2006 DMA conference update

Direct marketing fundraisers from nonprofit organizations around the world are converging on San Francisco for the annual Direct Marketing Association conference... and trust me... no one parties like the DMA. Although, if only it wasn't so incredibly expensive, I bet there are hundreds (if not thousands) of marketers who wish they could have attended.

If its hard to sell ice to an Eskimo, it must be impossible for marketers to market to a conference of marketers. But two companies are already using the DMA to market new products. Prism Business Media today previewed enhancements to its Direct magazine brand. The premier issue of the redesigned magazine will mail in January 2007.

...and even if you only had one or two problems... "Experian Announces Six New Solutions for Marketers." The global information solutions provider introduced a new products built on Experian's innovative, open technology platform, MarketOne, including a new, advanced, multichannel analysis tool in Prospectvue, Experian's retail/catalog customer and prospecting solution.

At his opening speach, John A. Greco Jr., (DMA President-CEO) said Monday that the direct marketing industry will tally $1.939 trillion in sales this year, a 7.4% increase compared with last year. BtoB Online quotes Greco as saying, “Direct marketing-driven sales now make up 10.3% of the GDP.”

Also news out of San Francisco: Markus F. Wilhelm, CEO of book publisher Bookspan, has been elected chairman of the Direct Marketing Association’s board of directors for 2007. He succeeds Stephen M. Lacy, president and chief operating officer of Meredith Corp., who was elected DMA chairman for 2006.

...and finally... Allen W. Dyon has been elected chairman of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation’s board of trustees, succeeding John F. Temple, president/CEO of Guideposts.