Merkle Appoints Mark Cross as Chief Information Officer.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LANHAM, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2003

Merkle Direct Marketing, Inc. (www.merklenet.com), a leading provider of information-based database marketing services, announced that it has appointed Mark Cross as chief information officer (CIO).

A University of Maryland graduate with a degree in computer science, Cross brings to his new role nearly 20 years of IT experience in programming, management and deployment. Career highlights include a decade-long tenure at Marriott Corporation, where Cross served in several IT positions, including senior director of end-user computing. At Marriott, Cross led a group of 50 professionals in managing approximately 50,000 personal computers. Cross also spent five years at Snyder Communications, a Bethesda, Md.-based marketing services company. As the CIO, he was responsible for building the company's IT infrastructure and managed the integration of more than 30 disparate systems from acquired companies.

Merkle President and CEO, David Williams, said, "Mark Cross brings to the role of CIO extensive IT management experience and a record of success within leadership positions at widely respected public and private organizations. His experience within the direct marketing industry will also benefit Merkle, as we look ahead to implementing new technologies."

"I am extremely pleased to be joining Merkle as CIO, and I am looking forward to working with a thriving, established company that is aggressively growing its business," said Cross, who resides in Edgewater, Maryland. "This position complements my previous experience within a marketing services organization, and I look forward to contributing to Merkle's success."

About Merkle

Headquartered in Lanham, Maryland, Merkle Direct Marketing, Inc. has delivered high-quality information-based database marketing services to clients across the United States for more than 30 years. By applying database marketing strategies and unparalleled database infrastructure to direct marketing programs, the company enables its clients to close the gap between marketing strategy and implementation, which can lead to significant improvements in new customer acquisition, customer retention, maximization, and profitability. The company's services and solutions include strategic consulting, business intelligence, marketing knowledge center development and maintenance, analytical services, data products, list processing, mail production and response processing services. A privately held corporation, the company has over 700 employees and approximately 300 clients. For additional information, contact Merkle at (301) 459-9700, or visit: www.merklenet.com.