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Thomas L. Collins & Nancy Harhut To Be Honored With Andi Emerson Award At 29th Annual John Caples International Awards

For Lifetime Achievement and Service to the Direct Marketing Community

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, February XX, 2007 — For the first time in the history of the John Caples International Awards, two industry legends - Thomas L. Collins, creative founder of Rapp Collins and an active consultant, author and lecturer, and Nancy Harhut, a renowned agency creative leader, innovator and ambassador -- will receive the Andi Emerson Award for Lifetime Achievement and Service to the Direct Marketing Creative Community.

Andi Emerson, Caples' Founder, President and Board Chair, announced that the presentations will be made during the 29th Caples Night Awards Party on the evening of March 8, 2007, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan.

The Andi Emerson Award is named for the founder of the John Caples International Awards and created by the Direct Marketing Creative Guild. It is now presented by the Caples Board to an individual(s) who has contributed outstanding service to the direct marketing creative community.

THOMAS L. COLLINS is an author and direct marketing creative consultant currently living in and working in Portland, Oregon. He is also an Associate of Cross World Network. He began his advertising career in New York City as a junior copywriter for the leading mail-order advertising agency of the time, and over the years rose to become the agency's Creative Director. Then after serving two years as Advertising Manager of the book publisher Simon & Schuster, he was invited to become Vice President and Creative Director of Wunderman Advertising, the first full-service direct marketing agency.

In 1965 he and Stan Rapp formed Rapp & Collins, their own direct-marketing agency. It was acquired ten years later by Omnicom and served as the original building block for its $2 billion network of Rapp Collins Worldwide, with more than 2,000 professionals and 70 locations in 38 countries. After 20 years at Rapp & Collins as Creative Director and Plans Board Chairman, Collins left the firm to devote himself to speaking, writing, and consulting. In an overview page on the Internet, the Rapp Collins agency has said, "Mr. Rapp and Mr. Collins remain the cornerstone of the way we do business and their stature as consultants and influences in the industry makes us proud."

Beginning with their trail-blazing book, "MaxiMarketing," Collins and his long-time partner Stan Rapp co-authored four best-selling books on marketing which were translated into a dozen languages and in all editions sold an estimated 300,000 copies worldwide. Six years ago, Collins began his widely acclaimed and controversial monthly column in Direct Magazine, "The Makeover Maven," in which he discusses and makes over current print ads. A collection of 40 of his recent makeovers is now available in his new book, "How I Would Have Done These Ads."

NANCY HARHUT is Senior Vice President/Managing Director of Relationship Marketing at Hill Holliday, a full-service marketing company. There she works on such accounts as Dell, CVS, United Rentals, LPL Financial Services and Cognos.

Prior to Hill Holliday, Harhut held senior creative management positions at Mullen and Bronner Slosberg Humphrey (now Digitas), overseeing work for AT&T, House of Seagram, American Express, GM Card and Banknorth, among others.

Harhut is a frequent contributor to industry trade magazines and a requested speaker at direct marketing conferences. She recently returned from Moscow, where she was invited to speak at the 5th International Direct Marketing Conference.

She serves as one of the Chairs of the John Caples International Awards, is a regular judge for the International Echo Awards, and has been named Direct Marketer of the Year by the New England Direct Marketing Association. She and her teams have won over 100 awards for direct marketing effectiveness, strategy and creativity.

The 29th Caples Night Award Party will be held Thursday, March 2nd, 2006 from 4:45 PM to 9:45 PM at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011. For reservations, call 516-746-6700, x210.