For some years now, DIRECT has invited its readers “Inside The DMA.” This year, we are especially delighted to have this opportunity.
After all, 2002 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for our nation — and our industry. A war on terrorism, both at home and abroad. A lingering recession. Weak earnings. Unemployment. Chapter elevens. Billion-dollar boardroom scandals. A volatile stock market. Each has impacted, to some degree, consumer trust and spending.
The direct and interactive marketing industry has certainly felt the pain. Many companies — in virtually all industry segments, users and suppliers, for-profit and nonprofit — have had to make tough bottom-line decisions, including corporate downsizing, reorganizations, mergers, buy-outs and serious spending cuts.
For 85 years of good times and bad, the DMA has served the marketing community, providing its members with the tools, information, representation and leadership that have helped grow direct marketing into a $2.02 trillion multichannel U.S. industry.
However, in light of the sizeable industry challenges, this year the association has “put the pedal to the metal.” Every DMA department in both New York and Washington, DC, has aimed to find creative ways to help its members survive and thrive in what is unquestionably one of the most demanding marketing environments we have had in decades.
Among other things, the DMA restructured and created departments to help the association better serve its members’ constantly changing needs and interests.
The new Segment Services department is responsible for creating programs designed specifically for key industry segments, including business-to-business, the Internet, nonprofits and teleservices.
The new Strategic Information Unit (SIU) is charged with producing timely and useful information products and services based on DMA members’ changing concerns and needs.
Working closely with the SIU, the DMA’s Research Department, which is the authoritative source for industry research and statistics, produced — in cooperation with the e-tailing group — three studies on the complex relationship between online marketers and today’s consumer, including a review of the industry best practices that put and keep leading online marketers at the top of their game.
The DMA’s Government Affairs Department — working with the DMA Nonprofit Federation, the Internet Alliance, and the Association for Interactive Marketing — had a particularly challenging year fending off thorny proposals that could have adversely impacted our members’ marketing endeavors. Privacy, spam, teleservices, and postal rates and reform continue to demand much of our legislative and regulatory work.
Of course, there’s more — much more — from the DMA’s Conference, Professional Development & Training, Councils, International and other departments. And this issue of DIRECT’s “Inside The DMA” takes an in-depth look at some of the member-focused work the Association has been doing this year.
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