Former Seattle Supersonics Executive Joins BDA as Vice President of Marketing Alliances

Award Winning Marketing Veteran Will Call the Creative Plays at Nation's Largest Merchandise Agency

Woodinville, WA – February 4, 2009 -- Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BDA), the nation's premier Merchandise Agency^SM, today announced the appointment of Rob Martin as its Vice President of Marketing Alliances.  In this role, Martin directs all aspects of marketing and public relations for the company, including overseeing BDA’s internal creative agency, Design Lab, the team that plays a critical role in bringing BDA’s Fortune 500 clients’ brands to life.

“Rob’s proven track record and extensive background in corporate and consumer marketing makes him the ideal leader to guide BDA’s marketing operations,” said Jay Deutsch, CEO of BDA.  “Our mission is to create brand value for clients across all industries and Rob’s experience along with his creative vision fortifies BDA’s unmatched approach and level of merchandise offerings.”

Martin brings more than 18 years of marketing and organizational development experience to BDA.  His career began with the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, where Martin spent 14 years in management positions, most recently as Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Communications.  Martin also served as President of the Sonics and Storm (Seattle’s WNBA team) T.E.A.M. Foundation, the organization's self-funding 501(C)(3) foundation dedicated to Teaching, Encouraging And Motivating the youth and families of the Puget Sound region.

Following his years with the NBA, Martin served as Vice President of Marketing and Production at Tully's Coffee Corporation, a leading specialty coffee retailer and wholesaler.  At Tully’s, Martin was responsible for all marketing and advertising strategies, brand development, strategic communications as well as oversight of all aspects of the supply chain including purchasing, shipping and receiving, roasting, packaging, inventory and quality control.  After his tenure at Tully’s, Martin was Chief Marketing Officer of Imagekind, the world's fastest-growing e-commerce community for creating, buying and selling custom-framed artwork and photography.

“I’ve seen firsthand how strategically placed merchandise can capture a moment in time and bring it to life,” said Martin.  “I’ve dedicated my career to creating brand value and affinity through the relationships shaped by the power of experience, and it is an honor to be joining the BDA team to further this mission.”

For his efforts, Martin has won numerous league and advertising industry awards, including four gold Clio awards for television advertising campaigns and most notably, a Gold Lion from The Cannes International Advertising Festival for the "Sonics are Coming to Your Home" campaign.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a minor in graphic design from Western Washington University.

About BDA
Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BDA), the nation's first and only Merchandise AgencySM, provides marketing services and customized branded merchandise to Fortune 500 enterprises, major sports leagues and global entertainment holding companies. Clients come to BDA to extend their reach through custom branded-merchandise campaigns, integrated e-commerce marketing, and sports and entertainment sponsorship activation. Global brands such as Bank of America, Dell, GlaxoSmithKline, ExxonMobil, FedEx and Major League Baseball are but a few of the household names that rely on BDA to bring their marketing campaigns to life through merchandise. BDA attained the coveted Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certification in 2008 highlighting the company’s advanced quality assurance practices for importing products from overseas. For more information on the power of merchandise, visit www.bdainc.com.

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Media Contact:
Kelly Mickelson
Barokas PR for BDA
206.264.8220
bda@barokas.com