Ronald Bliwas and Charles Morgan Inducted into DMA Hall of Fame at DMA07 in Chicago

Chicago, IL, October 16, 2007 — Ronald L. Bliwas, president/CEO of A. Eicoff & Company, the largest direct response television agency in the nation, and Charles D. Morgan, chairman of the board and company leader of Acxiom Corporation, a firm that integrates data, services, and technology, were inducted into the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Hall of Fame at a luncheon today.

DMA Hall of Fame Committee Chair Marjorie Kalter, Ph.D., academic program director and clinical professor at New York University, presented the awards to Bliwas and Morgan. The awards, which are DMA’s highest honor, were presented during the DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, the multichannel global marketing event of the year, which concludes on Thursday at McCormick Place West in Chicago.

Ronald L. Bliwas

President/Chief Executive Officer, A. Eicoff & Company

As the head of A. Eicoff & Company for 27 years and an employee of the agency for 37 years, Ron Bliwas has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading and most respected authorities on direct-response television advertising. Under Bliwas’ leadership, Eicoff has grown to become one of the top 10 agencies in Chicago, greatly expanding its client base over the years to include companies such as Sears, Bose Electronics, New York Life, and Ameritrade.

Bliwas writes and speaks frequently about television advertising, and his expertise and accomplishments have received widespread recognition. He has been named one of the most influential people in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business; has received similar recognition from Response TV magazine; and has been interviewed by Mike Wallace to provide “60 Minutes” viewers with an overview of the DRTV business.

In 2007, Bliwas’ book, The C Student’s Guide to Success, was published by Penguin (under the Tarcher imprint). It has been named a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and has received praise from The Washington Post, Chicago Magazine, and other publications.

In 2005, Bliwas served as DMA’s chairman of the board and today continues to serve on the DMA board. He also serves on Taylor Capital Group, Inc.’s Board of Directors, the University of Arizona National Board of Advisors, the Board of Friends of Prentice (Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation), and Illinois Institute of Technology’s Psychology Department Board of Overseers.

A 1964 graduate of the University of Arizona with a B.S. in marketing, Bliwas also received a degree from Northwestern University’s Institute for Advanced Advertising Studies.

Charles D. Morgan

Chairman of the Board and Company Leader, Acxiom Corporation

Charles D. Morgan is company leader of Acxiom Corporation. Under his leadership, Acxiom has expanded from a small data processing company into a global corporation that provides customer and information management solutions for many of the world’s largest, most respected companies. Earlier this month, Morgan announced that he would retire as company leader upon the selection of a successor.

After six years at IBM as a systems engineer, in 1972, Morgan joined Acxiom as vice president. Since 1975, he has served as the company’s chief executive officer and chairman of its board of directors. In 1991, he assumed the additional title of president. His title became company leader when Acxiom eliminated executive titles in 1997.

Morgan maintains a keen interest in technology and continues to participate actively in setting Acxiom’s technical direction. By instilling a unique business culture and vision of success, he has become one of the few executives in the country to see his company named five times to Fortune’s coveted “100 Best Places to Work” list.

In 2001, Morgan served as DMA’s chairman of the board. He also served for eight years as chairman of the board of trustees at Hendrix College and continues to serve as a trustee.

In 2002, Morgan joined 13 other senior executives from leading US companies to form the Mailing Industry CEO Council, which aims to unify the mailing industry and promote the critical role that mail plays in business and commerce. That same year, he joined the Enterprise Software CEO Roundtable, a group of approximately 30 chief executives and other high-ranking officials from the world’s largest software companies, who meet to share ideas and review industry trends.

A native of Fort Smith, AR, Morgan is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

About the DMA Hall of Fame

DMA’s Hall of Fame honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the practice, growth, and stature of direct marketing. Since it was established in 1978, DMA has honored 91 men and women whose vision and leadership have helped shape today’s data-driven, multichannel marketing profession. For more information, including a full list of 1978–2006 honorees, visit www.the-dma.org/awards/hof.

About DMA07 Conference & Exhibition

DMA07, the largest gathering of direct marketing professionals, is DMA’s annual conference and exhibition. DMA07 will feature more than 150 educational sessions, plus roundtables, case studies, white papers and research reports. DMA07’s exhibit hall will feature more than 500 exhibiting companies. For more information, or to register for the six-day multichannel marketing event of the year, please visit www.dma07.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 nearly 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2007, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — are forecast to spend $173.2 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales. In 2007, direct marketing will account for 10.2 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, there are today 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support nearly 9.0 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.6 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

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