History

Origins

Michael A. Delia founded Delia Associates in March 1964, in Maplewood, New Jersey. The firm continued to expand, and in 1982 moved to Whitehouse, New Jersey, where it’s still based today. One of the company’s early clients was Werner and Pfleiderer Corporation, a small German-based manufacturer of plastic extrusion systems that aspired to tap the U.S. market. 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, helping them become an 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. As the agency continued to prosper, it expanded into other markets including cosmetics, jewelry, specialty foods, giftware, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and space technology.

With an established track record of marketing expertise in trade show promotion, 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.

By promoting overseas shows to potential U.S. exhibitors, Delia Associates 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, and was selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce to launch Export Expo.

The 80’s

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

Delia Associates was one of the first firms in New Jersey to introduce desktop publishing, adopting emerging technologies and streamlining operations and procedures. In 1992, Delia Associates was engaged by Advanced Monobloc, North America’s leading manufacturer of aluminum aerosols, and part of CCL Industries, a holding company that served the packaging industry with a broad range of resources and companies. Shortly thereafter, Delia Associates began serving other CCL Industries divisions, including Kolmar Laboratories and CCL Custom Manufacturing. In 1995, Michael Delia’s son, Ed, joined the firm. Ed became president in 1998.

The 00’s

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. True to its historical foundations, Delia Associates remained a leading marketing resource for the plastics and packaging industries. The firm also continued to expand its client base, serving diverse industrial and consumer accounts.
Delia Associates began to specialize in launching new companies and products by assisting entrepreneurs in getting their companies off to a fast start with a unique brand identity and rapid exposure in the marketplace.

Today

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 Solutionâ„¢, a proprietary strategic branding process that helps create, revitalize and rejuvenate brands. Delia Associates continues to add to a growing list of clients, including packaging, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, healthcare, professional services, banking, financial services, construction, allied trades, consumer services, technology, and engineering.