Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association (PDMA) Honors Its Direct Marketer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Awardee, and 'Benny' Award Winners

June 10, 2010 — On Thursday, June 3, the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association (http://www.the-pdma.org) honored its 2010 Direct Marketer of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and made presentations to winners of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Direct Marketing Excellence at the Farmhouse at People’s Light in Malvern, PA.

The PDMA presented this year’s Direct Marketer of the Year award to Lisa Formica, president of fmi direct, inc. Formica is a hands-on leader whose involvement in her family’s business has helped it to grow from a very small lettershop into an industry leading direct marketing production company. Under Formica’s leadership, fmi direct helps clients develop direct response campaigns that utilize both direct mail and Internet marketing. Formica has served as a past PDMA President and is currently Chairman of the PDMA Board of Directors. She has been a member of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) Board of Trustees and has also served on the Board of the Greater Philadelphia Postal Customer Council.

The PDMA Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding support for PDMA, was presented to Jim Capanna, director of New Business for The Total Mailing System. Capanna, who has been a PDMA member for 27 years, is a dedicated committee volunteer with the Association. He also provides service to other local and national DMA chapters, the Philadelphia Advertising Club, and the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association (MFSA).

The PDMA also honored its Benjamin Franklin Award for Direct Marketing Excellence winners. The “Benny” competition has been a proud Philadelphia tradition for 37 years. A panel of direct marketing experts from the Direct Marketing Club of New York judged this year’s submissions and awarded 30 winners and three honorable mentions in addition to naming the Thomas Black Memorial Best of Show. Categories cover direct mail, Internet/interactive, multi-media, three dimensional, television, and print.

The 2010 Thomas Black Memorial Award for Best of Show was awarded to DMW Direct for its “Tufts 4Q09 AEP Campaign” entry in the Direct Mail, Invitation to Inquire category.

The Benny winners are:

ACE USA for its “Oversight” entry in the Direct Mail, Acquisition Offer to Purchase category.

Aon Affinity Insurance Services for its “Social Media Campaign” entry in the Social Media, Invitation to Inquire category.

Associates Graphic Services (now Associates International) for its “Miles Ahead, Worries Behind” entry in the Direct Mail, Acquisition Offier to Purchase, Financial category; Internet/Interactive, Acquisition Offer to Purchase category; and Multi-Media, Acquisition Offer to Purchase category.

Associates Graphic Services (now Associates International) for its “Gift Pak – Birthday Pak” entry in the Internet/Interactive, Invitation to Inquire category; Multi-Media, Invitation to Inquire category; and an Honorable Mention in the Direct Mail, Invitation to Inquire category.

Bank of America for its “Tummy Tuck for Balboa Insurance” entry in the Print, Creative Only category.

Bicknell Creative for its “Ashworth-in-a-Box Military Education Kits” entry in the Three Dimensional, Acqusition Offer to Purchase category and Three Dimensional, Creative Only category.

Bicknell Creative for its “PCP Choose Peace of Mind Medicare Advantage Campaign” entry in the Direct Mail, Invitation to Inquire, Healthcare category.

Booth Bay for its “SEI Sphere Dimensional Mailer” entry in the Three Dimensional, Invitation to Inquire category.

Booth Bay for its “PMI Book Expo Campaign” entry in the Direct Mail, Invitation to Inquire category.

D4 Creative Group for its “Local Heroes Campaign” entry in the Multi-Media, Creative Only category.

D4 Creative Group for its “My DVR” entry in the TV, Creative Only category.

DMW Direct for its “Tufts 4Q09 AEP Campaign” entry in the Direct Mail, Invitation to Inquire, Insurance category.

DMW Direct for its “Multi-Medicare – Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield” entry in the Multi-Media, Invitation to Inquire, Insurance category.

DMW Direct for its “Brighter Future” entry in the Internet/Interactive, Creative Only category.

fwd>direct for its “High and Low” entry in the Direct Mail, Invitation to Inquire, Healthcare category.

Gina Signorella-Arlen/Grafica Group for its “Worry Free Buster Furnace DM” entry in the Direct Mail, Acqusition to Existing Customers category.

Go Direct & Marsh US Consumer for its “What You Do and Why” entry in the Multi-Media, Creative Only category.

Goodman Marketing Partners for its “Sax and Guts and Double Roll” entry in the Direct Mail, Creative Only, Non-Profit category.

Independence Blue Cross for its “Security 65 DRTV Campaign” entry in the TV, Invitation to Inquire category.

Merkle, Inc. for its “Susan G. Komen for the Cure Community Challenge” entry in the Direct Mail, Retention, Non-Profit category.

Merkle, Inc. for its “Arthritis Foundation – Go Green” entry in the Multi-Media, Retention, Non-Profit category.

Merkle, Inc. for its “US Navy Memorial/Blessing of the Fleets” entry in the Direct Mail, Retention, Non-Profit category – received an Honorable Mention.

Modern Mail for its “American Baptist International Ministries 2009 Matching Gift Appeal” entry in the Print, Acquisition to Existing Customers, Non-Profit category.

Northstar Vets for its “Make Your Pet a Star” entry in the Social Media, Creative Only category.

Roska Healthcare Advertising for its “Freedom of Muscle Spasm Relief Direct Mail Campaign” entry in the Direct Mail, Creative Only category.

Schultz & Williams for its “The Planetary Society – Advanced Renewal” entry in the Direct Mail, Acqusition to Existing Customers, Non-Profit category.

Schultz & Williams for its “Wildlife Conservation Society – Tiger Matching Gift Campaign” entry in the Multi-Media, Retention, Non-Profit category – received an Honorable Mention.

The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks for its “Simply Synthroid” entry in the Three Dimensional, Retention category.

A complete list of the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Award for Direct Marketing Excellence winners are posted here: http://the-pdma.org/index.php/events/bennys/47.html.

About the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association

The Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association (PDMA) is a non-profit membership association consisting of more than 500 members throughout Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, and Northern Delaware. The PDMA has served the direct marketing community through education, information, and networking services since 1943. For more about the PDMA and a schedule of upcoming meetings and events, visit http://www.the-pdma.org.

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