THE DMA ESTABLISHES DECEASED DO-NOT-CONTACT LIST (DDNC)

New York, NY, July 21, 2005 — The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) announced today the establishment of its Deceased Do-Not-Contact List (DDNC). The DDNC has been established for the sole purpose of removing deceased individuals from commercial marketing lists.

“The DMA recognizes how emotionally and logistically difficult the process of handling someone’s final affairs can be,” said Pat Kachura, senior vice president, ethics and consumer affairs, The DMA. “Our goal with the creation of the list is to assist those who are managing this process.”

All DMA members will be required to honor the DDNC. The list will also be available to non-member companies so they may take advantage of the service. The DDNC list will include the deceased individual’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. The information will be placed on a special do-not-contact file, which will be updated monthly.

How to Register Deceased Individuals on The DDNC

Friends, relatives, and caregivers of deceased individuals are encouraged to register the information on The DMA’s Consumer Assistance Site at:

http://preference.the-dma.org/cgi/ddnc.php. Funeral directors, hospitals, doctors’ offices, and others are also encouraged to provide this Internet link to the bereaved.

There will be a $1 credit card verification fee for each consumer registered. This charge serves two important purposes: to ensure a permanent record of those who did the registering, and to help prevent misuse of or fraud against this system.

For more information on DMA Consumer Assistance initiatives, please visit www.dmaconsumers.org.

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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