The first round of judging for the 2009 International Echo Awards, a body of awards from the Direct Marketing Association that celebrate creative, strategy and results across direct marketing media, began May 19.
This year, chairman Neil Feinstein, director of creative strategy at TrueNorth, and vice chair Karen H. Ebben, director of marketing effectiveness at General Motors, oversaw the awards. This is the first year Echos has had a vice chair from the client side.
Another first this year is the Green Marketer Award, which goes to the most innovative campaign employing environmentally responsible and sustainable marketing techniques.
“Echos has always been about rewarding campaigns strong enough to change the course of business,” explained Feinstein.
The second round of judging will take place on June 16 and 17. Winners will be announced on October 20 at the Echo Awards night as part of the DMA’s annual show.
Nearly 90 senior-level marketers with experience in at least three types of direct marketing media served as judges. Feinstein explained that knowledge of several tactics became critical in an era of multichannel campaigns because “no single media is doing the job in today’s marketplace.”
Echo awards are given in 12 vertical categories including automotive and retail.
“[The number of entries] is down this year, but not by very much,” said Eric Edge, director of communications at Euro RSCG and head of PR for Echos.
