ACCM 2009 Keynote Speakers Announced

Conference to Take Place May 4-7 in New Orleans

New York, NY, March 4, 2009 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Multichannel Merchant today announced two powerhouses sure to inspire a wide-range of creative solutions for every multichannel marketer: Claire Spofford, president of Appleseed’s Holdings Inc. and Linda LoRe, president and chief executive officer of Frederick’s of Hollywood keynote speakers for the 26^th Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants (ACCM).

ACCM, the largest conference for 360˚ marketers will be held May 4-7 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. As customers continue to take control, today’s multichannel marketers know in order to be successful they need to find the perfectly integrated media mix for their company. ACCM 2009 will help attendees gain a complete view of their customers, as well as provide proven methods, tools, and techniques that help drive online traffic, conversions, and sales.

“According to DMA research, most companies in the greater direct marketing community are increasing their employment of digital media with the steady use of offline media,” said Yasmin Melendez, DMA group show director. “Our two keynote speakers know this first-hand and will give attendees the actionable strategies they need to make their own companies succeed.”

Tuesday, May 5

Profitability in Times of Turmoil: Appleseed’s and Orchard Brand’s Measure for Success

Claire Spofford, President, Appleseed’s Holdings, Inc.

9:45 a.m. — 11 a.m.

Whether attendees are responsible for one brand or several, they will come away from Claire Spofford’s keynote presentation with inspiring ideas to get to know their customer, and just how to market to them. Spofford is president of Appleseed’s Holdings, Inc., a portfolio company of Orchard Brands, which manages 17 titles as unique and distinct brands that take into account their respective customers’ key attributes. Spofford will share how her company continues to thrive and operate as a single entity powered by aggregate customer data and a corporate culture of openness to leverage scale and purchasing power across all brands. She will also explain that as a result, Appleseed’s does not compromise profitability over growth and every marketing effort must pay for itself.

Wednesday, May 6

Bringing $exy Back: How Frederick’s of Hollywood Transformed and Thrived

Linda LoRe, President and CEO, Frederick’s of Hollywood

9:45 a.m. — 10:45 a.m.

How did one brand answer the proverbial question: What do women want? Linda LoRe’s keynote presentation will divulge how she and her team re-branded and transformed this multichannel retailer from bankruptcy to profitability. LoRe, president and chief executive officer of Frederick’s of Hollywood will divulge how they developed a clear brand identity, and re-branded a company that first opened its doors more than 60 years ago. She will explain their multi-level strategy that stretched across all channels including web, catalog, and stores. Attendees will learn how to make their brand withstand the test of time and create an integrated, multichannel experience with insights from this innovative retailer.

About ACCM

Co-produced by the Direct Marketing Association and Multichannel Merchant, the Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants (ACCM) is the largest gathering of multichannel marketers who use catalogs, transactional websites, and retail stores to reach their customers. ACCM is an annual event which brings together multichannel professionals from a wide breadth of job functions and seniority levels for three days of education, access to new products and services, and peer networking.

About Multichannel Merchant

Multichannel Merchant is the leading information source for senior-level executives at catalog, online, retail and b-to-b merchants. Our suite of print, online and event services takes these industry professionals to the heart of multichannel retailing, helping them stay on top of tactics and techniques that are crucial to improving market share and profitability—while integrating front-end and back-end operations and everything in between. Our editors provide the expert strategic advice and practical techniques that operations professionals urgently need to improve efficiencies, productivity, cost savings, and customer service covering the entire fulfillment process—from the moment an order is entered to its delivery at the customer’s doorstep. For more information, visit http://www.multichannelmerchant.com.

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 — spent $176.9 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 52.1 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.057 trillion in incremental sales. Last year, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, there are today 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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