1st Q Round-up

DMAW/EF First Quarter Round-up

by Rick Powell

Following an exceptionally successful year in 2016, the DMAW Educational Foundation will provide for even greater opportunities for college students interested in a career in direct response in 2017.

In January, 19 professors from 12 academic institutions in our Mid-Atlantic region attended the Educational Foundation’s annual Professors’ Institute. The event, co-sponsored by the Production Management Group and Merkle, featured a collection of outstanding speakers. Kevin Moran (Integral), Angela Struebing (CDR Fundraising Group), Tracy Trost (TCM Creative), Madeline Twomey (Bully Pulpit Interactive), Paul Manion (Merkle, Inc.), Bart Heird (Merkle, Inc.), Sally Heaven (Blackbaud), David Glass (World Wildlife Fund), Michael Clayton (American University), Matt Hettche (Christopher Newport University), and Katy Jordan (CDR Fundraising Group). Many thanks to co-chairs Liz Murphy (Beaconfire RED) and Katy Jordan for putting together an outstanding conference.

The Spring Collegiate MAXIs were held Friday, March 31, at Quad Graphics in Alexandria. Students from around the region came together for this twice-annual event. The students were provided with a case study and tasked with preparing a marketing/fundraising plan and presenting their plan to a panel of judges. The Spring MAXI case study came from the American Red Cross, which challenged participants to develop a full-scale integrated marketing communications [IMC] strategy.

A Mentor-for-a-Day field trip program is under development. Students from various Mid-Atlantic colleges and universities will attend a one-day tour of two to four direct marketing firms in the D.C. area. This is a great opportunity for our students to meet potential employers in the direct response field. Firms interested in hosting should contact DMAW/EF administrator Amy Steinbicker.

DMAWEF.org features articles published in Marketing AdVents. For example, check out “Dear Millennials, Meet Direct Mail,” a report on DMAW/EF Board Secretary Scott Huch’s visit with a George Mason University School of Business sales and marketing class. The article highlights the importance of educating our future marketing leaders about just how critical direct mail is to the success of an integrated direct marketing campaign.

 

 Rick Powell is CEO of Production Management Group. For more information on programs featured here or for any questions, contact Amy Steinbicker at amy@dmawef.org.