Gerry Pike has sent out a second solicitation to DMA members, urging them to give him their proxy votes. Pike, a member of the organization’s executive committee and board as well as managing director of DM firm DMSA, has set himself up as a focal point for disquieted DMA member votes (http://directmag.com/news/dma-board-gerry-pike-0928/).
Pike’s latest e-mail, which went out early Tuesday morning, bore the subject line “AIG, BoA - and DMA?” The first two organizations are apparently American International Group Inc., which received a great deal of federal bailout money and reportedly gave its executives high retention payments, and Bank of America, which paid employees within its Merrill Lynch & Co. operations similar bonuses after receiving federal funds as well.
Pike’s recent communication efforts have focused on his concerns regarding DMA president and CEO John A. Greco’s salary, the organization’s value to members, its efficacy as an industry advocacy organization and recent staff cuts and responsiveness to member concerns. He plans to present dissident views regarding the organization during the Oct. 18th DMA annual business meeting, which will be held during the DMA’s annual conference in San Diego.
Asked for comment regarding Tuesday’s solicitation, the DMA issued a statement which read in full “We stand by the letter sent to voting members by our Chairman of the Board, Kelly B. Browning and our President & CEO, John A. Greco, Jr. which was sent last Friday September 25th. We encourage our voting members to send back their signed voting proxy to the Chairman or Secretary, or to vote directly by signing and returning the ballot enclosed in the recent DMA ballot mailing. Or, for their convenience, they can go to our web site www.the-dma.org, and download the ballot to vote for the slate of candidates DMA's nominating committee has put forward and stands by. As always, all voting members are welcome to attend the annual business meeting for the actual vote, being held this year at the US Grant Hotel in San Diego on October 18, 2009.”
While Pike did not disclose to whom he sent his Tuesday morning e-mail, nor to how many people he sent it, he did say that as a result of it he had received more proxy statements.
Pike is apparently drawing on his history as a direct marketer to guide his communication campaign. The letter is personalized four times – in two headings, the salutation and within the body of the letter as a lead-in to a call to action.
It reiterates three actions Pike plans to take if given proxy support.
Pike had previously said he plans a regular series of communications with interested parties (believed, but not confirmed, to be DMA voting members). He is suppressing the names of individuals who have already sent him proxy statements if they wish to no longer be solicited.
But he told Direct Newsline that a number of those who have given him their support have asked to be kept on his mailing list, especially as he has promised to continue to raise areas of concern.
Asked how many individuals requested to be put on a do-not-solicit list, Pike responded “Very few.”
