Linda Dillman

QVC announced yesterday that Linda Dillman has become its chief information officer, reporting to QVC president and CEO Mike George.  Ms. Dillman most recently served as senior vice president, global IT, at Hewlett-Packard.  Previously, she was executive vice president and chief information officer at Wal-Mart, where she had a lead role in modernizing the supply chain management model for Wal-Mart and the retail industry as a whole.  QVC Press Release  Jan. 9, 2012

QVC's Beth Rubino

The press release announcing the promotion cites Rubino’s role maintaining a “team-oriented and customer-centric workplace culture” throughout the company, even as it has entered new markets.  In addition to her global responsibility for HR, Rubino oversees QVC’s corporate communications, community affairs and corporate social responsibility functions.  In the statement announcing the promotion, QVC CEO Mike George said, “As the chief steward of our people, Beth ensures that QVC is a great place to work and a place where talented people come to build their careers.”  QVC Inc. Press Release  Nov. 12, 2011

Hey, Ms. Carey, you’re a star. Act like one!

I was on the plane and I was coming from overseas and I was thinking about names and I couldn’t come up with anything and I was reading the form when you come into the country, fruit, wildlife and it really popped out from that page. And then I thought it is also a double word, it is like having a wild life.

Ms. Klum makes a habit of designing her fashion pieces, which are priced from $43 to $200, on Saturday mornings, before joining her children for karate and ballet.  RadarOnline  Nov. 21, 2011

HSN’s 24 Hour Beauty Event will feature beauty gifts from brands such as: Benefit, Phillip B, Wei East, Korres, Deborah Lippmann, Lancome and others.  HSN Press Release  Nov. 21, 2011

Homeshoppingista also reports that Katie Rooke, the erstwhile GemsTV and JTV presenter, has moved up in the world to a very un-GemsTV-like retailer.  She reportedly posted on her Facebook page that she is “…the newest member to the Tiffany and Co. family.”

A reality show on a major broadcast or cable network would begin with some clear advantages, including: a base audience of the retailer’s customers and — this is key — the non-manufactured drama of live television.  Season-long story arcs could revolve around the development of a new show or brand, the introduction of a new product category, or the selection and training of new on-air talent.  Can anyone tell me that the camera wouldn’t love following Mindy Grossman into and out of meetings with colorful designers — and that she wouldn’t enjoy it too?  So, which of our talented show hosts will have the chance at a step up the entertainment ladder during the next new season?

In the 1990s, while working in promotions for ValueVision Media, I fielded a call from the producers of the movie Bridget Jones Diary, who were looking to film scenes involving TV shopping at one of the actual networks.  This was before the industry’s image improvement was complete and my bosses were worried about being made to look silly.  So we foolishly declined.  Today most everyone beats a path to the DRTV studios, and few disdain them for doing it.  So, if Snooki can do what we do — and Homeshoppingista reported a bunch of Snooki sellouts last night — does anyone doubt that we can do what Snooki does, too?

Cincinnati Business Courier  Nov. 11, 2011

There is little doubt that the natural entrepreneur will make herself perfectly at home in the buttoned-up world of a large company.  Reached for comment today, she allowed only that she enjoyed her inaugural appearance on the network this week.  All other questions she referred to the retailer’s PR department.