NEW YORK & CHICAGO--The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) announced today it has revamped its database marketing infrastructure, moving to an integrated multi-channel database marketing platform. The Association selected an Alterian-based solution from ARGI to provide the platform for its new membership and marketing communication efforts.

“DMA members are leaders in data and database management driven marketing. We are pleased to advance DMA’s own marketing efforts, leading by example in establishing the DMA as a database-marketing center of excellence,” said DMA executive vice president and COO, Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi Ratan, “ARGI’s expertise in Membership Customer Management, and the integrated functionality of its application of Alterian technology, heavily influenced our selection choice. We look forward to a long and successful relationship with ARGI and Alterian.”

The new platform will allow DMA to rapidly plan, execute, and analyze results from its membership marketing and communication efforts using both direct mail and e-mail. Moreover, the Association will have the ability to conduct its campaigns across multiple on-line and off-line channels, obtaining a more consistent customer view across multiple channels.

Ray Butkus, ARGI CEO commented, “We are extremely pleased with DMA’s choice of ARGI to design, build and manage its marketing database. The DMA is the preeminent trade association of the Direct Marketing community and as such it has extremely sophisticated marketing communications requirements. Working collaboratively with the DMA, we will foster the continued development of database marketing excellence. Our partnership with Alterian allowed us to develop a solution to perfectly meet the DMA’s needs.”

David Eldridge, Alterian CEO added, “We are delighted that the DMA has chosen to base its marketing database on Alterian’s Analytically Led Integrated Marketing platform, delivered by our long standing business partner ARGI. Best practice marketing is driven by analytics, and the use of this to drive and refine activity across channels on a fully integrated basis – using the Alterian platform marketers at the DMA will be able to drive this activity all from a single set of applications and infrastructure.”

About DMA

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents more than 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2006, marketers – commercial and nonprofit – will spend an estimated $166.5 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate an estimated $1.93 trillion in incremental sales. This year, direct marketing will account for 10.3 percent of total US GDP. Also, there are today 1.7 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support 8.8 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.5 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

About ARGI

Since 1971, ARGI has been a pioneer in Subscriber and Membership Customer Management. ARGI develops, hosts and manages Subscription Fulfillment, CRM (including e-commerce, analytics, contact management and 1to1 marketing), and Database Marketing solutions. As a provider of safe, secure and sound solutions for over thirty-five years, ARGI is constantly deploying new technologies and capabilities to improve its clients’ satisfaction and increase profitability. ARGI is headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey. For more information visit ARGI’s website at www.callargi.com.

About Alterian

Alterian (LSE:ALN) is the leading global provider of software for Analytics Led Integrated Marketing – making it practical and cost effective for marketers to gain insight into their data and use this to drive an integrated marketing strategy, across multiple online and offline channels, from a single set of applications and infrastructure.

A global community of over 70 business partners, including many of the leading providers of services to marketers such as Accenture, Acxiom, Allant Group, ARGI, Carlson Marketing Group, Experian, Epsilon, Donnelley Marketing, Harte-Hanks, Merkle, Ogilvy One and Euro RSCG Worldwide, deliver the Alterian software platform alongside their own value-added services. These solutions empower market leaders like Princess Cruises, General Motors, Zurich, HSBC, Starz Entertainment, Limited Too, Dell, Amnesty International and Vodafone, to drive competitive advantage through improved marketing performance and customer satisfaction.

Alterian was founded in 1997 and listed on the techMARK Index of the London Stock Exchange in 2000. With offices throughout North America and Europe, Alterian software is used in over 20 countries worldwide.