CHATSWORTH, Calif. - From teenage shoe salesmen to marketing rental cars in Europe to pedaling dongs and dildos, Ken Dorfman's road to independence has been, literally, long and winding.
After spending the last quarter century with Doc Johnson Enterprises, Dorfman now offers his services as an independent consultant for adult stores with a focus on marketing and sales.
With the formation of DND Marketing Services, Dorfman provides clients with a plethora of advertising options.
Sales training, merchandising, public relations, advertising and sales promotion are just a few of the services this diversified, full-service marketing company offers.
"I was with Doc Johnson for 25 years, but I've always been in sales," Dorfman told AVN Novelty Business. "Prior to that, I worked for Hertz Rental Car in Europe and I started selling shoes when I was 14 at Orbach's Ladies Better Shoes on Wilshire Boulevard. That's was the best job I ever had."
During his time with Doc Johnson, Dorfman was witness to an adult industry that has seen its public image come along way.
"At Doc Johnson's I was able to learn the adult industry and watch it become mainstream," he said. "It used to be that adult shops were known as the ‘sticky shoe brigade.' The stink and were dirty and unappealing. Now, it's come to a point where most of them are as well presented as a Nordstrom's."
The DND in DND Marketing Services stands for "down and dirty" and that's just the type of philosophy Dorfman and his small staff of three bring to the table, using a brand of guerrilla marketing that consists of an unconventional system of promotions that rely on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget.
Typically, guerrilla-marketing tactics are unexpected and unconventional; consumers are targeted in unexpected places, which can make the idea that's being marketed memorable, as well as help it generate buzz, and even spread virally.
"For a long time, I was lucky enough to work in Doc Johnson's sales training program, which allowed me to work outside the office and independently for most of my career," Dorfman said. "One of the most important things I learned was you're either win-win with your client or you're lose-lose."
After a year of part-time transitioning, DND Marketing has received Dorfman's full-time attention in recent weeks, with the long-term goal being to expand to 300 to 400 clients in the near future.
"Now I'm taking what I know independent," said Dorfman. "I'm offering my clients a wide variety of services that really don't exist in the adult industry."
For more information, visit DNDMarketingServices.com.
