MARSH U.S. CONSUMER NAMED DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION'S FINANCIAL SERVICES “COMPANY OF THE YEAR”

Marsh’s Tony Baldus Also Honored as “Direct Marketer of The Year”

NEW YORK, September 16, 2009 — The Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Insurance and Financial Services Council today announced that Marsh U.S. Consumer will receive its "Company of the Year Award" and Tony Baldus, senior vice president of Marketing & Analytics for Marsh U.S. Consumer will receive its "Direct Marketer of the Year Award." Honors will be presented during an awards dinner, Oct. 19, at the DMA's Annual Conference & Exhibition, DMA09, in San Diego.

"This is the first time a single company has won both awards," said Lisa Merizio Smith, director, DMA Segment Services. "We congratulate both Tony Baldus and Marsh U.S. Consumer on this wonderful accomplishment."

"These awards validate our never-ending efforts on behalf of our clients to provide them with the highest return of marketing investment," said Rob McGinnis, president and chief executive officer, Marsh U.S. Consumer. "This recognition will further inspire our colleagues throughout U.S. Consumer, who lend their distinct talents to create a partnership in innovation, creativity, and implementation that continue to make a difference for our clients and the entire industry. It is satisfying and important that our marketing capabilities are recognized both in the insurance industry and, more important, beyond."

Based in the Des Moines, Iowa, metropolitan area, Marsh U.S. Consumer has established itself as a world-class marketing organization by effectively integrating proprietary predictive analysis, convergent multimedia communications, and unique market segmentation techniques. This approach constantly enables the company to reach the right customer with the right message at the right time. In the face of a historic economic downturn and market instability, Marsh generated a record level of new penetration revenue at the end of 2008 and into 2009 while delivering ever-improving results across its growing client base.

Marsh U.S. Consumer offers a full range of personal and group insurance coverages and other products and services. It is segmented into a high net worth business, which typically markets directly to individuals, and an affinity marketing business, which markets to individuals through their sponsoring organizations.

Mr. Baldus is responsible for the strategy, budgeting, and execution of all consumer marketing projects for the U.S. Consumer Division of Marsh. The Division's marketing strategies focus on bottom-line ROI to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness, and under Mr. Baldus' leadership, these strategies have utilized multiple marketing channels including advertising, direct mail, e-mail, and Web.

In addition to developing highly successful contact strategies that target customers with appropriate product offers, Mr. Baldus was recognized by the DMA for his work in direct-response marketing for direct-mail promotions, billing activities, profitability analysis, and renewal modeling.

About Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

The Direct Marketing Association is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates 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 3,400 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 48 other nations, including half of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2008, marketers — commercial and nonprofit — spent $176.9 billion on direct marketing, which accounted for 52.1 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.057 trillion in incremental sales. Last year, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, there are today 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly support 9.3 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.9 million US jobs.

About Marsh U.S. Consumer

Marsh U.S. Consumer brokers and administers affinity insurance and membership product programs for our sponsoring organization clients and their constituents. Marsh U.S. Consumer's clients include employers, associations, franchisees, financial institutions and other consumer-focused businesses. With its sophisticated, data-driven marketing strategies, Marsh U.S. Consumer is the nation's leading insurance program broker and administrator. Marsh U.S. Consumer operates through Seabury & Smith, Inc., a subsidiary of Marsh Inc.

Media Contact

Al Modugno, Marsh
212-345-2448

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