AIM Global Taps Abelson Group For RFID Awareness Campaign
13 November, 2007
category: Biometrics, RFID
New York’s Abelson Group, Inc., a communications and marketing firm specializing in the telecommunications and technology industries, today announced it has been selected by AIM Global to create and implement an aggressive consumer awareness campaign touting the consumer and societal benefits of RFID Technologies.
The comprehensive initiative, which carries the theme “RFID: Making the World a Better Place,” will combine and leverage the broad resources of AIM Global and its RFID vendor members to proactively promote compelling stories that showcase unique applications, consumer benefits, and ongoing industry self-regulation.
Abelson Group Tapped by Industry Consortium AIM Global To Spearhead RFID Consumer Awareness Campaign
Prominent International Advocacy Group for Automatic Identification and Mobility Technologies Hires Award-Winning Agency to Educate Multiple Audiences about Consumer Benefits of RFID
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Abelson Group, Inc., a premier communications and marketing firm specializing in the telecommunications and technology industries, today announced it has been selected by AIM Global, the Warrendale, Pa.-based international industry consortium of automatic identification and mobility technology developers, to create and implement an aggressive consumer awareness campaign touting the consumer and societal benefits of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies. The agency won the new, long-term client engagement, for which terms are not disclosed, following a thorough request for proposal (RFP) process and review orchestrated by AIM Global executives, and members of its education and public policy committee.
The comprehensive initiative, which carries the theme “RFID: Making the World a Better Place,” will combine and leverage the broad resources of AIM Global and its RFID vendor members to proactively promote compelling stories that showcase unique applications, consumer benefits, and ongoing industry self-regulation. The campaign, which also seeks to correct myths and inaccuracies about RFID, will target consumer media outlets, industry analysts, policy makers, and other important influencers to present a more balanced perspective concerning all types of RFID technologies, and the myriad ways they are being used today to improve consumers’ lives.
More specifically, the AIM Global agreement calls for Abelson Group to manage a wide variety of campaign-related external communications in three distinct phases: consumer and trade media relations, analyst relations, and grassroots social and new media communications. The agency will conduct extensive outreach to technology, public policy, metro, features, healthcare, travel, and transportation reporters at national, regional, and local print and broadcast media outlets, while interfacing with leading industry and financial analysts, academics, and other well-known influencers and authorities to secure positive media references. In addition, the firm will create and execute in-market communications programs in state capitol cities currently considering RFID-related legislation.
Abelson Group will report to Dan Mullen, president of AIM Global, and Linda Young, director of business development for the organization. The agency is also accountable to members of AIM Global’s education and public policy committee, which includes corporate communications professionals from leading RFID vendors Alien Technology, Impinj, Motorola, Savi, Sirit, and UPM Raflatac. The campaign will be jointly managed by Jennifer Abelson, chief executive officer of Abelson Group, and Keith Pillow, agency vice president.
“AIM Global represents a very strategic and exciting addition to Abelson Group’s growing roster of telecommunications and technology clients,” said Abelson. “RFID is a technology that few consumers are aware of, yet it makes our lives easier, safer, and more secure every day in many familiar environments, including toll roads, airports, libraries, restaurants, medical facilities, and retail stores.”
“As with many new innovations, RFID faces numerous challenges, including criticism from detractors who fail to acknowledge proven facts about the technology, and choose to sensationalize it instead,” continued Abelson. “Abelson Group, on behalf of AIM Global, and as part of this initiative, will aggressively debunk many of the myths surrounding this amazing technology, and showcase concrete deployments enabled by the RFID community around the country. This effort comes at a critical time in the evolution of the RFID industry, particularly as these advances move well beyond the supply chain into very consumer-focused applications and settings. Abelson Group is looking forward to working with AIM Global and its outreach team members to educate consumers and policy makers about the strong potential of this distinctive technology.”
“AIM Global is pleased to be working with Abelson Group on this critically-important campaign, the first such initiative the organization has devised for a core technology it supports,” said Mullen. “Although RFID has been around for more than two decades, the public’s general perception of the technology has been clouded by a wave of inaccuracies and misinformation. This campaign will specifically address these challenges, and provide AIM Global with a broader communications platform to articulate its position and messaging concerning the promise of RFID. The organization ultimately selected Abelson Group for this assignment based on its deep knowledge and understanding of the RFID technology ecosystem, its wide-ranging and media and influencer relationships, and its outstanding strategy and creative development capabilities.”
For 35 years, AIM Global has served as the association for, and worldwide authority on, automatic identification, data collection, and networking technologies in mobile environments. Organization members are providers and users of solutions, systems, and services that capture, manage, and integrate accurate data into larger information systems. These focus areas include bar code, radio frequency identification (RFID), and magnetic stripe technologies, as well as biometrics, voice systems, magnetic stripe, mobile computing, optical character recognition (OCR), and contact memory solutions. Serving members in 43 countries, AIM Global is dedicated to accelerating the growth and use of automatic identification and mobility technologies and services around the world, while actively supporting the development of related standards at the industry, national (ANSI) and international (ISO) levels.
About Abelson Group, Inc.
Abelson Group, Inc., is a premier marketing and communications advisory firm dedicated to promoting innovation and growth in the telecommunications and technology sectors. The company provides insight, innovation, and impact to organizations that want to build mindshare, increase stakeholder value, and establish market leadership. Leveraging extensive relationships and deep industry expertise, Abelson Group delivers the bottom-line results businesses care about most. For more information, please visit http://www.abelsongroup.com, or e-mail [email protected].