales and Marketing and recognizing the importance of selling to keep the economy strong and create jobs.
Every USA president since 1960 has supported National Sales and Marketing month with an appropriate message. Using the USA Presidents message as the centerpiece, SMEI would coordinate media releases and a
36
media kit, which were sent to the major newswire services and major business publications. A similar kit was sent to each SMEI affiliate for use locally, with radio, TV, and print media. In total the National Sales and Marketing Month Program has helped greatly to enable the general public to become more aware of the importance of the sales and marketing professions.
In 1961 the SMEI Board of Directors changed the name of the association to Sales and Marketing Executive International – SMEI. This change was made in response to the growing importance of marketing as a business discipline.
The 1970’s - A Decade of Consolidation
During the seventies, SMEI continues to strengthen services to the affiliates and to its members.
The SMEI staff and the elected board members collaborated to conduct regional leadership conferences in each of the regions annually, to help train and motivate the officers, directors and staff representatives from the affiliates. The conferences not only helped develop local SMEI leaders it enabled SMEI to identify potential future leaders for the years to come.
During the seventies, the SMEI marketing information center in New York headquarters reviewed a wide range of business and marketing publications on a daily basis to obtain contemporary examples and information on sales and marketing strategies and methodologies. This became an increasingly valuable resource for members to draw on. This program was a forerunner of the SMEI Digital Resource Mall (DRM) of today.
During the seventies the association continued to struggle to recruit new members and viewing the decade as a whole, there was a downward trend in membership.
marketingtimes
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45