Get to KnowPDMA
WHAT Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association
MEMBERSHIP More than 535 members, including ad agencies, marketing firms, vendors and end users. Roster grew about 15% last year, says PDMA president Lisa Formica, who is also vice president of Philly-based FMI Direct.
WHY YOU SHOULD join “We’re all about helping direct marketers connect and exchange ideas, and then build on their ideas to enhance their own clients and companies,” Formica notes. “It’s useful to learn what other DMers in similar — and widely different — niche markets have struggled with and how they overcame those challenges. You can always learn something from hearing about other people’s experiences, even if they aren’t in the same industry vertical.”
Events The association holds monthly meetings with educational offerings. Sept. 19’s lunch session will focus on international marketing and feature speakers from SEI Insurance, Mintel Comperemedia, Ballard Direct and Ace Insurance. The PDMA doesn’t currently have an annual conference, but did partner with the Direct Marketing Association last month to offer a DM-basics seminar in the city. The group’s June presentation of the Benjamin Franklin Awards for Direct Marketing Excellence (a.k.a. “The Bennys”) recognizes campaigns both for aesthetic merit and results generated. And each December it sponsors a benefit for Philadelphia’s Ronald McDonald House.
Web site www.the-pdma.org
