Never mind love: If the Direct Marketing Association has its way, direct response will be the international language.
The DMA took two steps in this direction last month during its DMA06 conference in San Francisco. Not only did it feature a Spanish-language track for Latin American DMers, but 21 businesspeople from Japan were given an in-language introduction to DM fundamentals.
Unlike the Spanish program, which was widely promoted in Spain, Latin America and the United States, the Japanese effort was coordinated exclusively for marketers based in Japan.
This effort marked the first time the DMA established sessions specifically for Japanese attendees at its fall conference.
The trade group previously has hosted groups from Japan at its New York headquarters. Those visits featured two half-day educational seminars, followed by on-site visits to direct marketers.
The track at DMA06 followed that model. Japanese attendees received a few hours of introductory DM education (basic theory and elementary e-commerce), followed by trips to eBay and Nimblefish Technologies Inc., a marketing services firm.
The group consisted of representatives from six Japanese firms: Benesse Corp., one of the largest correspondence schools in the world; Daiko Advertising; the Japan Association of Graphic Arts Technology; Kao Corp., a personal care, cosmetics and pharmaceutical company; Lemington Co. Ltd., a health supplements DMer; and Suishowin Ltd., a mail order firm.
These businesses were recruited by DMJ Co. Ltd., a Tokyo DM agency that doubles as the DMA’s Japanese membership solicitor. As few of the participants were fluent in English, DMJ arranged for a translator.
The annual conference offered Spanish-language sessions to 31 attendees from Latin America and Spain. That program was coordinated by Joost Van Nispen, president of El Instituto de Comercio Electr
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