Just a reminder ... all current BCA members should have received their 2009 membership renewal letter via postal mail. Did you know that you can quickly and easily renew your membership online on the BCA Web site at www.bca-pool.com? Or, you can always renew your membership through the mail.

The BCA looks forward to 2009 with the strong commitment to helping you succeed in your business. To do this, we’ve expanded our efforts to provide you with benefits that directly affect your bottom line, including industry research, education, information and communications, as well as promotional opportunities via GenerationPool.com and outstanding networking opportunities at the 2009 BCA Expo in Las Vegas.

Be sure to renew your membership no later than January 30, 2009, to be included in the 2009 BCA Membership Directory and to take advantage of your FREE 2009 BCA Expo registration.

If you have any questions regarding your current membership or your renewal, please contact Kari Freeland, BCA membership coordinator, at kari@bca-pool.com or 404.760.2892. Thank you for your continued support of the BCA!

Making the most of your marketing budget in these times ... is critical. Traditional media advertising on television, radio and in print is still an important staple of larger advertising campaigns. When budgets don’t allow the size of media-buy you need to make a real impact, it may be time to consider shifting some of those marketing dollars to some more non-traditional marketing tactics.

With many of your competitors facing the same marketing budget constraints and with the holidays approaching, direct consumer contact can be a great way to get an edge on the competition, attract new customers and cultivate loyalty among existing customers.

Discretionary spending among younger consumers has not been dramatically impacted by the economy; they continue to enjoy the same leisure activities or entertainment they always have. Older consumers and those who are feeling the squeeze of the economic slump are looking for bargains or specials that allow them to save without making substantive changes to their lifestyles.

So what does “non-traditional” tactics and direct consumer contact mean? No matter the economic times, consumers still have to go about their daily lives — they still have to go to work and eat lunch, they’re still stopping for that morning cup of coffee or meeting with friends and colleagues for happy-hour. As such, the Internet continues to be a growing part of consumers’ daily lives and cell phones are always within reach. What does any of this have to do with marketing or the tight budgets many are under? They’re known as “intersect points” and they’re places or mediums used to make direct contact with consumers. Consider this:

• Street Marketing — Interacting with consumers where they work and play. For years viewed as the tactic of nightclubs, movies and record labels, street-marketing has evolved to be a highly effective marketing vehicle for everything from consumer goods and services to sporting goods, healthcare, financial services and everything in between.

• Online Marketing — Driving Web traffic and building community around your brand. Whether you’re using the Web to drive sales or simply to provide information about your “brick and mortar” business, you need more than just a “presence,” you have to have a “purpose.” Once you’ve got the right Web site, you have to drive traffic and that can often mean getting creative, including viral games and videos to branded blogs. With the explosive growth of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, the opportunity to build loyalty around your brand, attract new customers and promote any special offerings is just a click-away.

• Mobile Marketing — Direct-mail modernized and gone interactive. Few consumers go without their cell phone and these days those devices are a lot more than a telephone. From corporate execs with their Blackberry to younger consumers with their iPhone, mobile devices are a part of life and they can be your direct contact point with consumers.

Source: The Amma Group

Brunswick Bowling & Billiards, a unit of Brunswick Corporation ... has announced it has named Austin Rothbard, 37, president — Brunswick Billiards, including the Valley-Dynamo business. He will report to Warren Hardie, president of Brunswick Bowling & Billiards.

Rothbard replaces Sean Cummings, who recently left the post to join a privately held company in Milwaukee. Rothbard, who most recently was president — Cabo Yachts, a Brunswick boat company, will be based in Bristol, Wisconsin.  Prior to joining Cabo in 2006, Rothbard spent four years with Brunswick Bowling & Billiards’ strategy and business development group. Prior to joining Brunswick, Rothbard worked for Bain & Company.

Rothbard has his MBA from Cornell University and a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Tufts University.

The Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) recently inducted ... Ewa Mataya Laurance and Loree Jon Hasson to its Hall of Fame in the “Greatest Player” category. The event took place November 12, 2008, at the WPBA annual awards banquet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The Hall of Fame committee, made up of existing WPBA Hall of Fame members Belinda Campos Calhoun, Vicki Paski and Shari Stauch, submitted candidates to be voted on by the association membership in October. The results were overwhelmingly in favor of Laurance and Hasson.

Laurance is one of the most visible superstars in the history of pocket billiards. Known as The Striking Viking, she took the billiard world by storm when she moved to the United States from her native Sweden at age 17. She is the reigning International and World Cup Trick Shot Champion, holds multiple World and U.S. Open 9-ball titles, has won the Swedish, European and WPBA National Championships and is a two-time Player of the Year. Former #1 ranked player in the world, Laurance has been named WPBA Sportsperson of the Year, BBIA Industry Service Award inductee and in 2004 was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. She also made a historic appearance on the cover of the New York Times Magazine and has been featured in numerous national publications.

When not competing, Laurance serves as an ESPN color commentator. She also co-hosted GSN’s popular game show, “Ball Breakers.” She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Billiard Education Foundation and the South Carolina chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is a columnist for Pool & Billiard Magazine. On tour, Laurance is sponsored by Brunswick Billiards.

Hasson began playing pool at age four, quickly attracting worldwide attention. She performed her first billiard exhibition at age seven for the Children’s Heart Fund Association with the legendary Minnesota Fats. She won her first World Championship at age 15, a feat recorded in the Guinness World Book of Records as the youngest pocket billiard champion ever.

Today, Hasson holds over 50 major titles, including eight World, three U.S. Open and three WPBA National Championships. She was selected as Player of the Year on five separate occasions. In 2002, she was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. She has frequently appeared on multiple national television programs and was selected in 1995 as one of Esquire Magazine’s “Women We Love Most.” Hasson is also an instruction columnist for Pool & Billiard Magazine.