DMA Insurance and Financial Services Council Announces Winners of Direct Marketer of the Year and Company of the Year Awards

September 16, 2009 — The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Insurance and Financial Services Council today announced that Tony Baldus, senior vice president of Marketing & Analytics for Marsh US Consumer will receive its Direct Marketer of the Year Award and Marsh US Consumer will receive its Company of the Year Award. Honors will be presented during an October 19 awards dinner at The Palm Restaurant during DMA09 in San Diego.

“This is the first time a single company has won both awards,” said Lisa Merizio Smith, director, DMA Segment Services. “We congratulate both Tony Baldus and Marsh US Consumer on this wonderful accomplishment.”

“This recognition is an affirmation of the hard work and dedication of our entire marketing team, and solidifies Marsh’s position in the direct marketing industry,” said Tony Baldus, senior vice president, Marketing & Analytics for Marsh US Consumer and winner of DMA’s Financial Services Direct Marketer of the Year Award. “These opportunities only happen because of the tremendous support we get as marketers from our staff and management team.”

“These awards validate our never-ending efforts on behalf of our clients to provide them with the highest rate of investment,” said Rob McGinnis, president and chief executive officer, Marsh US Consumer. “This recognition will also inspire our colleagues throughout US Consumer, who lend their distinct talents to create a partnership in innovation, creativity, and implementation that continue to make a difference for our clients and the entire industry. It is satisfying and important that our marketing capabilities are recognized both in the insurance industry and, more important, beyond.”

Tony Baldus is senior vice president of Marketing & Analytics for Marsh US Consumer, and is responsible for the strategy, budgeting, and execution of all consumer marketing projects across the company. During his 12 years at Marsh, he has consistently leveraged his industry and database marketing knowledge to deliver targeted marketing campaigns that met or exceeded budgeted response goals.

Marsh's marketing strategies focus on bottom-line ROI to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness, and under Baldus’ leadership, these strategies have utilized multiple marketing channels including advertising, direct mail, email, and Web.

In addition to developing highly successful contact strategies that target customers with appropriate product offers, Baldus has been recognized for his work in direct response marketing for direct mail promotions, billing activities, profitability analysis, and renewal modeling.

At Marsh he has held various positions of increasing responsibility including: director, marketing operations; customer focus team leader; and director, consumer insight. His professional career also includes time spent working for Meredith Corporation as a database marketing manager.

Baldus holds a Masters of Business Administration from Drake University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Iowa State University. He also holds insurance licenses in all 50 states for Life, Accident, Health, and Personal Lines Insurance.

Based in the Des Moines, Iowa, metropolitan area, Marsh US Consumer has established itself as a world-class marketing organization by effectively integrating proprietary predictive analysis, convergent multimedia communications, and unique market segmentation techniques. This approach constantly enables the company to reach the right customer with the right message at the right time. In the face of a historic economic downturn and market instability, Marsh generated a record level of new penetration revenue at the end of 2008 and into 2009 while delivering ever-improving results across its growing client base and keeping expenses significantly under budget.

For more information or to register for the Insurance and Financial Services Dinner, please visit www.dma09.org.

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 more than 3,400 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 48 other nations, including half of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

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