Countdown to DMA06: 2006 International ECHO Awards to Be Presented Oct. 17; Emmy Winner Dana Carvey to Host

October 13, 2006 — The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) 2006 International ECHO Awards will be presented at a gala event on Tuesday, October 17 that will be hosted by Emmy-winning comedic tour-de-force Dana Carvey, will showcase the talented marketers from around globe whose hands will be holding the coveted ECHO Award. The gala will take place in San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center.

DMA’s ECHO awards will be based on results of stellar campaigns that incorporate outstanding and innovative strategy, creative, database technique, and planning, to achieve astounding results.

The ECHO Gallery Lounge in the Moscone Convention Center will showcase this year’s entries and provide a relaxed venue to review all of the creative excellence. Spot the exciting trendsetters in direct marketing and observe, first-hand, the unsurpassed innovation and creativity of each entrant.

The ECHOs will be awarded across 12 fundamental business categories, including: Not-for-Profit, Financial Products and Services, Publishing/Entertainment, Communications/Utilities, Automotive, Information Technologies, Insurance, Retail and Direct Sales, Travel & Hospitality/Transportation, Pharmaceutical/Healthcare, Business and Consumer Services, and Product Manufacturing and Distribution.

Special ECHO Awards

In addition to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze honors, special awards are given for excellence in industry specialties:

· The Diamond ECHO goes to the “Best of Show” campaign.

· The US Postal Service Gold Mailbox is chosen for the most innovative use of mail.

· The ECHO Digital Award honors the campaign that uses information technology (i.e. email, search, mobile, other web & digital channels), as a primary element in a marketing campaign, and applies information technology in a creative or innovative way to deliver outstanding results.

· The Henry Hoke Award reflects the campaign with the most courageous solution to a difficult sales marketing problem.

· The A. Eicoff Broadcast Innovation Award recognizes a campaign for the most innovative use of direct broadcast media.

More Multichannel, Integrated Campaigns This Year

“This year saw more comprehensive campaigns that not only integrated direct marketing efforts across multiple media, but integrated direct marketing with other disciplines as well,” remarked Sid Liebenson, chair of the 2006 ECHO Committee and executive vice president and director of marketing at DRAFT. “Many of the entries were quite complex with multiple components. For example, we saw campaigns that applied direct marketing to everything from traditional channels like direct mail and print to Internet, point-of-sale, and even outdoor advertising.”

Liebenson maintains that today’s campaigns are reaching a broader market in more innovative ways than ever before. For example, a seemingly simple sales promotion in a retail store might lead to a Web site where the customer can opt in to a CRM program.

Liebenson notes that, in some of this year’s best campaigns, clients were willing to take risks. “We saw a lot of clever, engaging, and unexpected approaches - formats that involved the target audience and made it fun. One example was online personalization, in which a consumer is drawn to a site that had his or her information pre-loaded.” This year’s top ECHO campaigns indicated that clients today are more willing to set new “best practices” instead of simply relying on strategies and tactics that have been used in the past.

Celebrity Host Dana Carvey

This all-out celebration of creativity will be hosted by comedic tour-de-force Dana Carvey. Well-known for his roles in blockbuster hits such as Wayne’s World, This is Spinal Tap and Saturday Night Live, Carvey won an Emmy Award in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program. He has received a total of six Emmy nominations, and was honored with the American Comedy Award as Television's Funniest Supporting Male in 1990 and 1991.

Commonly referred to as the “Oscars of Direct Marketing,” the ECHO is the only international award that rigorously assesses entries based on strategy, creativity, and results. The International ECHO Awards have honored outstanding direct response advertising campaigns from around the world since 1929, making 2006 the 77th year of the competition. For more information on DMA’s International ECHO Awards please visit: http://www.dma-echo.org/2006.

For additional information about DMA06 in San Francisco, which will be held October 14 – 19, visit www.dma06.org or call 800.293.7279.

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