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Who's Who: Marvin Elbaum

Three decades in banking, advertising, and technology have taught kiosk consultant Marvin Elbaum the value of precision. He brings a focused, well-considered philosophy to his work.

September 17, 2002

When he heads to his weekend home in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, Marvin Elbaum sheds the trappings of a kiosk consultant, preferring instead the peaceful life of a part-time gardener.

But even in his garden, Elbaum deals with precise, inch-perfect patterns. His gardening vision is similar to the mind frame he brings to his kiosk work -- sharp and focused.

"It's great because I can do a little something different, a little creative," Elbaum said of his garden. "But my plantings still have perfect lines."

Even in the middle of the Berkshires, Elbaum cannot escape kiosks. That is fine by him, for kiosks are the sum total of his career. He has worked in the financial industry, developed an advertising company, and taught at the collegiate level. During the various twists and turns of his career, he developed knowledge that he said shaped his current career path as managing partner of kiosk consulting firm Elbaum & Partners.

"What interested me in the kiosk industry is that it's kind of the sum total of all my experiences," he said. "I've been able to take that and apply it to a new, interesting industry."

Along the way, Elbaum has gotten on the same wavelength with others in the kiosk industry.

Marvin Elbaum brings academic, banking, and advertising experience into his role as a kiosk consultant.

"The kiosk gets in your blood," said Brian McGrady, general manager for Instruments & Equipment Co., Sparta, N.J.-based products and services supplier. "We've been in (the kiosk industry) for 2 ½ years, hot and heavy, and we've worked with Marvin quite a bit. The thoughts Marvin has in terms of moving the market forward are similar to ours. It's not just a piece of hardware, it's a solution to a problem. That's where you have to begin and Marvin understands that."

Hunting and gathering

Opportunity is one way of describing Elbaum's professional career; as one possibility played out, another one developed. But Elbaum first had to experience frustration before opportunity arose.

In the early 1970s, shortly after receiving an MBA from Indiana State University, Elbaum accepted a faculty position at Central Connecticut State University's business school, and immediately cast an eye toward other opportunities.

"I was the low man on the totem pole of the faculty," he said. "The first summer I was in Connecticut, I found that the Connecticut Bank and Trust Co. was looking for college students to come in and work in the research area. Even though I wasn't a college student I applied."

Elbaum landed the summer job and it would change his career. What was supposed to be a seasonal role became a full-time position -- Elbaum would eventually be named director of communications at the bank -- and he gained experience that would come in handy down the road with kiosks.

"I was involved in the banking industry at a very interesting time, the development of the ATM," he said. "I was really able to put together some ATM (marketing) programs early and earn some national recognition and brand our ATMs."

"The kiosk industry is taking the same evolutionary path as the ATM took," he added.

In the mid-1970s, Elbaum left the bank to go into advertising as a founding partner of LSGE Advertising/Communications. Elbaum again picked up knowledge that he would later put to good use in the kiosk industry. "I became very cognizant of ROI," he said. "Advertisers want to make sure they get it."

Elbaum stayed with LSGE for 17 years. But the company was struggling in the early 1990s ("It wasn't making enough money," he said) when he was offered a chance to join The Allied Group as general manager of interactive technology. The company was working with Sun Microsystems on kiosks, and Elbaum realized he had stumbled into a sector ready-made for his experience.

"I soon found out that kiosks were nothing more than new media, combining all the elements I learned in advertising," he said. "There I learned a little bit about broadcasting, a little bit about billboards, and a little bit about direct responses. I looked at kiosks as though they were the sum total of everything I've done with another layer -- the technology layer -- added on top."

Elbaum worked at The Allied Group and for kiosk software developer Netkey Inc. as director of client and partner services before going on his own in 2000. With the support of Canadian kiosk developer St. Clair Interactive Communications Inc., Elbaum created a consulting firm, Elbaum & Partners.

"I started Elbaum & Partners so I could have a bit of flexibility," he said. "I'm now working with Doug (Peter, St. Clair president) on a consulting basis to help build channels and St. Clair's business in the U.S."

Tying it all together

In the kiosk industry, Elbaum has developed a Yoda-esque persona. Industry officials turn to him for his bent on the sector.

"He has a very keen insight of the industry and where it's going," said Ron Bowers, vice president of kiosk enclosure manufacturer Frank Mayer & Associates Inc. "He knows why kiosks are successful and how markets are embracing them. He brings the knowledge of where a kiosk should be used, but just as importantly, he understands where a kiosk shouldn't be."

Bowers said Elbaum also brings little philosophical nuggets to conversations, such as "A customer doesn't really know what they don't know," and, "It's the blinding glimpse of the obvious" that explains the way customers view kiosks.

But Elbaum brings more than experience and snappy lingo to any discussion. He has also developed a metric, the Kiosk Predictive Utilization Tool (KPUT). KPUT is used to measure the potential effectiveness of a kiosk based on consumer needs and expectations.

"Consumers pump their own gas every day and pay at the pump," he said. "They go to the ATM, not just at secure banks but also at the same gas station. Consumers have said they'll use self-service techniques. My tools measure what self-service techniques consumers have accepted. They want something that helps you do something faster, easier, and more convenient."

It is no surprise that Elbaum has a sharp, focused kiosk philosophy. He has spent the past three decades developing an appreciation for precision in everything he does.