Our History
The Early Years
Michael A. Delia founded Delia Associates in March 1964, in Maplewood, NJ. The firm continued to expand over the years. In 1982, Delia Associates moved to Whitehouse, New Jersey, where it is still based today.
One of the company’s early clients was Werner and Pfleiderer Corporation, a German-based manufacturer of plastic extrusion systems that aspired to tap the U.S. market. At the time, Werner and Pfleiderer’s U.S. operations consisted of a small start-up sales office in Waldwick, New Jersey. Delia Associates developed a comprehensive marketing approach that helped the company rapidly grow into a major North American entity and the predominant company in its sector.
Another keystone account was Calmar, which Delia Associates serviced for over 23 years. Through our marketing direction, Calmar also quickly became the industry leader and the world’s largest manufacturer of mechanical dispensing devices. Deeply rooted in the plastics and packaging industries with clients such as C.T. Main, Wheaton, Allied Signal, NFM, and Packaging Industries, Delia Associates still serves these dynamic market sectors. During the 1970s and 80’s, as the agency continued to prosper, it expanded into other markets including cosmetics, jewelry, specialty foods, giftware, pharmaceuticals, electronics, space technology, world trade and trade show promotion.
With an established track record of marketing expertise, Delia Associates was selected to be the exclusive North American agency for the largest trade fair operations in the world: Dusseldorf and Hannover in Germany and Milan in Italy. The company also helped develop the North American market for the world’s most prestigious trade events including Interpack and Kunststoff at Dusseldorf, CeBit at Hannover, Macef at Milan, EMO at Hannover and many others.
Delia Associates demonstrated a unique knack for promoting overseas shows to potential U.S. exhibitors with international interests. The Company enticed hundreds of firms to exhibit overseas, directly contributing to increased U.S. exports. Delia Associates was the first firm certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce to organize U.S. exhibitors for overseas fairs. The company also was selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce to launch Export Expo, a show for potential exporters, which was endorsed by then President Ronald Reagan.
The 80’s
The 80’s marked another chapter in Delia Associates growth. Annual sales increased steadily and the company employed more than 40 people with satellite offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Milan, London, Dusseldorf, and a special office at NASA’s launch site in Cape Kennedy. During these years, Delia Associates was engaged by NASA to promote the commercialization of the space shuttle.
The 90’s
In the early 90’s, and facing an economic downturn, the firm was challenged as companies nationwide downsized and significantly reduced promotional spending. Delia Associates quickly adjusted to the emerging trends and developed new methods and technologies to streamline its operations.
The 00’s
The new millennium marked a new beginning in the company’s dynamic history. Under Ed’s leadership, the firm embraced new communications technologies and entered into strategic marketing and brand development. The company branched out from its industrial roots and began serving a more diverse clientele that ranged from technology-driven firms to consumer-based accounts.
Today
From its very beginning to the present day, Delia Associates acknowledges its greatest strength to be the highly talented people that drive its valuable collective thinking and superior creative services. Tapping into this wealth of expertise and knowledge, the firm has developed the Brand Leadership Solution™, a proprietary strategic branding process, WEBpath™, a comprehensive website development program and WEBnext™, an ROI-based suite of integrated web-based strategies, tools and services.