AVB TV host, Abby Wathen cooking with Martin Yan in the Monogram showroom at KBIS. Martin has hosted his award-winning PBS-TV cooking show “Yan Can Cook” since 1982.
The popular AVB TV platform took the medium to a new level at the recent AVB 2017 Summit in Orlando, FL last week. AVB TV allows members to stream high definition video on demand from the cloud directly to their stores. The AVB TV team collaborated closely with members who attended the Summit to record & produce personalized custom store videos. Footage was recorded in a high definition video set on Sunday and Monday at the World Center Marriot Orlando, then moving full scale to the AVB TV Studio on the Expo floor both Tuesday and Wednesday.
AVB TV began working with dozens of members who enrolled to use the platform last year creating professional store videos at various membership venues including: Regional meetings, KBIS, Las Vegas Furniture Market and most recently at the AVB Summit in Orlando. To date, over 150 member video productions have been recorded, edited or are in postproduction. These videos are designed to be used in-store via the AVB TV cloud-based digital video platform as well as on member websites and even YouTube.
Ralph Smothers of Ralph’s Joy of Living – Home Appliances with host Abby Wathen shown pre and post production.
To really customize the videos, some members even featured their family members. This helped emphasize the “our family serving yours” message and added a very exclusive store brand touch. The personal messaging dovetailed with the “Tell your local brand story” message AVB/BrandSource delivered to their membership in the general sessions in Orlando. The AVB TV team includes professional actors, copywriters, camera crew and equipment. All of this is then focused on helping members tell their story and increase their engagement with customers in-store and online to drive more business.
All script writing is done in conjunction with the AVB TV team in advance so members have the option to be on camera with an actor, or on their own. Some opt to have the actors tell their story for them, while others jump right in and are happy to star in their own feature. High definition store display backgrounds are used as well as a Green Screen, which provides complete flexibility for the background imagery to be 100% customized for each member.
The response from the members has been resoundingly positive. Here is what a few members have to say about their experience and success with AVB TV thus far.
“Working with the AVB TV team has been great. Never having done a commercial before, the team was so kind to help me with the script and set up for the filming. We proudly show it on our showroom along with manufacturer content also provided by the AVB TV team. The addition of these store videos to our business has helped increase our visibility exponentially”.
Jeremy D. Press -Play & Gourmet – Bluffton, SC
“Kristina and the crew did a great job on our custom AVB TV ads. It was very easy to film and the whole AVB TV system works great. Many of our customers have made positive comments about the programming too! Very professional!”
Bob Regan – M&H Appliance, Inc. – St. Cloud, MN
“I think it’s fantastic!! I have AVB TV located at the welcome center of our grand entrance so my customers are facing it while they’re at the counter. I have the food network on throughout the store except for the Welcome Center. The reason I have been using the food network for 15 years is because I always want somebody cooking in my store. AVB TV absolutely reminds me of that. It is great to see constant content about the things we sell on TV!”
Ralph Smothers – Ralph’s Joy of Living – Tiffin, OHAbout AVB
Associated Volume Buyers (AVB) is a member-owned merchandising group with more than $17 billion in annual retail sales, nearly 4,500 independent members and over 8,000 stores in the North America. AVB has many active strategic alliances and Divisions, which include: BrandSource, Canada’s Mega Group, TRIB the industry’s premier rent-to-own group, ProSource the largest consumer electronics group in the US, and the newly formed home furnishings buying group HFA Buying Source, managed exclusively for HFA. As the largest unified merchandising group by number of members and volume in North America, AVB has the ability to negotiate strong programs with manufacturers and service providers in order keep its independent retailer members relevant and competitive in the consumer marketplace. Please visit www.brandsource.com or joinbrandsource.com for more information.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Baldwin | BrandSource | 714-984-6644 | Jennifer.Baldwin@BrandSource.com
Mike Lewis is a Premier Rental Purchase franchisee with multiple stores and currently serves as Vice President of Operations. With 33 years of experience in the rent-to-own industry, he has spent the past 20 years working closely with franchisee owners and previously spent 12 years in Corporate RTO, gaining a strong foundation in the business.
For the past five years, Mike has been sharing his knowledge by teaching managers and franchisees at the company’s Training Center.
Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, kids, and grandkids, and appreciates the simple things in life – especially riding his Harley Davidson with the sun on his face. If you know, you know!
Lauren Talicska
Arona Corporation dba Arona Home Essentials
Lauren Talicska is an experienced multi-channel marketing specialist and the Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Arona Home Essentials. She has found her home in the RTO community, supporting stores in branding, growth, and increasing traffic.
You may recognize Lauren as a former RTO vendor, including her time as a partner for Nationwide RentDirect, or her previous participation in the APRO Vendor Advisory Committee. Lauren calls Columbus, Ohio, home and spends her workday crafting and executing marketing promotions from inception to realization, all while supporting the branding and social media needs of all the Arona stores in 12 states (plus Puerto Rico!).
Charles Smitherman
APRO
Charles Smitherman, JD, PhD, CAE, became CEO of APRO in 2023, bringing years of legal and executive experience in the rent-to-own industry.
Prior to joining the association, Charles served as COO, General Counsel, and Vice President of PTS Financial Services, where he played an active role in the rent-to-own industry by representing his company through PTS’s club program offering with APRO member dealers. Charles is an attorney with two decades of experience across a wide variety of areas, including RTO, consumer financial services, antitrust, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, franchise law, and privacy law. Following law school at the University of Georgia, Charles earned a Master of Legal Studies and PhD in Law from the University of Oxford in England.
Charles is credentialed as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association, and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. As APRO’s sixth CEO in its 45-year history, he brings a collaborative, member-focused approach to association leadership, emphasizing transparency, advocacy, and value creation. Outside of work, Charles is an active ultra runner and open water swimmer.
Mike Kays
Ashley Furniture Industries
As VP of Rental Sales for Ashley Furniture Industries, Mike thrives on building relationships with our RTO industry veterans, and helping businesses grow through new product, new marketing, and new supply chain options.
Mike works to leverage a wide breadth of relationships and influence, intimate knowledge of market trends, and unique knowledge of what RTO dealers need from a supplier to be successful.
The saying goes that a high tide raises all boats, and our goal is to leverage the world’s largest furniture manufacturer to drive the continued growth of the RTO industry and all the suppliers.
Mike Tissot
Countryside Rentals Inc., dba Rent-2-Own
Mike grew up in the rent-to-own industry under the guidance of his father, former APRO President and RTO legend Darrell Tissot. For nearly 25 years, Mike’s innovative leadership has helped expand the family business to more than 40 stores across Ohio and Kentucky while also shaping the industry as a whole.
He has served as President of the Ohio Rental Dealers Association, an APRO board member and Treasurer, and President and Treasurer of the TRIB Group. His contributions have earned him the APRO President’s Award of Excellence and the title of APRO Rental Dealer of the Year.
Outside of RTO, Mike enjoys time at the lake house or in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his girlfriend, Angela Strong McCool. A passionate Cincinnati Reds fan, he rarely misses a game, whether watching or listening alongside his parents. He also takes every opportunity to visit Arizona, where his daughter is currently attending Arizona State University.
