HONG KONG AND SILICON VALLEY (Feb. 25, 2014)-The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, a global organization of 7,000-plus senior-level marketers representing more than $400 billion in aggregated annual marketing spend, is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Digital + Direct Marketing Association Asia [D+D], which officially launched in January 2014 as a fusion of the Asia Digital Marketing Association and the Hong Kong Direct Marketing Association. The group's mission is to maximize the value of marketers' investments and enhance the customer experience.

The new partnership promises to expand opportunities for members of both organizations in the vital and growing Asia-Pacific market. Senior client-side marketers will benefit from the CMO Council's global knowledge transfer network, research and events, as well as peer-level insights and engagement in the C-suite. Publishers, advertisers, solution/service providers and agencies will find that the CMO Council's surveys and studies provide perspectives and market data that will help to stimulate new opportunities for business growth.

The CMO Council and [D+D] are gearing up for an eventful year ahead, with plans to drive new initiatives that promote regional senior-level marketer engagement, knowledge exchange, peer networking, talent sourcing and training. The two groups will also team on developing expert reports and publications featuring valuable localized content and best-practice studies. Recent CMO Council reports in APAC have focused on digital marketing effectiveness, big data intelligence, as well as marketing and operational alignment around the customer experience.

"APAC is a dynamic, complex and multi-dimensional regional market, and we value the linkage with trusted local resources and domain experts in both the digital and direct sectors," noted Donovan Neale-May, Founder and Executive Director of the CMO Council. "We are seeing more and more global market contenders and brand challengers based in Asia, and our multi-national members definitely want to learn more about digital channels, strategies and creative approaches in Asia."

"There is no more important success factor for the growth and relevance of digital and direct marketing in Asia-Pacific than assuring that CMOs understand the marketing efficiencies and opportunities to build brand equity," commented David Ketchum, [D+D] Chairman. "Our collaboration with The CMO Council will help [D+D] serve the needs of this important marketing influencer group, and [D+D] will help add depth to the CMO Council's participation in Asia-Pacific."

About the CMO Council

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide range of global industries. The CMO Council's 7,000-plus members control more than $400 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include more than 20,000 global executives in more than 110 countries covering multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, India and Africa. The council's strategic interest groups include the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE), LoyaltyLeaders.org, Marketing Supply Chain Institute, Customer Experience Board, Market Sense-Ability Center, Digital Marketing Performance Institute, GeoBranding Center and the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME). More information about the CMO Council is available at www.cmocouncil.org.

About [D+D]

[D+D] is an industry group fusing the Asia Digital Marketing Association and the Hong Kong Direct Marketing Association with a dual mission to maximize the value of marketers' investments and enhance the customer experience. [D+D] promotes the effective use of digital and direct marketing across Asia Pacific. [D+D] provides an industry meeting place, shares digital and direct best practices for customer engagement, and sets the highest standards for responsible use of customer data. [D+D] has a track record stretching back more than 20 years. For more information visit www.ddma.asia.