“When I was hired as head of marketing for Club Champion Golf, one of the first things I did was hire Leonard Finkel as a consultant. Base on my long history working with him and the incredible success we had working together at my previous company, it was a no-brainer. The Challenge I presented Leonard with was a bit different than at Tour Edge. He still needed to help us deliver our core messages, assist with advertising and marketing, create game-changing advertorial copy and aggressively negotiate the media buys. But as opposed to selling product through direct response channels, he was charged with driving people to retail locations. And as before, Leonard delivered! The return on investment for our advertising has been spectacular.”

Jay Hubbard, Vice President of Marketing, Club Champion Golf

“The idea of using an advertorial to achieve our goals in the insurance business had never occurred to us, but Leonard convinced us that it would be effective. We wanted to support our long-term care agents and enhance their credibility in specific markets like Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Miami, etc. as well as try to attract additional sales agents in those and other markets. From the initial run of the advertorial across the country, Leonard helped us achieve our goals.

“During his interviews with our company executives to gather information for the advertorial, he discovered that the company was instrumental in pioneering the marketing of Long Term Care Solutions, not just insurance. Leonard suggested that he find a senior executive at a major insurance company that would confirm that fact and go on the record in the advertorial. He was able to secure that testimonial, which definitely added credibility to the story. The overall cost of the project was significantly less that we expected, due to Leonard’s ability to purchase advertising space at huge discounts.” If you are looking for a novel and fresh approach to your marketing plans I highly recommend testing Leonard’s creative talents and advertorial concept.

Mark Goldberg, President, FPS Insurance Agency LLC,

“Profitable direct to consumer marketing is more and more difficult in today’s over-crowded marketplace.  The razor thin margins most companies must operate under means marketing now needs to become a revenue line as well as an expense item.  The formula for  success includes: buying media at deeply discounted prices, present a message that resonates with prospects in a manner that does not appear to be just another sales pitch; and refer prospects to a high performance landing page that will convert prospects into customers. Leonard has an uncanny ability to know what his clients can afford to spend on a given media property and to negotiate rates accordingly.  He also has the discipline to walk away from opportunities that do not meet his demanding criteria.  His skill as an advertorial writer is exceptional as he is able to weave a compelling pitch without the prospect feeling they are being ‘sold’.  Leonard’s advertorial actually garnered compliments from customers who said they appreciated our not trying to push our product on them. If you are trying to add a revenue line in your financials to offset your marketing expense line, Leonard is a resource you cannot afford to be without.”

Bill Walsh, President, Swing Jacket, a division of The Ultimate Swing Teacher Inc.

“When it comes to advertising that generates return on investment, Advertorial Concepts is second to none! Leonard Finkel delivered above and beyond expectations with advertising buys that were 80-90% off rate card from the leading magazines and newspapers in the country. The result, our direct response advertising generated a net profit three years in a row and our gross sales nearly doubled. Leonard is the best negotiator I’ve ever seen!”

     Jay Hubbard, Vice President of Marketing, Tour Edge Golf

“Leonard brings a strong, diverse skill set to the table. He saves us significant dollars with his media buying savvy and contacts. As an advertorial writer, he has the ability to tell a story that delivers a message that readers identify with and drives sales. He started with SkyGolf in our early days and has been an integral part our growth into becoming the dominant player in our category.”

Richard Edmonson, CEO SkyGolf

“Leonard has positioned himself in a unique way to fill a need for our publication as well as create real value for his clients. He has always been forthcoming and clear in his direction and very fair and available during our interactions.  I highly recommend him as a business associate.”

Jim Kahn, Senior Executive, National Equipment Director, Golf Digest Properties

>“I have known Leonard Finkel for close to 10 years.  An avid golfer and poker player, he has demonstrated a deep understanding of the business and psychology of both games.  He has always distinguished himself as creative, responsive, collaborative and of the highest integrity. For these reasons and more, Leonard has enjoyed excellent client retention and developed highly productive long term relationships with key members of the media.”

Brian Fortini, SI GOLF Group, So Cal Ad Director (Golf Magazine and Sports Illustrated)

“I’d like you to meet a good friend (and great marketer) of mine, Leonard Finkel.  I suggest you take a few minutes to talk to Leonard — I think he can help you sell your product in a way you may not have considered. Leonard is an advertorial writer and producer based in California.  He works with quality brands that have not reached their potential, and helps build awareness and sales.  Leonard and I collaborated on projects a few years ago. We’ve stayed in contact and I can assure you he has NOT lost his touch. My friend Leonard is smart, persuasive, well-connected and effective.  I urge you to get to know him.”

Seth Hoyt, Publisher PGA Tour Partners Magazine (Retired)

“I have nothing but positives to say about Leonard. He is extremely creative and resourceful. Leonard was the impetus in brokering a number of deals for us at TaylorMade Performance Labs. I value his business acumen and thoughtful insights and he has become a close personal friend.”

Herb Meistrich, CEO TaylorMade Performance Labs

“I am delighted with the work that Leonard has done for us. Both in direct response and driving business to retail outlets, it is by far the most effective form of advertising we have done. As far as a return on investment, Leonard’s advertorials were 6 to 7 times more effective than running on the Golf Channel. By return on investment, I am referring to actual dollars produced directly related to each commercial or advertorial. Advertorials are now a cornerstone of our marketing efforts. Without advertorials, we’d be out of business.”

David Felker, CEO, Polara Golf

“When Leonard suggested Polara Golf start using advertorials to sell golf balls, I was not enthusiastic about it. Fortunately I was not the deciding vote. We were struggling to find an affordable way to market our products to consumers. When we ran direct response advertorials, we could clearly measure the uptick in direct to consumer sales on our website. We got a very strong and profitable return our investment. We were also struggling with driving golfers into retail doors, so we decided to test the advertorials with our local retailers listed alongside the copy.  We initially tested in smaller markets where we could measure the response. The results blew me away. We ran in Seattle/Tacoma and in Manchester, NH, of all places. They were run in late Aug/early Sept, not the busiest time of the year. In New Hampshire, our number one retailer with 4 locations completely sold out of Polara Balls in 10 days and reordered immediately, only the second time they had reordered all year. Same was true in Seattle. We sold out in 10 stores and several Pro Shops and buyers asked why we hadn’t run these earlier in the year. Per the buyers, their orders would have doubled if it was May rather than September. Needless to say we were delighted with the results. The retailers felt the same way. It was a win-win. Advertorials will be the foundation of our marketing plan to support retailers in 2013. This has been the best return on our marketing spend by far! Great job!”

Chris Holiday, Senior VP of Sales, Polara Golf

“I entered ‘One of a Kind’ into my computer dictionary and got:  Something that is special because there is nothing else exactly like it…..uniquely different. That’s Leonard! When I asked Leonard to assist me with a public relations /advertising campaign for my golf academy, I was blown away with his techniques and sincere efforts to not just do it effectively but immediately. In just a matter of a few weeks, I was on the cover of “Long Island Golfer”, a magazine whose readership included the exact profile of my customer in the New York area. My academy was featured in at least six other publications in the following months and the phone started ringing. What has continued to please me most is that we were not the proverbial “two ships passing in the night”, but have remained professional associates and become great friends. If I have any questions about my academy or my public persona, I always call Leonard.” 

Bill Madonna, Bill Madonna Golf Academy – Marriott World Center, Orlando, FL

“I was once asked if I had choice between a friend who had a 50ft yacht that I could use when I want or a friend who could beautifully express an idea through the written word, (a great writer)…..I said I would take the writer any day.  Your version of my letter once again proved I made the right choice.  THANK YOU…THANK YOU!”

Bill Madonna, Bill Madonna Golf Academy – Marriott World Center, Orlando, FL

“Advertising? Marketing? PR? The bottom line, no one understands those specialties better than Leonard Finkel. Leonard is businessman first and foremost. He has brains, intellect and he’s business savvy! I met Leonard shortly after he moved to San Diego in the late 1990’s and I offered him a position in a new venture I had just started. My challenge to him was simple: Help me build my business. My trust in him paid off. While working with me at EZ Way Golf he quickly demonstrated his skill at getting things done, especially in the area of marketing. Finkel is a game changer! With his keen insights he proposed an entirely new approach to what I referred to above – advertising, marketing, and PR for EZ Way Golf. It’s been more than a decade since and I still use and recommend his services. He pioneered and has long since become a force in the world of “advertorial” exposure versus advertising. Additionally, Leonard’s negotiating skills, an ability that saves many; many thousands of dollars take a backseat to no one. Leonard often gets to “yes” while others are trying to explain why their plan was rejected. He has he helped my ventures become profitable. Leonard also brings something more important and in short supply today – honesty and integrity. If you do any advertising, any marketing, any public relations you’d be wise to at least talk with Leonard, it may cost you a bit of time but it could result in you making and/or saving a fortune. And something else, he may not be able to help you. That’s right! But if that’s the case he’ll tell you up front – he doesn’t need your money!”

Jerry Shapiro, Owner EZ Way Golf