DMA Kicks Off 2008 International ECHO Awards; Deadline for Entries is April 24

Jay Leno to Present Honors at DMA08 in Las Vegas on October 14

New York, NY, January 30, 2008 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has kicked off its 2008 International ECHO Awards competition. Submissions for this year’s honors — which recognize the world’s outstanding direct marketing campaigns based on excellence in innovative strategy, creativity, and results — will be accepted until April 24, though fees for entries received before April 14 will be discounted by 25 percent.

Hosted by Emmy Award-winning “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, the 2008 International ECHO Awards Ceremony & Gala will take place on Tuesday evening, October 14 at The Bellagio, during the DMA08 Conference & Exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center (October 11-16).

DMA’s 2008 ECHO call-for-entries campaign was created by MRM Gillespie, Princeton, NJ, while the ECHO website was developed and managed by BKV, Atlanta, GA.

“Last year, a record-breaking 1,124 campaigns vied for ECHO honors — including 650 entries in five new categories: email and instant messaging, mobile, search engine marketing, Web advertising, and Web development,” said Barbara J. Parker, DMA’s director of award programs. “We anticipate that even more campaigns will be submitted this year. Certainly, it will be very competitive — and exciting.”

Campaigns will be entered and categorized in a dozen primary business media: alternative/insert media, catalog, direct mail, email and instant messaging, mobile, print, search engine marketing, telemarketing, TV/video/radio, Web advertising, Web development, and “other.”

Campaigns submitted for this year’s ECHO competition will be judged and presented in 12 business categories: automotive, business and consumer services, communications and utilities, financial products and services, information technologies, insurance, nonprofit, pharmaceutical and healthcare, product manufacturing and distribution, publishing and entertainment, retail and direct sales, and travel and hospitality/transportation.

In addition to Gold, Silver, and Bronze ECHO Awards, six special awards will be presented this year: the Diamond ECHO, which is presented to the single campaign that is judged to be “best-in-show”; the A. Eicoff Broadcast Innovation Award; the Digital Award; the Henry Hoke Award; the Search Marketing Award; and the US Postal Service Gold Mailbox Award.

As in years past, judging for the 2008 ECHO honors will be conducted in three rounds. Round-one judging will take place in three cities around the globe: Copenhagen, Denmark (May 14-15); Melbourne, Australia (May 20); and New York City (May 20-23).

Reflecting multichannel direct marketing’s growing influence on the global marketing landscape, in 2007, DMA presented a total of 130 ECHO awards to multichannel direct marketing campaigns from the US and 25 other nations. For a list of last year’s winners, click here.

About the 2008 International ECHO Awards

Since 1929, DMA’s International ECHO Awards have recognized the world’s outstanding direct marketing campaigns based on excellence in innovative strategy, creativity, and results. The 2008 awards will be presented on Tuesday, October 14, at The Bellagio during the DMA08 Conference & Exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center (October 11-16). To learn more about the 2008 ECHO Awards, please visit www.dma-echo.org.

DMA’s Global Knowledge Network Center in New York City houses the portfolios of all winners and finalists from the past three years. In addition, a CD-ROM portfolio of award-winning campaigns is available for purchase on DMA’s online bookstore.

About DMA08 Conference & Exhibition

DMA08 Conference & Exhibition, the largest gathering of multichannel direct marketing professionals, is DMA’s annual conference and exhibition. DMA08 will feature keynote presentations, educational sessions, roundtables, case studies, white papers, and research reports. DMA08’s exhibit hall will feature hundreds of exhibiting companies. For more information, or to register for the six-day multichannel marketing event of the year, please visit www.dma08.org or call 1.866.486.0734.

For exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at DMA08, contact Donna LoPorto at 212.768.7277, ext. 1468 or dloporto@the-dma.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 — spent $173.2 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.025 trillion in incremental sales. In 2007, direct marketing accounted for 10.2 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also in 2007, there were 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly supported nearly 9.0 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.6 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

About BKV

BKV, a full-service direct response agency, is solely focused on direct marketing strategy and implementation. Headquartered in Atlanta and founded in 1981, BKV employs a staff of 100+ experts in creative, account service, media, interactive, production, and database services. BKV has created many successful national direct response campaigns utilizing DRTV, interactive, print advertising, direct mail, and radio. The company employs proven techniques for driving response while inventing bold new strategies that deliver record-breaking results. For more information, visit www.bkv.com.

About MRM Gillespie

As part of the MRM Worldwide network, MRM Gillespie is headquartered in Princeton, NJ and employs 160 people. With best-in-class strategists, thinkers, analysts, designers, developers, and creatives, the agency’s core competencies bridge all channels to offer clients an ideal mix of digital and direct solutions. From insight to acquisition to retention and optimization, MRM Gillespie has the experience to help change businesses using all aspects of multi-channel communications. For more information, visit www.mrmgillespie.com.

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