Financial Services Council:

The DMA Insurance Direct Marketer of the Year Award

This year, we bring back The DMA Insurance Direct Marketer of the Year Award recognizing an outstanding individual achievement by a practitioner who has made outstanding contributions to the insurance industry including HMOs through the use of the direct marketing concept.

For purposes of the Award, insurance direct marketing is defined as an interactive system of marketing that ascertains, creates and satisfies the insurance wants and needs of people by performing organized tasks affecting the transfer of services between the seller and the buyer; using one or more media for the purpose of soliciting a response by phone, mail or personal visit from a prospect or customer; integrating email, social, mobile or other online media; maintaining complete information on each transaction in a database; and doing so at a profit.

The concept is applicable to all distribution channels: the agency system, the brokerage system, the direct selling system, the mail order system and the Internet.

These awards are presented during the DMA Annual Conference in October. See the Announcement tab for nomination form link, information on this year's annual conference and much more.

Nominating Criteria

To be considered for the Award, a nominee* must display a pattern of consistent contribution which achieves a high level of competence -- if not expertise -- in one or more disciplines such as: product development, research, marketing, management, education, sales, administration or technical innovation in the fields of actuarial science, underwriting or the like.

2010 Winner of the DMA Insurance Direct Marketer of the Year Award

Rose Cahill, Vice President/Director of Marketing at The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts

Rose Cahill is a proven marketing insurance executive with a reputation for creative thinking, strategic branding, leadership and implementation. Rose has successfully launched a number of major new initiatives, products and businesses in her 20 year insurance marketing career with John Hancock Financial Services and Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts, including the launch of a life insurance subsidiary business for broker/dealers.

Most recently Rose has been responsible for building the multi-channel B-C marketing platform for Savings Bank Life with limited resources and budgets. She directed the implementation of the company’s first-ever marketing data base which has become the engine driving the company’s multichannel campaigns from the marketer’s desktop. In addition to directing SBLI’s traditional marketing through direct mail, print, radio and TV, Rose has rebuilt the company’s web site, introduced successful SEO and SEM programs, email, the company’s mobile website and, most recently, its social media programs through Facebook and Twitter. As one of her key vendors recently remarked, “SBLI is one of the few companies that is truly doing multi-channel marketing, proving that you can improve results while also reducing costs. And they are doing it with limited people and resources!”

Rose was recently featured on the cover of Chief Marketer magazine. She is a frequent speaker for DMA, NEDMA and was recently featured on a webinar with Martha Rogers of One-to-One Marketing. Rose has an MBA in Marketing, was a Fulbright scholar and has earned her CLU designation. Rose is a long-time member of the DMA and AMA. She makes her home in Franklin, Ma where she lives with her husband and their four cats.

Past Winners

2008-2009 Only a Financial Services Award was given
2007 - Wesley Protheroe, Gerber Life Insurance Company
2006 - George P. Thacker, The Hartford
2005 - Eugene R. Raitt, AIG
2004 - Thomas Kelly, formerly New York Life/AARP Life Insurance Operation
2003 - Charles Thalheimer, Allstate Insurance Co.
2002 - Frank Polizzi, MMIG
2001 - Jack Byrne, GEICO
2000 - Dick Malcolm, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, IL
1999 - Alex Galanek, AIGM
1998 - Ed Drake, SafeCo Insurance Co.
1997 - John Harrison, DiMark, Inc.
1996 - James L. Benson, Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company
1995 - Kathleen Siano, The Equitable
1994 - Richard C. Nevins, Commercial Travelers Mutual Insurance Company
1993 - Ed Suiter, JCPenney Life Insurance Company
1992 - Don Jackson, The Jackson Consulting Group, Ltd.
1991 - William Snyder, GEICO
1990 - Gary Kauffman, Direct Marketing Advisory Group
1989 - John Flieder, Allstate Insurance Company
1988 - Denis Cross, USAA
1987 - Al Dyon, Allstate Direct Response Center
1986 - Robert Reed, Physicians’ Mutual Insurance Company
1985 - Sy Okner, Montgomery Ward Life Insurance Company
1984 - Martin Baier, Old American

For more information, please contact Lisa Merizio Smith at (212) 790-1567.