Al Eidson is the principal of Eidson & Partners, a marketing consultancy and public relations firm.
Al started his career at Procter & Gamble working in Brand Management for industrial food products, including Folgers Coffee institutional products. He moved to the advertising agency, Young & Rubicam (Y&R), as an account manager.
The Y&R job was a labor of love. He had the opportunity to work on clients in aviation, which is a major element in his life. (He flew in the military and still flies regularly.)
He has headed two marketing firms. The first was an advertising agency, which focused almost exclusively on aerospace and technology. His current company focuses on marketing strategies and new product introductions.
Marketing is the core of Al’s career today, although he holds an MA in urban economics and also attended the University of Southern California’s program for Systems Management, an aerospace management master’s program.
Al has written for Business Marketing, a Crain Publication, and Visions, a publication of the Product Development and Management Association. He has taught at the Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship program and at several business incubators in Kansas City and at the annual conference of the American Society of Association Executives.
Several people in addition to Al write this blog. The most prominent contributor is “Darby,” who writes under this assumed name. Darby and Al have been business collaborators over the years. She holds the distinctions of being a voracious reader, an MBA graduate and a Certified Professional Direct Marketer (PDM), which is a very rare professional credential.
