DMEF to Honor Tim Litle and Draftfcb at Annual Awards Dinner

Litle Earns Educational Leadership Award, Draftfcb Garners Corporate Leadership Award

New York City, May 16, 2007 — How can an organization thank those individuals and companies that have given generously of their time and support over the years in ways that further its goals? The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) will express its appreciation by proudly presenting two of its highest awards to direct marketers whose efforts, over many years, have helped advance collegiate-level direct marketing education in the United States.

DMEF Chairman and DMRA Chief Marketing Officer Allen W. Dyon today announced that Tim Litle, chairman and founder of Litle & Co., will receive the DMEF Edward N. Mayer Educational Leadership Award, and Draftfcb will be presented with the DMEF Corporate Leadership Award. Both honors will be presented at the DMEF’s Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday evening, October 13 at The Hyatt Regency Chicago during the DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, which takes place October 13 – 18 in the Windy City.

2007 DMEF Edward N. Mayer Educational Leadership Award Recipient: Tim Litle

According to Dyon, 2007 marks the 30thanniversary of the prestigious Mayer Award, which honors individuals who provide the highest level of personal commitment, personal and corporate financial assistance; create effective programs, concepts, teaching methods or teaching materials, instruction of college students or professors; or execute any other contribution, which effectively assists or promotes the DMEF’s objectives. Nominations are submitted by peers and reviewed by DMEF’s Board of Trustees, which selects the honoree.

Past Mayer recipients include David W. Florence, Dick and Mary Cabela, Katie Muldoon, Stephen Polk, Markus Wilhelm, and David Shepard.

“Tim Litle embodies the dedication and ideals set forth by Ed Mayer, who taught, influenced, inspired, and nurtured many direct marketers,” said Dyon. “Tim has shown extraordinary support — through his service to the DMEF as well as through his generous financial and program-related contributions — for helping advance direct marketing, on university campuses as well in the greater marketing community.”

“It’s important to support direct marketing education at the university level because it is woefully under-represented in the business curricula at most colleges and universities,” Litle said. “Some direct marketing channels — such as the Internet and infomercials — are still relatively new, growing, and evolving. The Internet, for example, has a technology heritage. In fact, the early practitioners were technical and didn’t know anything about direct marketing. It’s now apparent that the continuing growth of e-commerce depends more on well-executed direct marketing conducted by well-educated direct marketers than it does on technological advances.”

“All aspects of the direct marketing community’s growth continue to outstrip the supply of available talent,” Litle continued. “The DMEF is uniquely positioned to help by encouraging and educating our future direct marketers. And for the many of us who owe our careers to this wonderful community, supporting the DMEF is a great way to say thank you.”

Litle & Co, which Litle founded in 2001, is the only independent payment processing company focused exclusively on direct marketers. The company was started under the premise that there are often ways to improve a direct marketer’s or merchant’s revenues and profits through better payment management.

Earning his MBA at Harvard Business School in the ‘60s, Litle engineered his courses to concentrate on entrepreneurship because he wanted to start his own business that centered on technology, according to an interview with Inc. Magazine. The September 2006 edition ranked Litle & Co. No. 1 in the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing privately-held businesses.

With Litle & Co.’s three-year growth rate of 5,629 percent, direct marketing and financial services entrepreneurship has been good to Litle. He’s made what Inc. characterized as “the commercial world’s least sexy innovations” that have saved businesses untold financial figures.

A well-recognized direct marketing expert, Litle is frequently invited to speak before business groups and professional organizations. The International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the White House tapped his expertise during hearings on privacy issues.

But Litle’s more than 40 years of service to the direct marketing community doesn’t end there. Litle consistently has given back so those professionals who come after him can learn about direct marketing at the college level rather than hunt for close curriculum approximations.

Litle has made major contributions to the DMEF, both financially and through service. He serves on the DMEF Board of Trustees and is its current secretary. He secured NextMark list services to aid students and faculty as part of the Collegiate ECHO Awards program. For the 2006-2007 Leonard J. Raymond Collegiate ECHO Competition, students were prompted to “Build a direct marketing campaign from the ground up — yours could be the next Litle & Co. campaign!”

In 2005, Litle’s pioneering efforts in the development of payment processing and e-commerce systems for direct marketers earned him a spot in the DMA Hall of Fame. He is a past member of the DMA Board of Directors and its Executive Committee. He helped found the DMA’s Privacy Task Force and is past chairman of DMA’s Committee on Ethical Business Practice.

2007 DMEF Corporate Leadership Award Recipient: Draftfcb

In announcing that Draftfcb will receive the 2007 DMEF Corporate Leadership Award, Dyon said, “Our Corporate Leadership Award honors the unique and significant actions of a corporation that demonstrates outstanding practices with the aim of contributing to direct marketing education. Draftfcb met — and exceeded — these requirements.”

This annual accolade, Dyon added, rewards businesses that offer their own employees multiple opportunities for personal and professional improvement and are dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and continuing education. The enterprise consistently and actively supports the DMEF, and actively participates and generates activities that foster and promote excellence.

Past DMEF Corporate Leadership Award recipients include The Martin Agency, ACXIOM, America Online, Kraft, Experían, Allstate Insurance Company, and R.R. Donnelley.

“In our industry, our biggest asset is our people,” said Howard Draft, chairman and CEO of Draftfcb. “That’s why it’s important for all agencies to foster the development of future employees at the college and university level. Draftfcb is a firm supporter of DMEF and its efforts to provide direct marketing education to students.”

Back in 2004 when it was known simply as “Draft,” this world-renowned direct marketing agency agreed to be DMEF’s second volunteer agency of record. Two years and a merger later, Draftfcb (www.draftfcb.com) remains a stalwart supporter of direct marketing education.

The company has handled projects like the Foundation’s planned-giving campaign, renewal series, and fundraising mailings, and is now completing a curriculum module that illustrates the creative process in direct marketing through a dynamic, multimedia presentation. Even as Interpublic united Draft and FCB to create Draftfcb, the new company remained committed to enhancing direct marketing education at colleges and universities.

Draftfcb, a “new breed” agency, is a full marketing communication agency designed to build their clients’ businesses by focusing on consumer behavior and coming up with ideas that drive that behavior in the most creative ways. It is media neutral, allowing for a multichannel, multidiscipline, best-for-business solution for its clients. Ultimately, Draftfcb strives to provide creativity that supersedes everything but accountability. The Chicago-based firm is so confident about making good on its promises that the agency trademarked the term “Return on Ideas.”

About the DMEF Annual Awards Dinner

The DMEF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Saturday, October 13 at The Hyatt Regency Chicago, during the DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, which takes place on October 13 – 18.

To access the reservation form online, visit http://www.the-dma.org/dmef/DMEF_RESERV_FORM2.pdf. For additional information on table sponsorships and tickets to the DMEF Annual Awards Dinner, please contact MJ Snyder at 212.768.7277, ext. 1371 or mjsnyder@the-dma.org.

For information or to register for DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, please visit www.dma07.org.

About Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF)

Headquartered in New York City, the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) works to attract, educate, and place top college students by continuously improving the teaching of world-class direct/interactive marketing and, thereby, expanding and enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready direct marketers. Established in 1966 by members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) who wanted to give something back to the community, DMEF is today a separate, 501(c)(3)nonprofit corporation that is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, companies, and regional clubs and associations. Funds raised go toward a broad range of world-class educational programs.

Since its founding, thousands of students have taken advantage of DMEF’s educational programs, entering the field with the competitive edge of being “workplace-ready.” Many have gone on to become today’s direct marketing leaders, an indication of the Foundation’s success. In addition, more than 1,800 professors have participated in DMEF programs. Thanks in significant part to the Foundation’s four decades of work, today approximately 250 colleges and universities offer courses in direct/interactive marketing, 20 of which now offer specific direct marketing degrees and certificate programs. For additional information about the DMEF, its mission, and its programs, visit www.the-dmef.org.

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