DMA Insurance And Financial Services Council to Honor Four Award Winners during DMA2011 in Boston

September 28, 2011 — The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Insurance and Financial Services Council today announced that Aaron Davis, EVP Analytics, DataLab USA LLC will receive its Financial Services Direct Marketer of the Year Award and Acxiom will receive its Financial Services Company of the Year Award. Warren Hunter, chairman of DMW Direct, is Insurance Direct Marketer of the Year and The Hartford is the Insurance Company of the Year. Honors will be presented on October 3, at the DMA Councils Awards Luncheon during DMA2011 in Boston.

“Despite the economy, it is very gratifying to see superb examples of successful integrated online and offline efforts by these companies and individuals,” said Lisa Merizio Smith, director, DMA Segment Services. “We congratulate these award winners on their wonderful accomplishments.”

The 2011 DMA Financial Services Direct Marketer of the Year Award

Aaron Davis, EVP Analytics, DataLab

Aron Davis’s expertise and leadership skills allowed him to quickly advance within DataLab, and he is now the Vice President of Analytics. He was instrumental in leading DataLab’s analytics team to win several accolades, including first place in the DMA Analytical Challenge in 2007 and 2010, and second place in the DMA Analytical Challenge. Davis’s leadership and analytical expertise also contributed to the Silver Award at the 2009 NCDM Database Excellence Competition. In 2007, under the direction and leadership of Hans Aigner, CEO & president of DataLab USA, Aaron Davis became the youngest partner at age 25.

"I am honored to receive this award from the DMA,” said Davis. “The award is a great recognition of the mutual success of DataLab USA and their clients amidst challenging economic conditions. I am privileged to work with clients, partners, and fellow employees that share a common commitment to the role that quantitative marketing and advanced analytics play in large-scale direct marketing programs."

The 2011 DMA Financial Services Company of the Year Award

Acxiom

Accepting: Michael Mathias, Group Vice President and Financial Services Leader

Acxiom is a recognized leader in marketing services and technology that enable marketers to successfully manage audiences, personalize consumer experiences, and create profitable customer relationships. The company’s superior industry-focused, consultative approach combines consumer data and analytics, databases, data integration, and consulting solutions for personalized, multichannel marketing strategies. Acxiom leverages over 40 years of experience in data management to deliver high-performance, highly secure, reliable information management services. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, and serves clients around the world from locations in the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America.

“This is independent confirmation of Acxiom’s expertise and superb technological performance for all aspects of the financial services industry, from banking to insurance,” said Michael Mathias, Acxiom’s group vice president and financial services leader. “Our team has worked hard to provide our financial services clients with quality insights that help them better understand their customers’ experiences and market to them on a one-to-one basis with relevant offerings. Undoubtedly, through our wealth of consumer insight, analytics, and superior technology, we are well-positioned to lead this industry to a greater level of performance for engaging with today’s connected consumers.”

The 2011 DMA Insurance Direct Marketer of the Year Award

Warren Hunter, Chairman, DMW Direct

For nearly 35 years, Hunter has helped marketers reap the fruits of their marketing investment: first as a marketing director and officer at various insurance companies, and since 1988, working with clients as an agency consultant. Clients in many categories — financial services, business-to-business, and utilities, as well as health, life, and property and casualty insurance — have all tapped Hunter’s experience to enhance their marketing programs. He has been instrumental in the launch or expansion of the direct marketing efforts for a cross-section of companies — including over 20 BlueCross BlueShield Plans, Exelon Energy, Discover Card, World Book Encyclopedia, Fireman's Fund Direct, and Response Insurance — using multimedia advertising, database marketing methods, and multichannel distribution. Hunter has served nine years on DMA’s ECHO Board of Governors, on the board of directors of the Professional Insurance Marketing Association, is active in the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation, and is a frequent speaker at insurance and direct marketing events.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized in this way. In the 35 years or so that I’ve been doing insurance direct marketing, I have seen tremendous changes in the business with the lines between direct and brand being blurred forever,” said Hunter. “Today it’s all about integrated marketing: integrated on and offline advertising media and messaging and integrated selling channels. The consumer is control of the way in which they choose to interact with companies and the successful companies recognize that and think about ‘direct’ in new and different ways.”

The 2011 DMA Insurance Company of the Year Award

The Hartford

Accepting: Thomas Qualley, Assistant Vice President of Marketing, The Hartford

The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is a leading provider of insurance and wealth management services for millions of consumers and businesses worldwide. The Hartford is consistently recognized for its superior service and as one of the world's most ethical companies.

"We are delighted to be recognized by the Direct Marketing Association for our efforts. It reflects the talent and hard work of both our internal team and our external marketing partners," said Stephanie Pritchett, vice president and chief marketing officer of Personal Lines at The Hartford. "Our team's focus on strong analytics and the right segmentation, coupled with distinctive creative, has built a solid platform for future marketing efforts with our expanding list of affinity partners."

For more information on all DMA Councils sessions at DMA2011 or to register for the DMA Councils Awards Luncheon, please visit http://www.dma11.org/awards/council_events.php?PHPSESSID=3ae52bb1b685b41fb36f2e2570b6cff8.

Get Social with DMA

Join us on Facebook Join us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter

About Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the world’s largest 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 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 48 other nations, including half of the Fortune 100 companies.

In 2010, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — spent $153.3 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 54.2 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $1.8 trillion in incremental sales. In 2010, direct marketing accounted for 8.3 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, in 2010 there were 1.4 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported 8.4 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 9.8 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

# # #