IFDMA Announces New Chair

New York, NY, Oct. 27, 2005 —The International Federation of Direct Marketing Associations (IFDMA) has selected Mary Teahan, president of the Argentine Direct and Interactive Marketing Association, as the new chairperson of the group representing more than 20 direct marketing organizations from around the world.

Ms. Teahan was elected by acclamation as chairperson during the IFDMA"s 16^th global symposium, held last week in conjunction with DMA•05, the world’s largest annual gathering of marketing professionals. Ms. Teahan follows outgoing chairman Rob L. Edwards, president of the Australian Direct Marketing Association.

Ms. Teahan is CEO of CP Comunicación Buenos Aires, the most award-winning direct and relationship marketing agency in Latin America, with 33 national prizes, 37 AMAUTA Awards (pan-Latin American) and 7 ECHO Awards earned during the six years since the agency opened in Argentina. She is also secretary of UDES, the Argentine equivalent of the US Coalition of Service Industries, and holds a chair on the Consultative Council of the Argentine National Data Protection Agency.

Ms. Teahan’s previous posts include Marketing Director for the recently-privatized Argentine Post Office from 1998-2000, South American Marketing Director for Whirlpool Corporation in the five previous years and Marketing Vice President for BankBoston in Argentina for many years. Professor of Marketing Communications at the prestigious Universidad de San Andrés in Buenos Aires, she is a frequent public speaker and author on marketing matters. She has served as judge in Cannes Lions Direct, the ECHOs, the CLIOs, the AMAUTAs and the Globals, among other major international awards competitions.

The IFDMA meeting was hosted by Charles Prescott, the U.S. Direct Marketing Association’s vice president for international business development. In his nomination remarks, Mr. Prescott noted, "Ms. Teahan brings to this position a history of dedication and knowledge and energy, as well as skill in running businesses, leading associations, and providing an outstanding example of excellence in volunteer administration."

Founded in 1989, the IFDMA was established to develop firm lines of communications between direct marketers around the world, and is dedicated to improving the practice and communicating the value of direct marketing; and to promoting the highest standards for ethical conduct and effective self-regulation of the direct marketing community.

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The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry 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 entire direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today has more than 4,800 corporate, affiliate, and chapter members from the US and 46 other nations, including 55 companies listed on the Fortune 100.

In 2005, companies will spend more than $161 billion dollars on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total U.S. sales, these advertising expenditures are expected to generate $1.85 trillion in increased sales in 2005, or 7% of the $26 trillion in total sales in the U.S. economy (which includes intermediate sales). All together, direct marketing will account for 10.3% of total U.S. GDP in 2005.