DMA'S CHARLES PRESCOTT ADDRESSES ATTENDEES AT DIRECT MARKETING 2005 CONFERENCE IN DUBAI

New York, NY, June 27,2005 — The Direct Marketing 2005 Conference, held June 11-15 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, showcased the global expansion of the direct marketing process as more than 175 attendees from around the world gathered to discover new techniques from Charles Prescott, vice president, international business development and government affairs, The DMA (US), and other distinguished speakers.

“Direct marketing techniques are now attracting increasing amounts of the advertising spend,” said Prescott. “The Internet and e-commerce have turbo-charged direct marketing and marketers in emerging markets have a wonderful opportunity to leapfrog into the interactive age.”

Participants were also presented with samples of DMA ECHO competition winners from many different sectors, countries, and media to demonstrate the possibilities of the direct marketing medium.

In this region, there has been no delivery of mail to businesses and residents, but rather to post boxes in post offices. Prescott emphasized a great advantage that the United Arab Emirates has is a forward-looking postal system that was fully engaged in helping businesses invest in the future and a talented multi-national work force.

During the conference, the Emirates Post announced that it created a 2.5 million-record database of UAE businesses and residents and contacted more than 100,000 businesses to encourage employees to obtain personal post boxes in an effort to create more personal delivery points for direct mailers.

Direct marketing in the Emirates, as well as the Middle Eastern region as a whole, presents many opportunities for development. According to the Emirates Post, direct mail spend in 2004 reached $6.9 million, an increase of 43 percent from 2003.

About The DMA

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading trade association for businesses and organizations interested in direct, interactive, and database marketing, which in 2004 generated more than $2.3 trillion in US sales, including $143.3 billion in catalog sales and $52.5 billion in Web-driven sales. In addition to catalogs and the Web, DMA members employ a wide variety of marketing media, including mail, e-mail, telephone, newspapers and magazines, interactive television, and radio, among others. Founded in 1917, The DMA today has more than 5,200 corporate, affiliate, and chapter members from the US and 44 other nations, including 55 companies listed on the Fortune 100. Reflecting the significant and growing role that direct marketing plays in today's advertising mix, The DMA's membership represents marketers from every business segment, including catalogers, Internet retailers, retail stores, nonprofit organizations, advertising agencies, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, industrial manufacturers, and a host of other vertical segments, as well as the service industries that support marketers.

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