Matt Blumberg, CEO of ReturnPath, announced on his blog today that he has joined the board of the DMA. The blog post is both an explanation of why he did it and an agenda for what he wants to accomplish.
[O]ne outcome of the DMA’s recent proxy fight with Board member Gerry Pike is that I’ve been appointed to the DMA’s Board and its Executive Committee and have been labeled “part of the reform movement” in the trade press. While I wasn’t actively leading the charge on DMA reform with Gerry, I am very enthusiastic about taking up my new role.
I gave Gerry my proxy and support for a number of reasons, and those reasons will form the basis of my agenda as a DMA Board member. As a DMA member, and one who used to be fairly active, I have grown increasingly frustrated with the DMA over the past few years.
1. The DMA could be stronger in fighting for consumers’ interests.
2. Despite a number of very good ideas, the DMA’s execution around interactive marketing has been lacking.
3. Finally, I think the DMA suffers from a lack of transparency that doesn’t serve it well in the hyper-connected world we live in here in 2009.
Best of luck to Matt and Gerry in accomplishing this agenda. A strong, consumer aware DMA can only help both the marketers and consumer.
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HT: Box of Meat
Matt’s got his work cut out for him. I don’t see the DMA becoming a consumer-centric organization without some kicking and screaming.