DMEF Announces 2008 Collegiate ECHO Awards Winners; Pitney Bowes and Litle & Co. Sponsor Competition

July 28, 2008 — The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) today announced the winners of the 2008 DMEF Collegiate ECHO Awards: The University of Northern Colorado (undergraduate team), and Baruch College (graduate team). The 2008 competition, sponsored by Pitney Bowes — an internationally recognized, leading provider of mailstream technology solutions — was conducted during the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 semesters and attracted entries from colleges nationwide. Litle & Co. will be sponsoring the cash prizes for each winning team.

With an emphasis on using multichannel direct marketing, creativity, and technology such as blogs, social networking, and email this year’s competition was exceptionally valuable for students as they gained real-world business experience while still in the classroom. This year’s Collegiate ECHO challenge was to create a $4 million innovative and integrated direct marketing campaign, targeting small businesses, establishing the Pitney Bowes’ Stamp Expressions™ Printer. This desktop printer lets customers print USPS ® approved postage designed through the Internet.

To help enhance the overall learning experience for the students, DMEF partnered with NextMark to provide the competing teams with free access to NextMark's List Research System. This system, used by practitioners and major businesses, is a list selection tool that is used for direct marketing campaigns.

“Students, faculty and sponsors are all winners in the Collegiate ECHO Challenge,” said DMEF President Terri L. Bartlett. “Our sponsor had dozens of mini-agencies of future marketers generating new ideas under the supervision of business, communications, marketing, or advertising professors. These faculty advisors provided their teams with the opportunity to create a real-world marketing plan — and the entire direct marketing community benefits by having workplace-ready graduates.”

“DMEF is very appreciative of Pitney Bowes’ sponsorship,” continued Bartlett, “and we thank Litle & Co., the generous sponsors of this year’s cash prizes to both the undergraduate and graduate teams.”

“Pitney Bowes wishes to thank all the student teams, and their advisors, that participated in this year’s Collegiate ECHO Challenge,” said Daniel Kohn, vice president, Pitney Bowes. “Although all the submissions were well done, there were two campaigns that really stood out to win the Gold Collegiate ECHO Awards. The University of Northern Colorado team, which targeted non-profits, and the Baruch College team, which included a green theme in their campaign, truly exceeded expectations. Both provided a winning combination of solid market research, a thoroughly determined media model, creativity, and the ability to reach the target audience. Overall, both teams provided very sound, professionally packaged presentations.”

Winners of the DMEF’s 2008 Collegiate ECHO Awards:

Undergraduate Teams

· Gold

University of Northern Colorado

Spice Up Your Mail

Students: Maria Jerez, Francis Matturi, William Dozier

Faculty Advisor: James Reardon

· Silver

University of Georgia

Send Yourself

Students: Catherine Beaver, Adam Shields, Megan Kemp, Halle Amanda Meng

Faculty Advisor: Jooyoung Kim

· Bronze

Creighton University

Stamping a New Look on Small Business

Students: Matthew Klenda, Adrian Suarez-Delgado, Rachel Knust

Faculty Advisor: Natalie Ross Adkins

Graduate Teams

· Gold and Honorable Mention for Best Marketing Strategy

Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College
Turning Your Home Office Business Green

Students: Angelique Wing, Aditi Solanki, Imanuel Eltanya
Faculty Advisor: Patti Devine

· Silver and Honorable Mention for Best Media Plan
Eastern Michigan University

It's What Your Business Deserves
Students: Alyssa Koontz, Walid Khalil, Shawna Fleming

Faculty Advisor: Matt Sauber

· Bronze and Honorable Mention for Smartest Budgeting & ROI
Loyola University Chicago

Put Your Stamp On It
Students: Sarah Malouf, Angela So, Michaela Metzger, Paige Penningroth
Faculty Advisor: Mary Ann McGrath

Eligible team members receiving the Gold award will attend DMA’s DMA08 Conference & Exhibition, The Global Event for Integrated Marketing, being held from October 11-16 in Las Vegas. They will also be presented with trophies and cash rewards at the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) International ECHO Awards ceremony and gala on Tuesday, October 14 at the Bellagio. The prize includes transportation, accommodations, a cash award, and attendance at DMA08.

Past Collegiate ECHO challenge sponsors, during its 22-year history, have included such prestigious companies as: ING DIRECT; Publishers Clearing House; Mazda North American Operations; Bank One; BMG Direct; Ford Motor Company; and Hallmark Cards.

About Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF)

Headquartered in New York City, the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) works to attract, educate, and place top college students by continuously improving the teaching of world-class direct/interactive marketing and, thereby, expanding and enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready direct marketers. Established in 1966 by members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) who wanted to give something back to the community, DMEF is today a separate, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, companies, and regional clubs and associations. Funds raised go toward a broad range of world-class educational programs.

Since its founding, thousands of students have taken advantage of DMEF’s educational programs, entering the field with the competitive edge of being “workplace-ready.” Many have gone on to become today’s direct marketing leaders, an indication of the Foundation’s success. In addition, more than 1,800 professors have participated in DMEF programs. Thanks in significant part to the Foundation’s four decades of work, today approximately 250 colleges and universities offer courses in direct/interactive marketing, 20 of which now offer specific direct marketing degrees and certificate programs. For additional information about the DMEF, its mission, and its programs, visit www.the-dmef.org.

About DMA’s International ECHO Awards

Introduced in 1929 as the “Best in Direct Mail” contest, the DMA International ECHO Awards honor excellence in creativity, marketing strategy, and response results in direct marketing campaigns. With over 1,000 entries submitted by direct response agencies worldwide, DMA’s annual ECHO Awards recognize every type of media used in direct and interactive marketing campaigns.

For more information about the International ECHO Awards, which will be presented on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, during the DMA08 Conference & Exhibition, please visit www.dma-echo.org. To register or for additional information about DMA08, being held October 11 – 16 in Las Vegas, please visit www.dma08.org.

About Litle & Co.

Litle & Co. (www.litle.com) is a payment processor focused on serving the unique needs of direct marketers. The company has grown rapidly since its founding in 2001; in 2005, it had over $34 million in revenue and in 2006 it was named the fastest-growing privately-held company in the US by INC Magazine.

Not only does Litle & Co. serve direct marketers; it is a direct marketer. Over 95 percent of its marketing budget is dedicated to direct marketing efforts.

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes is a mailstream technology company that helps organizations manage the flow of information, mail, documents and packages. Our 36,000 employees deliver technology, service and innovation to more than two million customers worldwide. The company was founded in 1920 and annual revenues now total $6.3 billion. More information is available at www.pb.com.

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