DMA Announces Improvements for Special Interest Councils; Seeks 'Counsel from Councils'

July 24, 2007 — Direct Marketing Association (DMA) President & CEO John A. Greco, Jr. yesterday outlined improvements to the way DMA will operate its 19 special interest councils. In a teleconference call to council leadership and a letter emailed to council members, Greco said, the change, which will take effect on November 1, addresses “what we see as significant opportunities to enhance and grow our DMA Council community…specifically, seeking ‘Counsel from the Councils.’”

The following is the full text of Greco’s letter to DMA council members.

* * *

Today the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is announcing improvements to the way we operate our 19 special interest councils in order to address what we see as significant opportunities to enhance and grow our DMA Council community.

DMA special interest councils are designed to connect individual participants with a community of segment leaders, and to allow them to receive maximum value from all the benefits and services of DMA membership.

At the same time, special interest councils representing every segment of the whole spectrum of the direct marketing process are intended to fit together to provide a powerful, comprehensive view of the entire direct marketing community.

Beginning November 1, 2007, each DMA special interest council will restructure its current Operating Committee (OpCom) as a new Advisory Committee (AC).

Why are we doing this? We want to develop a more strategic thought-leadership process within each council. Advisory Committees from each special interest segment will advise DMA staff on key issues and questions that are current in that special interest sector.

With this kind of “Counsel from the Councils” our expectation is that we’ll raise the level of dialogue on substantive issues that connect each council to the overall direct marketing process – for the benefit of all.

Each AC will be composed of a representative sampling of the range of professionals who work in each segment, including individuals from various marketing, agency and supplier segments and marketing channels.

The AC will provide strategic direction and expertise to council activities by engaging the entire council membership and identifying the initiatives that will best address their needs and interests.

As a transition step to this new operating model, DMA will appoint chairs (or co-chairs, as appropriate) for each Advisory Committee to serve a one-year term, beginning November 1.

Working with the prospective chairs, DMA will seek nominations and recruit a representative sampling of professionals to serve as AC members. The AC members will also serve transitional, one-year terms.

Councils play a key role in all five of DMA’s primary benefits and services, from helping formulate plans and priorities for public policy advocacy and image building, to the education, networking and research we facilitate.

Over the next few weeks, Terri Bartlett and Ken Ebeling will be following up with each of the Operating Committee chairs. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Terri (tbartlett@the-dma.org) or Ken (kebeling@the-dma.org).

We are optimistic that these changes will help each of our DMA special interest councils to pursue excellence and continuous improvement and maximize their value for all concerned.

* * *

DMA’s membership includes professionals from every segment of the wide spectrum of the direct marketing process. Reflecting that diversity, the Association operates special interest councils to serve individuals from these various marketing, agency, and supplier segments and marketing channels.

Each DMA council provides its members with exclusive access to a community of segment leaders, as well as targeted educational opportunities throughout the year. Each council also offers members special events, ranging from virtual seminars to full-day conferences, as well as segment-specific newsletters and alerts.

For a list of our councils, visit www.the-dma.org/councils.

For council event information, visit www.the-dma.org/events.

# # #