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The DMA Echo Awards initially were called “The Best of Direct Mail.” The original purpose of the competition was educational, and winners of the early competitions were the focal point of an exhibit that traveled from city to city by motorized caravan from 1934 to 1937.
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The awards were renamed the Echoes in 1979 to reflect the widening scope and diversity of direct response marketing. The name Echo was chosen because an echo is a sound that bounces back to the sender, and direct marketing is a medium that encourages recipients to respond to senders as well.
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The first Diamond Echo was awarded in 1988 to Time Life Books and Wunderman Worldwide for the DRTV campaign supporting the “Mysteries of the Unknown” book series. Each year the Diamond Echo is selected from all the Gold winners.
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Last year, Reflect.com and Digital Impact took home the first IBM.com Echo Digital Award for their “Abandoned Shopping Cart” campaign. This year the first Broadcast Innovation Award, sponsored by A. Eicoff & Co., will be presented.
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Only about 40% of this year's 1,200 entries are from the United States, according to Melissa Cabot, manager of the Echoes. Celebrity impersonator Louise DuArt will host the 2004 ceremonies during a brunch at the DMA Annual Conference.
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