First Word--September 2003

]> I'm headed to Las Vegas for MAGIC; on deadline to write this month's First Word; and I, of course, decide to read American Airlines' American Way

April 6, 2018

I'm headed to Las Vegas for MAGIC; on deadline to write this month's First Word; and I, of course, decide to read American Airlines' American Way magazine. (Who would know I was slacking off?) On the cover, a motorcycle story catches my eye. I turn to it to find an editorial/pictorial about Japanese motorcycle brands-Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki-gaining ground against a leader-Harley-Davidson, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Considering our cover story this month, the article piques my interest. Summed up, it says that many Japanese brands were not up to speed 20 or so years ago, and that a new generation of motorheads-and vehicles-are now on the road.

It was the quote above, a few pages later, that was the ironic part for me. I wasn't quite sure how to sum up efforts in the automotive/motorcycle licensing business, but this quote was affirmation: Car and motorcycle brands are beefing up their efforts in the automotive aftermarket and lifestyle market (including apparel,

accessories, outerwear, among other categories) to further attract avid fans (see Last Word, p. 58, for some consumer comments) and a new generation of drivers. Although many of the licensing departments at these major auto/moto corporations are not yet up to speed, they are gaining ground: Consider Nissan and Infiniti signing on Equity Management Inc.; Brand Sense Marketing's efforts with Dodge and now Vespa; The Beanstalk Group's management of Ford and Harley-Davidson; and, of course, Joester Loria's lifestyle brand moves for Jeep.

Putting together this shoot was quite the feat…and we couldn't have done it without help: A special thanks to Gary Whitfield of Equity Management Inc. (Cadillac, Nissan, Infiniti); Debra Restler of The Beanstalk Group (Ford, Harley-Davidson); Brian Murphy of Freeman Public Relations (Jeep); Kim Steadman of Yamaha; Bob and Kathy Horton of Trademarketing Resources (Polaris); and Debbie Dunn of Brand Sense Marketing and Karen Strickholm of Strickholm Company (both Dodge). I'd also like to send a special thanks to Jill Forrester of the Quarter Midget Racing Club and the folks at the Wall Township Speedway for the use of the facilities. Turn to p. 14 for our pictorial/editorial.

This month, Regina Molaro joins us as associate editor. Regina began her full-time editorial career as associate editor of Accent magazine and then Global Cosmetic Industry (GCI), both of which I was editor-in-chief; Lorri Freifeld was the managing editor of GCI. Prior to both stints Regina was a freelance journalist. Following GCI, she was recruited by Soap & Cosmetics magazine as associate editor. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from FIT. Contact her at (917) 326-6254 or via e-mail at

[email protected]

Advertising Director Ben Zachariah and I joined family, friends, and licensees of InGroup Licensing's Steven and Judi Seidman as they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Guests were invited to send a donation to the American Cancer Society, as Steven is a cancer survivor and an avid supporter.

Seems like I did get busted slacking off . . . wound up being for good reason.

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