Announcing 'Marketing EDGE' Direct Marketing Educational Foundation Adopts New Name After 47 Years

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jun 12, 2013) - To mirror the dynamic changes both in marketing and education today, the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) has adopted a new name and brand, effective immediately: its new name is Marketing EDGE (www.marketingedge.org). The non-profit organization announced the name change during its annual Rising Stars Awards Dinner on Tuesday, June 11 in New York City.

"The Marketing EDGE moniker reflects an evolution in our field," said Craig Wood, head of insights integration, The Futures Company and chair of Marketing EDGE. "With a newly-adopted mission statement to sync with our name: 'to Educate, Develop, Grow, and Employ' college students in the field of marketing, we've declared that we cover the broad spectrum of education and career development for the rapidly changing marketing field.

"The history of this organization is grounded in direct marketing," Wood said. "As the fundamentals of this discipline evolve throughout the field, we decided to stake our claim -- proclaiming the critical need to develop marketing professionals who are grounded in measured, accountable, data-driven marketing. The sole purpose of Marketing EDGE is to expand the talent pool of market-ready marketing professionals for generations to come."

Wood also announced that the organization, in conjunction with the name change, has adopted a new logo and Web site (www.marketingEDGE.org), and has enhanced its social media presence (Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, among others).

"Critical to our continued success is the expertise, support, and generosity of our board, without which we would not be elevating our game," said Terri L. Bartlett, president of Marketing EDGE. 

"Extraordinary contributions provided by our board members enabled us to identify our new name," she said, including:

• The Futures Company (Chapel Hill, NC): Strategic Planning process, headed by Craig Wood.
• Brierley + Partners and e-Rewards (Dallas, TX): Market research led by Hal Brierley, including three rounds of corporate and academic testing, plus formatting to survey college students.
• Creative Lift (San Francisco, CA): All brand identity, including the new logo, led by Tim Carr.

"Dramatic convergence marrying a more sophisticated level of marketing with a growing number of channels requires a whole new level of marketing professional today and in the future," Bartlett said. "Now as Marketing EDGE, we are raising the bar to meet the growing needs of the industry... and our supporters!"

A short video on Marketing EDGE is posted here: http://vimeo.com/68169150 

About Marketing EDGE
Headquartered in New York City, Marketing EDGE works to "Educate, Develop, Grow, and Employ" college students in the field of marketing, thereby expanding and enriching the talent pool of market-ready professionals. In June 2013, in response to the shifts within the marketing field, the organization changed its name from Direct Marketing Educational Foundation (DMEF) to Marketing EDGE. The name better reflects how it is serving the dynamic field of marketing; connecting with students, academics, career centers, corporations, and independent professionals; and streaming top talent into the industry.

As a 510(c)(3) nonprofit organization, tax deductible contributions from individuals and corporations are the lifeblood of Marketing EDGE. Today, we are recognized as the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to students through scholarships, education, career development and job placement, empowering the next generation of marketing leaders. For additional information about Marketing EDGE, its mission and its programs, visit: www.marketingEDGE.org.