Classic Mode

Play Meter

Issue: 1982 May 01 - Vol 8 Num 9

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Associations join together,
then are torn asunde r
by Mike Shaw
The three industry associations that
have jointly hired the Daniel J.
Edelman public relations firm to
come up with industry image
enhancing concepts have approved
in substance the first effort of the
firm to help the industry. The effort is
entitled A Community Relations
Manual.
The 100 page booklet is aimed at
people within the industry and offers
suggestions on dealing with com·
munity-oriented problems. A special
chapter is devoted to dealing with
the news media for positive publicity.
The three associations involved
with the effort are the Amusement
Device Manufacturers Association,
the Amusement and Music Oper-
ators Association, and the Amuse-
ment and Vending Machine Distri-
butors Association.
Although the three are as one in
support of the manual's publication,
the second step of the industry
image improvement campaign is
encountering some resistance.
Paul Huebsch of ADMA says he is
frustrated by the lack of cooperation.
"There is just not the common
concurrence that there actually
should be," Huebsch told Play
Meter.
As a result, offers Huebsch,
ADMA may have to bear the entire
financial burden for phase two of the
promotional campaign. Phase two is
aimed at the public, a campaign that
industry observers generally believe
is sorely needed. The price tag for
the Daniel J. Edelman plan is about
$225,000.
Huebsch says there are too many
conflicting views on how to accom-
plish the public relations task, and
that it has been so difficult to get
things worked out that if he had to
start all over again, he would not
pursue it. He proposes that there is
not enough recognition that the
public relations problem for the
industry is very much with us.
PLAY METER , May 1, 1982
ADMA is composed of many of
the major manufacturers but there
are still some holdouts from the
association, including most notably
Bally/ Midway and Rowe.
Although Heubsch says some
firms do not want to participate
because they are not directly
involved with video games, he
contends that distributing arms of
those firms are profiting off the popu-
larity of the games and that they
should be concerned about an indus-
try movement against the negative
publicity which has become so
rampant.
II
Officers of major manufacturing firms congregate at ADMA to deal with industry
wide problems.
15
-------------------NEWS BEAT===================
Video "biz op" company finds
rough going in New Orleans
Apparently, video "biz op" salesmen
for Quorum Industries of Dallas,
Texas failed to consult their industry
trade publications close enough.
Dave Madden and friends came to
the home city of Play Meter unaware
that the publication had been pur-
suing a series on "blue sky" sales-
manship.
Quorum managed to contract
nearly $1 million business in a
weekend sales pitch at the Marriot
Hotel on the outskirts of the French
Quarter. But when Madden and his
crew returned the following week-
end to continue their sales work,
they were rudely greeted by local
media and law enforcement officials
who had been alerted to the com-
pany's modus operandi by editors of
Play Meter.
Quorum is being sued in Texas for
selling machines that don't exist.
Fraud, the state calls it, and the
company and all of its current
officers are named as defendants in
the case.
Out-of-state companies doing
business in Louisiana are supposed
to post $50,000 bond for the com-
pany and $25,000 for each salesman
before the!( even ~dvertise their
presence. Additionally, the company
was supposed to have posted a
surety bond with the city and
secured specific transient business
licenses.
According to the district
attorney's office in New Orleans,
none of those requirements were
met by Quorum, nor did they inform
their customers of their legal back-
Our lowest price
solder extractor
isn't cheap.
People get suspicious when they see "lowest priced."
Especially in a precision piece of equipment. They
immediately think it's garbage.
Despite the reasonable price our EX-525 gives you
vacuum by an oiless, piston pump, not diaphram. It
easily removes components from double sided and
multi-layer PC boards. The EX-525 comes with a great
technical manual and 2 year warranty.
The EX-525 is inexpensive, but it isn't cheap.
AUTOMATED
ground (a federal requirement) .
But WWL TV-Channel4 in New
Orleans-on the strength of Play
Meter's evidence, told all on a local
telecast which detailed the com-
pany's dealings. In one segment,
Channel 4 even interviewed an
obviously suffering Dave Madden
about his background in the industry.
When the district attorney's office
sent police to question Madden
about his failure to post the neces-
sary city bond and secure the proper
licenses, Madden, it appears, ran out
of his desire to create excuses.
In the midst of questioning by the
city police officer, Madden excused
himself.
"He slipped out the back door and
escaped," the district attorney's
office told Play Meter.
The South's
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And a 50-year r;eputation of looking out
for the best interests of our customers!!
call us
BIRMINGHAM
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540 2nd Ave. North, Birmingham, Alabama 35204
(205) 324-7526
16
PLAY METER , May 1, 1982

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