The Direct Marketing Association has announced it will merge its Email Marketing Council with the Email Experience Council in an effort to strengthen the multichannel marketing environment.

“As email continues to expand and become an ever-larger part of the marketing mix, DMA is committed to educating businesses and nonprofit organizations about how they can most effectively and responsibly leverage this vital communications channel,” said DMA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan.

“The combination of the Email Marketing Council and the EEC creates the leader among professional organizations for email marketers.”

The combined council includes over 400 participants, including marketers, vendors and suppliers. As part of the DMA’s purchase of the EEC, the memberships of the EEC and the Email Marketing Council will combine under the Email Experience Council name.

Current EEC members who have not joined the Direct Marketing Association, DMA will be offering six months of free access to member-only resources, such as legislative updates, research and access to the E-Mail Reputation Registry, which will give company’s access to third party data about their email campaigns.

“In just one year, the EEC has become an important destination for marketers to interact (virtually and in person) on email marketing and the enormous opportunities this media offers marketers,” said Jeanniey Mullen, EEC founder and senior partner and executive director for global email marketing at OgilvyOne Worldwide.

“Our community construct has offered access to self-propelled and dynamic marketplace expertise that fosters a collective, unified approach to creating best practices and setting the stage for the future of email marketing. By joining forces with DMA, we’ll be able to deliver even more value, expertise, and resources to our members, and will be able to greatly expand our influence and reach in the marketplace.”