ODgate Scandal - Breaking News

Ex-Depot rep fired for refusing to falsify facts?

Suing Depot for wrongful dismissal re City of Berkeley fraudulent overcharging investigation

MWV Back to
School sales on target

Transformational moves yield positive results

29 Jul 09

MeadWestVaco, the leading packaging and brand stationery manufacturer today reported encouraging Q2’09 financial results.

Ten Up for Depot

Fraud investigations by Attorney Generals and Feds outstripping

Enron, Madoff and Capone scandals

26 Jul 09
We have chronicled weekly since May 2007, or “prolifically” as Steve Odland remarked in his recent interview with OPI, about the fraudulent overcharging and bait n’ switch methods deployed by Office Depot.

Last week we reached a tipping point in the tailspinning tales of self destruction when Odland exposed himself as a hands-off, soulless but charming fraud…

Brand storytelling

How to connect with your user

BY Melinda Partin, co-founder of Worktank

25 July 09

At its very core, marketing is storytelling. The best advertising campaigns take us on an emotional journey--appealing to our wants, needs and desires--while at the same time telling us about a product or service.

OPI Interview – Office Depot CEO – Part 3

Values based destruction

Accuses whistleblower of misinformation? Allied a positive decision? Liking Viking again?
More desperate denials unchallenged byOPI

23 Jul 09 (Updated and finalised 2000UK time; 1500 ET)

Our opinion on the shocking and unchallenged 8 pageOPI interview with Steve Odland continues here with the final 7 points of big issue

OPI Interview – Office Depot CEO - Part 2
BullSchmidt’s Brainwash

Odland: “He doesn’t care about telling truth…that’s ethically wrong,
I think its legally wrong”

23 Jul 09

We’ve decided to make a special feature ofOffice Depot CEOSteve Odland’s accusations about the "prolific blogger" in his interview withOPI’sSteve Hilleardthis month.

It is buried away on page 7 of an 8 page report and we didn’t want readers to be misinformed because Odland was not in attendance at my meeting with his BSD presidentSteve Schmidtand his legalrepresentative on 27 May at their Global HQ in Boca Raton (FL).

Here is another example of his hands-off, detached and deluded executive methods

Depot disclose more fraud investigations

Attorney Generals act

inOhio andCalifornia

21 Jul 09

Office Depot announced today on its investors website that the Attorney General ofOhio andCaliforniastates have initiated civil fraud investigationsinto its office supply contracts with its biggest customerUS Communities.

S p e c i a l
VOW’s broken

Suppliers squeeze desperate
wholesaler into immediate
suspension of sourcing service

21 July 09

Yesterday the beleagured #2UK wholesalerVOW’s sales directorAdrian Butler emailed customers announcing the immediate suspension of its key specials sourcing service. What’s next HP?

Acme cuts its numbers
SlowerUS bigbox demand hurts

18 Jul 09
Acme United Corporation, a leading global supplier of innovative cutting, measuring and safety products announced on Friday that sales for Q2’09 ended June 30, 2009.

Curiosity marketing lessons from Chiasso
How to convert
catalog users to email successfully
Raise conversions 19% through great design and revised image and copy layouts

19 Jul 09

Marketers looking to save money on print costs can take advantage the growing trend toward “green” marketing by transitioning customers from a paper catalog to digital communications. Here is a great case study

Lessons in modern marketing

Social media works!

4 steps on howIBM combined new and old marketing tactics to promote events and generate leads

18 July 09

As the number of social media channels continues to grow, it can be daunting to figure out which tools suit which purposes for marketing. We highlight here a case study from IBMwhich will inspire OP dealers who plan to build their presence with decision makers in their local marketplace.

ODgate Scandal
Revisited: Conspiracy in the Communities

Nonprofit or Con-profit?

Where do the US Communities
multi-$millions rebates go?

17 Jul 09

US Communities andCalifornia Communities the trading partners of are Nonprofit organisations run exclusively byStephen Hamill andGerry Burke owners of a for-profit company calledHB Capital Resources.

During the course of our investigatory work into the mysterious workings of the ‘Communities’ in July 2008 we discovered articles bywho was conducting investigations into ‘an obscure public agency (that) operates outside the public view, often awarding financial benefits to private business. Critics call it a bad way to do the public'sOrange County Register’sBrian Joseph business.’

We have decided to revisit theUS Communities Conspiracy Case…we think this is going to flush out more fraudulent activity and collusion between Office Depot and its biggest customer.

Reverb:
The secret
of social marketing

Dealer Alert! Get your dealership involved on Facebook and Twitter to get your service message into Lucy’s head

17 Jul 09
Reverb (short for reverberation) is typically used to describe when a sound continues despite the original source of the sound being removed. If you apply the same idea to social media, a reverb describes the unique fact thatevery action in social media is not just done, but is also broadcast across a wide online network of like interests.

This is particularly the case in the intimate world of office products.

Lessons in Office Productivity
The paperless office as distant as ever?
‘Investment in brand can help everyone’ call the Luddite
Business First contributors...Esselte

16 July 09 (Updated 2300 UK time; 1800 ET)
We read an advertorial type article inBusiness First magazine at the weekend. It was distributed with the latestSunday Times and called for investment in better organisationalproducts. The essence of the story was that paper based systems were our preference and that paperless offices were as distant as ever.

Vow’s Renewed

What will the ‘exclusive’ new investors
conditions be? Status quo or regime change?

15 Jul 09

It sounded like good news on Monday when Vasanta’s chairman Richard Martin advised that a new ‘exclusive’ private equity partner had ageed to rescue Vasanta with new unspecified funds.

What’s not clear at this stage are the terms and conditions of the deal. Surely they will not pour good money after bad? Surely they will insist on a change of leadership? We explore the possibilities.

Proficiency Profile

Preferred course

of positive action

Interview with Mike Miller… son of a legend, building another growth machine

14 Jul 09

The Miller family from Dallas, Texas is legendary in the OP industry. Big Jim Millerwas the original Mr. Enthusiasm who toured the OP world in the NOPA heydays of the 1980’s spreading positive words about independent dealer success.

When the house the Miller’s built, the $130m in sales, Miller Business Systems succumbed to big box pressure in the early 90’s it was his son Mike Miller that powered to the forefront with growth and efficient execution his forte. What happened after that and what is happening now?

Read on for a great lesson in how to prepare your dealership for growth in tough times.

Proficiency Poll - Top OP City Review

Go east young brand

Is there an innovation shift going on?

Will Boston win it again?

13 Jul 09 (Updated 12 noon UK time; 0700 ET)

In 2008Boston(US) wasProficiency Post readers’ choice as theOP industry’s City of the Year. Early nominations for 2009 includedBoston again,Chicago the home of OP; theMinneapolis area,NewYork andSeattle.

And the winner is….