DIRECT MARKETING EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION ELECTS GARY S. LABEN 2009 CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Thirteen New Members of the DMEF Board Are Elected for 2008–2009

Las Vegas, NV, October 11, 2008 — The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) today announced the election of new officers and thirteen new members to its Board of Trustees for 2008-2009. The terms commenced earlier today at DMEF’s Annual Meeting, which was held at the Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas.

2008–2009 DMEF Officers

The DMEF Board of Trustees elected Gary Laben, chief executive officer, KnowledgeBase Marketing, as chairman. A 20-year veteran of the information marketing industry, Laben has quadrupled the size of his company since joining in 2000. In addition to sitting on the board of parent company Wunderman, he also serves on DMA’s Ethics Policy Committee, and has spent two years as DMEF’s vice chairman/chairman-elect.

Officers joining Laben for the 2008-2009 term are: Craig Dempster, senior vice president, Merkle, Inc., as vice chairman/chairman-elect; DMA President & CEO John A. Greco, Jr., as vice chairman; Peg Kuman, chief executive officer, Telematch, Inc., as treasurer; Seth Radwell, president, eScholastic & Scholastic at Home, as secretary; and Terri L. Bartlett, president, Direct Marketing Educational Foundation.

“Under the leadership of outgoing chairman Al Dyon, DMEF has been revitalized and primed to deliver on our mission to attract, educate, and place top college students in the direct/interactive marketing business,” said newly elected Board Chairman Gary Laben. “As a former DMA Young Marketer of the Year, I benefited firsthand from the kind of growth opportunities that DMEF offers. I am honored to serve as chairman, working with the highest caliber of professionals as we join together to significantly impact the future of this profession by placing the best and brightest, market-ready students to exciting positions within this field.”

“Our Board of Trustees and staff are in a great position to build upon what the outgoing trustees and countless others before us have done in order to deliver our mission,” said DMEF President Terri L. Bartlett. “One of the challenges of this competitive field is attracting top performance workers. Through DMEF’s efforts to work directly with professors to enrich teaching in this field, we are introducing and preparing students to ‘hit the pavement running’ as they enter the dynamic direct/interactive arena.”

New Board Members

The DMEF Board of Trustees elected the following thirteen new members:

· Brad Bentley, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Direct Services, DIRECTV, Inc.

· Kelly Browning, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, American Institute of Cancer Research

· Ara Cinar, Executive Senior Vice President, Development and Diversification, Direct Group France, France Loisirs

· Bill Courtney, Director, PSG Americas Marketing Communications, Hewlett-Packard Company

· Alejandro DiPaola, Chairman, diPaola | WPP

· Marisa Edmund, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Edmund Optics | America

· Marjorie Kalter, Ph.D., Clinical Professor, New York University

· Joan Burden Litle

· Edward C. Malthouse, Ph.D., Professor, Northwestern University

· David Shepard, President, David Shepard Associates

· Michael Sherman, Senior Advisor, Peter J. Solomon Company

· Robert Stagno, General Manager, Central Marketing Group, Microsoft Corporation

· Daniel Stepanic, Marketing Director, C.TRAC information solutions

In addition, the following Board trustees will remain for the coming year:

· Terri L. Bartlett, President, DMEF

· Pat Corpora, President & Chief Executive Officer, Corpora Consulting

· John Deighton, Ph.D., Professor, Harvard University

· Craig Dempster, Senior Vice President, Merkle, Inc.

· Allen W. Dyon, Chief Marketing Officer, DMRA

· Peter Fader, Ph.D., Professor, The Wharton School

· Lisa Formica, Vice President, fmi, Inc.

· John A. Greco, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, Direct Marketing Association

· Donald Hinman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Product Development, Data Services, Epsilon Data Management

· Richard Hochhauser

· Frank C. Hudetz, Chief Executive Officer & President, Solar Communications

· Kent Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Highlights for Children, Inc.

· Ellen Junger, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Hallmark Cards, Inc.

· Liz Kislik, President, Liz Kislik Associates, LLC

· Peg Kuman, Chief Executive Officer, Telematch, Inc.

· Brian Kurtz, Executive Vice President, Boardroom, Inc.

· Gary S. Laben, Chairman, KnowledgeBase Marketing Inc.

· Pamela M. Larrick, Strategic Consultant, Interpublic Group

· Beatriz Mallory, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Strategist, HispanAmerica

· Larry May, Chief Executive Officer, Direct Media, Inc.

· James D. McQuaid, Chairman, MetroGroup Corporation

· JoAnne Monfradi-Dunn, President & Chief Executive Officer, Alliant Cooperative Data Solutions

· Seth Radwell, President, eScholastic & Scholastic at Home, Scholastic, Inc.

· Jack Rosenfeld, Chairman, Potpourri Group, Inc.

· Jay Schwedelson, Corporate Vice President, Worldata, Inc.

· Venkatesh Shankar, Ph.D., Professor, Texas A&M University

· Craig Wood, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, The Clarity Group

The following 2007–2008 Board members have retired from service:

· Michael Colucci, President, Vendant Group, Ltd.

· Lynn Edmonds, President, L.W. Robbins Associates

· Jonah Gitlitz

· Tim Litle, Chairman, Litle & Company

· Stephen A. McNeely, Operating Partner, Tantara Capital Partners LLC

· Donn Rappaport, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, American List Counsel, Inc.

· Jon Roska, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Creative Officer, Roska Direct, Inc.

· Beth Smith, Co-Owner, Smith Browning Direct

· John F. Temple

· Edward “Ted” Spiegel, President, Spiegel Marketing Associates

· John Van Horn, President, Lehigh Direct/Arcade Marketing

· Steve Zuccarini, Chief Executive Officer, InnerWorkings, LLC

About Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF)

Headquartered in New York City, the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) works to attract, educate, and place top college students in the business of direct/interactive marketing and, thereby, expanding and enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready direct marketers. Established in 1966 by members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) who wanted to give something back to the community, DMEF is today a separate, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, companies, and regional clubs and associations. Funds raised go toward a broad range of world-class educational programs.

Since its founding, thousands of students have taken advantage of DMEF’s educational programs, entering the field with the competitive edge of being “workplace-ready.” Many have gone on to become today’s direct marketing leaders, an indication of the Foundation’s success. In addition, more than 1,800 professors have participated in DMEF programs. Thanks in significant part to the Foundation’s four decades of work, today approximately 255 colleges and universities offer courses in direct/interactive marketing, 31 of which now offer specific direct marketing degrees and certificate programs. For additional information about the DMEF, its mission, and its programs, visit www.directworks.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 more than 3,400 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 48 other nations, including half of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2008, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — will spend $176.9 billion on direct marketing, which accounts for 52.1 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate approximately $2.057 trillion in incremental sales. In 2008, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also in 2008, there were 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly support 9.3 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.9 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

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