The DMA Insert Media Council Award

The DMA Insert Media Council has been honoring individuals and companies for over ten years who have made significant contributions to the growth of the Insert Media industry.

Nominating Criteria

An individual or company can be nominated and will be based on the following criteria:

• Position in the Insert Media Industry: Use of Insert Media as a major customer acquisition channel; recognized as a major Insert Media broker or manager. Must have a solid working knowledge of all facets of Insert Media, including, but not limited to, package inserts, statements, co-op mailings, ride-along programs, blow-in programs, Free Standing Inserts (FSIs), etc.
• Time in the Insert Media Industry: Must be actively involved in Insert Media for a continuous period of at least 10 years.
• Innovator: The candidate must have been instrumental in the development of new and unique creative formats of non-traditional channels.
• Recognized as an "Industry Leader": The candidate should have been instrumental in the growth and development of Insert Media. For example, what has he/she done towards the cultivation of new mailers and the development of new programs?
• Education: Participation in activities contributing to the education of others in the industry, speaking engagements, articles in trade publications, mentoring, Council participation, etc.
• Industry Respect: The candidate should be respected by and supportive of industry peers.

Past Winners

2008 - Jim Zuckermandel. President/CEO, Zed Marketing Group, Inc.

As founder of Zed Marketing Group, Jim directs a team specializing in Insert Media and print services. Zed also provides list management and brokerage services for their clients. Prior to his start in Direct Marketing, Jim earned a bachelors degree from the Univ. of Wisconsin – La Crosse. He taught and coached in the public schools system until being drafted in 1970. Jim spent most of his 7 years active duty teaching and coaching at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point while also earning a masters degree.

Upon completing his military commitment in 1978, Jim joined the family owned and operated Jung Seed Company, where he first learned about the value of inserts. In 1982 he accepted a position with the “in-house” agency for Garden Way (Troy-Bilt Tillers) where he ultimately became Media Director responsible for a $10,000,000 ad budget. In 1988, Jim joined Chilcutt Direct Marketing in Oklahoma as Director of List Management and Alternative Media. After developing Catalog Insert programs for many of his clients, Jim ultimately followed his dream to pursue inserts in a bigger way . . . founding Zed Marketing Group in 1994. Today he continues to focus on the great value of utilizing inserts to grow your business.

Maintaining an active role in the industry, Jim is a long time member of the DMA and served several years on the Council’s Segment Advisory Committee; is a past board member and president of the Mailorder Gardening Association (recently inducted into the MGA Hall of Fame – one of only 11 recipients); a past speaker at the Annual Catalog and DMA Annual Conferences as well as several MGA conferences; has published articles in major trade publications relative to Insert Media and been a judge for the DMA’s Echo Awards.

2008 - BOARDROOM, INC.

Boardroom Inc. was founded in 1972 by Marty Edelston, with just one idea in mind – to deliver useful news in a concise format for the busy executive. Now 85 employees are responsible for more than $100 million in revenue. The company began in 1972 in the basement of Marty Edelston’s home. It published Boardroom Reports – a how-to, news-you-can-use business newsletter for the busy executive. This was a revolutionary concept in newsletter publishing; mass audience and low prices helped to change the business model for newsletters and set the stage for immense growth for this entrepreneurial startup.

In 1981, nine years after the first Boardroom Reports, the company launched Bottom Line/Personal. It targeted the same audience: busy executives. But in this case, it focused on their personal lives and issues. Bottom Line/Personal quickly became the largest paid circulation newsletter in the United States, and at one time enjoyed a circulation of more than a million paid subscribers. Each of the six newsletters Boardroom currently publishes now includes an advisory team of experts, who provide their opinions and advice on their respective fields.

In the 1990s, Boardroom Inc. began publishing books with the same mission and vision: valuable information in a concise format. In 1991, Edelston developed "I-Power," a management incentive program that encourages and rewards employees for their regular ideas to make themselves and the company more productive.

Boardroom has achieved unprecedented readership numbers and earned the respect of millions of subscribers, as well as the respect of the entire direct marketing industry. Their unique editorial style presents massive amounts of information to its readers in a clear, concise, and useful format. They publish over 20 books a year. They remain one of the best pure direct marketing company in the country. They created state-of-the-art database marketing operations that allowed the company to precisely target the best customers for its publications; therefore they can compete with much larger companies in the industry. Their in-house list management department is acknowledged as the best in the industry. They regularly mail 50-100 million pieces of promotional mail per year for Boardroom's books and newsletters. The company has expanded into the television infomercial market. And their E-Ventures division rivals most of the online divisions of the largest publications in the industry.

For more information, please contact Susan Zuniga at (212) 768-7277 ext. 1568 or szuniga@the-dma.org.

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