Media Contact:
Chris Long
Chief Marketing Officer
Litle & Co.
(978) 275-6523
clong@litle.com
LITLE & CO. AND THE DMEF ANNOUNCE 2007 COLLEGIATE ECHO AWARD WINNERS
Lowell, Massachusetts - July 2, 2007 - Litle & Co. the leading payment processor for direct merchants, and The Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF), have announced the winners of the 2007 DMEF Collegiate ECHO Competition. The 2007 competition, which was sponsored by Litle & Co., attracted entries from undergraduate and graduate colleges nationwide.
Conducted since 1986, DMEF's Collegiate ECHO Competition allows teams of university students to submit direct/interactive marketing campaigns targeting companies involved in direct marketing, which are judged by seasoned practitioners including senior marketing management at the sponsoring company.
This year, the direct marketing challenge centered around Litle & Co. - named Inc. Magazine's 2006 fastest growing private company in America - and its customer acquisition and marketing programs. With a $500,000 budget, the challenge required students to develop multichannel marketing campaigns that included direct mail, email, outbound telemarketing or other media, alone or in any combination.
The winners of the DMEF's 2007 Collegiate ECHO Competition are:
Supporting Higher Education in Direct/Interactive Marketing
"We decided to sponsor this year's competition because we think it's the best way to support higher education in direct/interactive marketing," said Litle & Co. Chief Marketing Officer Chris Long. "As the challenge unfolded, we were able to present our real-life marketing issues to individuals who are likely to become the true leaders of the direct marketing world of tomorrow - the undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty at some of the country's finest colleges and universities. The creative solutions offered by these students far exceeded our expectations, providing outstanding, insightful, and creative approaches that we will definitely implement in our upcoming campaigns."
"As the sponsor of this year's Collegiate ECHO Competition, Litle & Co. wishes to thank all of the teams that responded to the challenge for all of the hard work they put into their efforts," Long said.
"Everyone's a winner in the Collegiate ECHO Competition," said DMEF President Terri L. Bartlett. "We are particularly proud of the level of challenge that Litle & Co.'s case offered to this year's participants, giving students a unique opportunity to participate in a real-world 'new business" competition. Knowing the first-rate quality of Litle & Co., it speaks volumes about the quality of this year's submissions to learn that they will implement the winning campaigns in the future. The Collegiate ECHO Awards competition is meant to give students a glimpse of the business challenges in today's marketplace...this is one of the highest quality challenges I've seen to date, with the quality of submissions to match."<.p>
"The International ECHO Awards and DMEF provide enormous recognition to the sponsor, the student teams, and the winning academic institutions, whether it's at the awards ceremony or in promotions or on our Web sites," Bartlett continued. "Litle & Co. continues to set the bar for excellence in direct marketing education, and serves as an ideal corporate citizen."
Undergraduate Gold Award-winning team members will be presented with trophies on October 16 at the DMA International ECHO Awards ceremony and gala during DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, which will be at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago from October 13-18. The prize includes transportation, accommodations, and attendance at DMA07. Only undergraduate teams are eligible for prizes other than trophies.
About Litle & Co., LLC
Litle & Co was founded in 2001 by payment and direct marketing industry leaders and is the only payment processing company focused exclusively on direct marketers. The combination of new technology with a fresh approach to payment processing systems development, result in a next generation payment processor that simultaneously provides more services to Direct Commerce Merchants while reducing their maintenance costs and giving them more flexibility and options. Our solutions are tailored to merchants' individual needs, without any hidden fees or arbitrary charges. For more information about Litle & Co., visit www.litle.com.
About Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF)
Headquartered in New York City, the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) works to attract, educate, and place top college students by continuously improving the teaching of world-class direct/interactive marketing and, thereby, expanding and enriching the talent pool of trained, market-ready direct marketers. Established in 1966 by members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) who wanted to give something back to the community, DMEF is today a separate, 501(c)(3)nonprofit corporation that is supported solely by tax-deductible contributions from individuals, companies, and regional clubs and associations. Funds raised go toward a broad range of world-class educational programs.
Since its founding, thousands of students have taken advantage of DMEF's educational programs, entering the field with the competitive edge of being "workplace-ready." Many have gone on to become today's direct marketing leaders, an indication of the Foundation's success. In addition, more than 1,800 professors have participated in DMEF programs. Thanks in significant part to the Foundation's four decades of work, today approximately 250 colleges and universities offer courses in direct/interactive marketing, 20 of which now offer specific direct marketing degrees and certificate programs. For additional information about the DMEF, its mission, and its programs, visit www.the-dmef.org.
About DMA's International ECHO Awards
Introduced in 1930 as the "Best in Direct Mail" contest, the DMA International ECHO Awards honor excellence in creativity, strategy, and response results in direct marketing campaigns. With more than 1,000 entries submitted by direct response agencies worldwide, DMA's annual ECHO Awards recognize every type of media used in direct and interactive marketing industry campaigns.
For information about the International ECHO Awards, which will be presented on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, during the DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, visit www.dma-echo.org. To register or for additional information about DMA07, which will be held October 13-18 in Chicago, IL, visit www.dma07.org.
# # #