BEN ISAACSON, AIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RESIGNS

NEW YORK, August 21, 2002 – Direct Marketing Association (DMA) President & CEO H. Robert Wientzen today announced that Ben Isaacson, executive director, the Association for Interactive Marketing (AIM), has resigned from the association to pursue consulting ventures focused on interactive marketing and public affairs. Isaacson’s resignation will be effective September 13, 2002, although he will be retained as a consultant with AIM and The DMA throughout the fall transition period.

"Isaacson has been a critical force in assisting The DMA in our interactive efforts," said H. Robert Wientzen, president & CEO, The DMA. "He has played a very active role in leading the industry in numerous self-regulatory policies that have guided interactive marketers."

"Under Isaacson’s leadership, AIM has grown into the largest organization in the world dedicated to maximizing the presence of marketers across multiple interactive channels," said Michael Faulkner, senior vice president, segments & affiliates, The DMA. "His drive, focus, and strategic vision will be an asset in launching his new venture."

AIM was founded in 1993 as the Interactive Television Association. Isaacson joined AIM in 1996, just prior to their name change to the Association for Interactive Media. The DMA acquired AIM in October 1998 and appointed Isaacson executive director the following year.

In 1999, Isaacson led the acquisition of the Addressable Advertising Coalition and re-launched it as the Addressable Media Coalition, bringing AIM’s history as an interactive TV organization together with its focus as an interactive marketing organization.

Throughout his career, Isaacson has guided the interactive industry on numerous government affairs issues. In 1998, he helped develop the first Internet policy conference, the WashingtonWeb Internet Policy Forum, which attracted the participation of many members of Congress and industry leaders. Later that year, he oversaw AIM's representation on the Congressionally appointed Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce to protect the e-commerce industry in its fight against undue online tax collection burdens.

His work with interactive marketers to self-regulate the industry included: leading AIM's Council for Responsible E-Mail in establishing the first self-regulatory guidelines for the e-mail marketing industry with its "Six Resolutions for Responsible E-Mailers"; working with the Addressable Media Coalition in creating the interactive TV industry’s first self-regulatory guidelines, "Guidelines for the Creation of ITV Privacy Policies"; and directing AIM’s Council for Responsible E-mail in establishing "Guidelines for the Practice of E-Mail Merge/Purge" and "Best Practices for E-Mail Append Services." He also oversaw the incorporation of the Responsible Electronic Communications Alliance (RECA) into AIM to become a Council for Responsible E-Mail Delivery committee.

The DMA is currently conducting the search for a new AIM executive director. Qualified candidates should possess public policy and association experience, preferably within an interactive environment. Interested candidates should contact Michael Faulkner at 212.790.1598, or via e-mail at mfaulkne@the-dma.org.

The DMA is the leading trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 other nations. Founded in 1917, its members include direct marketers from every business segment as well as the nonprofit and electronic marketing sectors. Included are catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, industrial manufacturers and a host of other vertical segments, including the service industries that support them. According to a DMA-commissioned study, direct and interactive marketing sales in the United States exceeded $1.86 trillion in 2001, including $118 billion in catalog sales and $30 billion in sales generated by the Internet. The DMA's Web site is www.the-dma.org, and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.

The Association for Interactive Media (AIM) www.interactivemarketing.org is the largest trade association in the world devoted to helping companies that use the Internet and interactive media to reach their respective marketplaces with maximum effectiveness. With 375 members, AIM, an independent subsidiary of the Direct Marketing Association, serves diverse corporate interests from e-mail marketing, e-tailing, online marketing, content provision, e-commerce, market research, broadband access and the rollout of interactive television.

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Media Contact: Christina Duffney

212.790.1532

cduffney@the-dma.org

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