DMA Announces Partnership to Create Arab DMA in Saudi Arabia; DMA to Provide Best Practices, Research, Self- Regulation Tools, and Education Services

October 3, 2008 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) today announced a partnership with Direct Marketing Services YMH LLC, who is currently in a joint venture with the Saudi Post, to develop the direct mail industry and work toward the creation and operation of the Arab Direct Marketing Association (ADMA), as well as develop direct marketing across the global Pan-Arab community.

DMA will guide the relevant organizations as they work to create a direct marketing community and thriving economy. They will also establish an infrastructure and a greater business community within Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the Arab world, as they hope to establish themselves as a regional benchmark and global competitor.

“DMA is proud to be part of such an historic and important effort,” said Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan, Ph.D., DMA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “This partnership is a win-win for everyone. The ADMA will benefit from our expertise, creativity, and leadership with the opportunity to create an entire direct marketing community of their own, from the ground up.”

“This is also an opportunity for us to deliver on our strategic plan’s goal of opening up new consumer and business markets for US marketer, supplier, and agency members of the DMA,” continued Ratan.

“Our combined efforts will change the way communication was, and ever will be, in the Arab world,” said Yousef M. Hamidaddin, chief executive officer of Direct Marketing Services YMH LLC. “Governments, social networks, corporations, and companies will learn how direct marketing can change relationships, conceptions, market dynamics, and see that both new and different industries will flourish with the existence of direct marketing as a medium.”

“We will see our part of the world merged with households in the US and other places into one market driven by the address, and one network,” continued Hamidaddin. “Data will create a fluid reach that will allow us to print and deliver anywhere in the world.”

Specifically, DMA will guide the ADMA with the knowledge, experience, and know-how in their development and operations, including:

· Providing information on direct marketing practices and training programs;

· Identifying and analyzing regulation of the direct marketing industry;

· Identifying and establishing its mission, principles, and goals;

· Assistance with identifying and analyzing trends and research with a direct impact on ADMA; and

· Development of training, education, certificate, and diploma programs.

About Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents nearly 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2007, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — spent $173.2 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales. In 2007, direct marketing accounted for 10.2 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also in 2007, there were 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported nearly 9.0 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.6 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

About Direct Marketing Services YMH LLC (DMS)

In a competitive analysis done by a multinational consultancy in 2005, DMS was found to be the only specialized direct marketing agency in Saudi Arabia with capabilities to deploy major multi-channel direct marketing initiatives. Today, DMS is the only “One-Stop-Shop” direct marketing agency with fully equipped mailing and fulfillment centers, call centers, creative studios, and a business team to support all the above.

The first direct marketing agency in Saudi Arabia, DMS has built unparalleled know-how, high level partnerships, and above all a “GCC Consumer Insight” repository that allows DMS and their partners to better understand and communicate with the GCC consumer.

With an understanding that a company’s value is derived from clients and partners, over the years DMS has accumulated industry leaders such as Procter & Gamble, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sony, Nestle, Goody, Magrabi Optical, Savola and other clients that have been instrumental in adding both financial and know-how growth.

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