FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 30, 2014

Contact:

Gigi Ho

317.927.8775

gigi.ho@dcinet.com

DCi and The Brand Protection Agency Collaborate to Help Manufacturers Communicate and Manage Pricing Policies

Des Moines, IA – Direct Communications, Inc. (DCi) and The Brand Protection Agency (BPA) are collaborating to help manufacturers in the Automotive Aftermarket communicate, monitor and enforce their pricing programs and policies at every level of the industry.

BPA president Jeff Borden explains, “In today’s business environment, minimum advertised pricing (MAP) and unilateral pricing policies (UPP) are the most important tools a manufacturer can use to ensure pricing practices are in line with preserving the value of its brands and products.”

“Currently, over 150 of the manufacturer brands in our network have either MAP or UPP programs in place, in the US and/or Canada,” said Mark Toebben, DCi President. “With our vast sales network, we are in the best position to help our manufacturer customers communicate their pricing policies to every level of the industry.”

DCi is the aftermarket's leading source for vehicle fitment and product data, actively managing all the industry leading brands, and distributes product data daily in dozens of formats to over 60,000 businesses on almost two million performance and accessories part numbers. A key aspect of the data that DCi manages for its manufacturer customers is pricing.

Toebben continued, “Working with BPA as a network partner made sense, as more of our customers were looking for tools to monitor and enforce their pricing policies out in the market. We look forward to working with Jeff and his team to bring greater visibility and intelligence to help our customers preserve their competitive positions, brands’ value and continue to grow sales.”

About Direct Communications, Inc.

DCi has been linking buyers and sellers in the automotive aftermarket for over 30 years. The company is a pioneer in electronic cataloging and product data standards, and helped develop many of the standard data formats in use today. DCi's CatalogRack, a free B2B product search website, enables thousands of resellers each year to search and source over $1 billion worth of products from industry leading WDs and manufacturers. For more information, contact sales@dcinet.com.

Direct Communications, Inc., 7177 Hickman Rd, Unit 6, Des Moines, IA 50322



About The Brand Protection Agency

The Brand Protection Agency is a global technology leader focused on improving how brands understand and manage their e-commerce channel. The BPA’s innovations in brand protection, business intelligence, and channel management help companies cultivate their brand equity and grow their e-commerce business. For more information, contact sales@brandprotectionagency.com.

Brand Protection Agency, LLC, 2700 Fairmount St, Ste 110, Dallas, TX 75201