DMEF Announces 2007 Collegiate ECHO Winners; Litle & Co. Sponsors 2007 Competition

June 21, 2007 — The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) today announced the winners of the 2007 DMEF Collegiate ECHO Competition, which is sponsored by Litle & Co. The 2007 competition, which was conducted during the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters, attracted entries from undergraduate and graduate colleges nationwide.

Conducted since 1986, DMEF’s Collegiate ECHO Competition allows teams to submit direct marketing campaigns targeting companies involved in direct marketing.

This year, the direct marketing challenge centered around Litle & Co. — named Inc. Magazine’s 2006 fastest growing private company — which sought to generate leads and acquire customers for payment processing, its core business. With a $500,000 budget, the challenge required a multichannel campaign that included direct mail, email, outbound telemarketing or other media, alone or in any combination.

The winners of the DMEF’s 2007 Collegiate ECHO Competition are:

• Gold (1st place)/Undergraduate: Christopher Newport University

• Gold (1st place)/Graduate: Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College

• Silver (2nd place)/Undergraduate: University of Northern Colorado

• Silver (2nd place)/Graduate: Loyola University — Chicago

• Bronze (3rd Place)/Undergraduate: Ithaca College

• Bronze (3rd Place)/Graduate: Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College

"We decided to sponsor this year’s competition because we think it’s the best way to support higher education in direct/interactive marketing," said Litle & Co. Chief Marketing Officer Chris Long. "As the challenge unfolded, we were able to present our real-life marketing issues to individuals who are likely to be the true leaders of the direct marketing world of tomorrow — the undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty at some of the country’s finest colleges and universities. The creative solutions offered by these students far exceeded our expectations, providing outstanding, insightful, and creative approaches that we will definitely implement in our upcoming campaigns."

"As the sponsor of this year’s Collegiate ECHO Competition, Litle & Co. wishes to thank all of the teams that responded to the challenge for all of the hard work they put into their efforts," Long said.

"Everyone’s a winner in the Collegiate ECHO Competition," said DMEF President Terri L. Bartlett. "We are particularly proud of the level of challenge that Litle & Co.’s case offered to this year’s participants, giving students a unique opportunity to participate in a real-world ‘new business" competition. Knowing the first-rate quality of Litle & Co., it speaks volumes about the quality of this year’s submissions to learn that they will implement the winning campaigns in the future. The Collegiate ECHO Awards competition is meant to give students a glimpse of the business challenges in today’s marketplace…this is one of the highest quality challenges I’ve seen to date, with the quality of submissions to match."

"The International ECHO Awards and DMEF provide enormous recognition to the sponsor, the student teams, and the winning academic institutions, whether it’s at the awards ceremony or in promotions or on our Web sites," Bartlett continued. "Litle & Co. continues to set the bar for excellence in direct marketing education, and serves as an ideal corporate citizen."

Gold Award-winning team members will be presented with trophies on October 16 at the DMA International ECHO Awards ceremony and gala during DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, which will be at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago from October 13-18. The prize includes transportation, accommodations, and attendance at DMA07. Only undergraduate teams are eligible for prizes other than trophies.

The 2007-2008 Corporate Sponsor is Pitney Bowes. Past Collegiate ECHO competition sponsors have included such prestigious companies as the United States Postal Service, ING DIRECT, Publishers Clearing House, Mazda North American Operations, Bank One, BMG Direct, Ford Motor Company, and Hallmark Cards.

Headquartered in New York City, the 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.

Introduced in 1930 as the "Best in Direct Mail" contest, the DMA International ECHO Awards honor excellence in creativity, strategy, and response results in direct marketing campaigns. With more than 1,000 entries submitted by direct response agencies worldwide, DMA’s annual ECHO Awards recognize every type of media used in direct and interactive marketing industry campaigns.

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