HOWIE MANDEL TO HOST DMA'S 2007 INTERNATIONAL ECHO AWARDS CEREMONY ON OCT. 16

Deadline for ECHOs Entries Extended to May 2

New York, April 26, 2007 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) today announced that entertainer Howie Mandel will host its 2007 International ECHO Awards (www.dma-echo.org), which will take place on Tuesday, October 16 at Chicago’s historic Union Station. In addition to honoring “the best of the best” direct marketing campaigns, gala attendees will be feted with a reception, dinner, and a night of dancing.

The “Deal or No Deal” emcee and comedian, who is no stranger to handing out prizes, will do so this time for talented marketers from around the globe. This year’s ECHO Award winners will be chosen from the best entries submitted to DMA by Wednesday, May 2. The ECHO-winning campaigns will showcase outstanding strategy, innovative creative, database techniques, and exceptional results.

Now in its 78th year, this mark of distinction is the only international award symbolizing excellence in direct marketing creativity, marketing strategy, and response results. The ceremony that first took the stage in 1930 keeps pace with ever-changing techniques and technologies. Today, the ECHO program recognizes every type of media used in multichannel direct marketing campaigns. This year, DMA expanded it to include five new advertising media: e-mail and instant messaging, mobile, search engine marketing, Web advertising, and Web development.

Mandel hosts one of the most-watched programs each week, “Deal or No Deal,” and has proven his staying power by remaining a constant force in show business for more than 30 years. The NBC game show airs at 8 p.m. (ET) Mondays and 9 p.m. (ET) Sundays and allows contestants to have a chance of becoming an instant millionaire combining nothing more than instinct with luck.

Although primarily known as a comedian and emcee, Mandel’s versatile career has encompassed virtually all aspects of the entertainment spectrum, including television, film, and stage. His work includes six seasons playing the role of “Dr. Wayne Fiscus” on the Emmy-Award winning “St. Elsewhere,” and eight seasons as series creator, executive producer, and voice actor in the international, Emmy-nominated animated children’s series “Bobby’s World.”

About the 2007 International ECHO Awards

The 2007 International ECHO Awards will take place on Tuesday, October 16, during the DMA07 Conference & Exhibition in Chicago, IL. The conference and exhibition will be held October 13-18. The ECHOs honor talented marketers from around the globe whose stellar campaigns incorporate outstanding and innovative strategy, creative, database technique, and astounding results. To learn more about the awards or to take advantage of the extended entry deadline of Wednesday, May 2, please visit www.dma-echo.org.

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 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 end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents more than 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2006, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — spent $166.5 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated $1.93 trillion in incremental sales. Last year, direct marketing accounted for 10.3 percent of total US GDP. Also, there are today 1.7 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support 8.8 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.5 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

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