Multichannel Medicine: Critiques and More at 2008 Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM)

Conference & Exhibition Co-Produced by DMA and Multichannel Merchant

Takes Place May 19-22 in Orlando

New York, NY, May 6, 2008 — Everybody’s a critic. Direct marketers know this, because it’s all they hear if their catalogs, websites, email creative, or other multichannel efforts are found wanting. Usually, those critics don’t offer solutions. But a plethora of experts at the 25th Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM) will have the answers.

Catalog, website, and email creative critiques and the “Ask the Doctor” Multichannel Merchant Medical Center will help cure what ails multichannel marketing efforts. All this will happen during the conference being co-produced by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Multichannel Merchant, which will take place May 19-22 in Orlando, FL.

“Even direct marketing geniuses can use a little help now and then, and these one-on-one critiques, as well as the Medical Center, will be offered at ACCM to help,” commented Angela Eastin, group show director, Penton Media.

Catalog Critiques

As book sizes decrease, many more catalog aspects change, too. Creative, copywriting, and more have to adjust. Attendees who bring in catalogs can get tune ups in these areas and more, thanks to the 20 minute, one-on-one sessions for business-to-business and business-to-consumer catalogers. The critiques will be run by:

· Gene BeHage, President, Gene BeHage Consulting

· Rick Binger, President, Binger Catalog Marketing

· Lois Boyle-Brayfield, President and Chief Creative Officer, J. Schmid & Associates

· Chris Carrington, President, Catalogs by Lorel

· Sarah Fletcher, Creative Director, Catalog Design Studios

· John Galvin, Principal and Co-Founder, Integrate, Inc.

· Jean Giesmann, formerly of BlueSky Brands

· Paula J. Jeske, Vice President, New Business Development, Direct Marketing, Black Dot Group

· Susan McIntyre, President, MyIntyre Direct

· Brent Niemuth, Vice President, Creative, J. Schmid & Associates

· Jeff Ryan, Copy Director, Catalog Design Studios

· Kathleen Schultz, President, KMS Consulting

· Glenda Shasho Jones, President, Shasho Jones Direct

· Carol Worthington-Levy, Partner, Creative Services, LENSER

· Mike Wychocki, Executive Vice President, Partner, Haggin Marketing

· John Wynn, Vice President, Business Development, Haggin Marketing

Website Critiques

The aim of these 20-minute consulting sessions is to help improve sales from attendees’ websites. Experts will guide attendees on improving the appearance, navigation, and thereby ROI of their Internet efforts.

· Dayna Bateman, Senior Strategic Analyst, Fry, Inc.

· John Deneen, President, SiteForm Inc.

· Bob Hale, Usability Specialist, Resource Interactive

· Jackie Methling, E-Commerce Sales Strategist, AmericanEagle.com

· Teresa Rauschendorfer, Art Director, James Tower Email Marketing Design

· Jennifer Wells, Senior Marketing Manager, DMinSite

Email Marketing Creative Critiques

What’s the difference between effective and ineffective email marketing? Easy. Response rates. Solving email creative problems to help boost response is the goal of these 20-minute, one-on-one critiques.

· Kim Ryan, Account Manager, James Tower Email Marketing Design

· Linda Crandall, Vice President, Marketing and Client Relations, Knowledge Marketing

‘Ask the Doctor’ Multichannel Merchant Medical Center

Attendees who have a bad case of email, creative, or other blues will find solutions here. Experts from every conceivable specialty will be on hand to supply prescriptions for catalog and multichannel marketers’ woes. Physicians include:

· Dayna Batement, Senior Strategic Analyst, Fry, Inc., Web Design/Usability

· Larry Becker, Vice President, Website Effectiveness, The Rimm-Kaufman Group,
E-Commerce/Usability

· Gene BeHage, President, Gene BeHage Consulting, Creative/Copy

· Rick Binger, Binger Catalog Marketing, Creative

· David Bivins, Fry, Inc., Web Design/Usability

· Lois Boyle-Brayfield, President and Chief Creative Officer, J. Schmid & Associates, Creative

· Connie Chappell, Ability Commerce-Direct Marketing Intelligence, Web Usability

· John Deneen, President, SiteForm Inc., Web Design

· Michelle Farabaugh, LENSER, Circulation

· Sarah Fletcher, Creative Director, Catalog Design Studios, Creative

· Dawn Flook, Director of Production, Catalogs by Lorel, Production

· John Galvin, Principal and Co-Founder, Integrate, Inc., Branding, Creative

· Ryan Gibson, The Rimm-Kaufman Group, Paid Search Marketing

· Michael Grant, Principal, Michael Grant Direct, Online/Offline Growth Strategies

· Rok Hrastnik, Studio Moderna, RSS/Email

· Glenda Shasho Jones, President, Shasho Jones Direct, Creative

· Fatemeh Khatibloo, Binger Catalog Marketing, Circulation

· Brent Niemuth, Vice President, Creative, J. Schmid & Associates, Creative

· George J. Mollo Jr., President, GJM Associates Inc. and DMA Catalog Council Operating Committee Chair, Merchandise Analysis/Inventory Management/Operations

· Jeff Ryan, Copy Director, Catalog Design Studios, Creative/Copy

· Andrea Syverson, President, IER Partners, Merchandising/Branding

· Jennifer Wells, Senior Marketing Manager, DMinSite, Web Design

· Roy Wollen, Database Insight, Inc., Database Strategies

· Carol Worthington-Levy, Partner, Creative Services, LENSER, Creative

· Mike Wychocki, Executive Vice President, Partner, Haggin Marketing, Creative

· John Wynn, Vice President, Business Development, Haggin Marketing, Creative

For additional information about ACCM 2008 or to register, please visit www.accmshow.com.

ACCM provides complimentary registrations for editorial staff of media outlets covering multichannel marketing. To request a press registration, please email pressregistration@the-dma.org. For information about the requirements for press credentials, visit www.accmshow.com. For additional information or queries, please contact pressregistration@the-dma.org or 212.768.7277, ext. 1422.

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 Multichannel Merchant

MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT helps executives manage all facets of their businesses by providing superior analysis of successful strategies across all areas of multichannel marketing — print, catalogs, e-commerce, merchandising, operations, retail, and more. It’s the one source that helps professionals capitalize on opportunities in their core businesses, and integrate strategies to maximize their successes in each channel. MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT’s franchise includes MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT magazine; the Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM); MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT Weekly, List & Data Strategies, and Searchline e-newsletters; www.multichannelmerchant.com; the Annual Multichannel Merchant Awards; and much more.

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