About Ballard Direct
The Ballard Direct Team
David Ballard
Managing Director
David founded Ballard Direct over 15 years ago to provide strategic, disciplined, measurable direct and relationship marketing services to clients with sophisticated products and premium brands. He has broad experience in direct marketing and entrepreneurial business launches.
David earned M.B.A. and J.D. degrees and an A.B. degree magna cum laude from Harvard University. Since 1998 he has helped such international clients as Fortnum & Mason, Conde Nast Johansens, Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts, Shipton & Heneage Shoes, Selective Marketplace, Joseph Turner, Chinacraft, History Today, Apollo Magazine, The Art Newspaper, The New Statesman and The London Review of Books market into the United States through direct channels. He has also worked with U.S.-based direct marketers including BBC Video, Harper’s Magazine, A Common Reader, and the Company Store and International Male divisions of Hanover Direct.
David’s direct marketing and entrepreneurial business experience began while a Harvard College and Business School student, when he developed and implemented the initial advertising research and spearheaded advertising development projects for the then new New York Magazine. He also had summer jobs doing account work with Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline. David founded the Compact Discs Classics Catalogue, a direct marketer of classical and jazz CDs, in 1986. In 1989 he became Director of Special Markets at Columbia House, the premier American direct marketer of music and video products, where he developed the music continuity and one-shot businesses into a multi-million dollar operation. He also successfully repositioned the negative option Classical Club to improve its sales per mailing.
David also has extensive legal experience. He is a member of the New York Bar and practiced law with the New York law firm, Lord, Day & Lord, Warner Amex Cable Communications and AT&T. His law practice has included work on complex transnational financial transactions, privacy, and telecommunications regulatory and litigation matters. He is the author of “Privacy and Direct Mail Advertising” published in the June 1979 issue of the Fordham Law Review.
Faith Ackerman
Vice President, Director of Client Services
Faith has over twenty-five years of experience in circulation and catalog marketing. After receiving a B.S. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Hofstra University, Faith began her career as a marketing analyst at Publishers Clearinghouse, where she worked on prospect mailing campaigns that exceeded 100 million pieces annually. She subsequently moved to the up-market catalogs Bloomingdale’s by Mail and Saks Fifth Avenue Folio, where she designed, executed and analyzed both customer retention and acquisition strategies. She was part of the team at Saks that successfully launched its Design for the Home, Outlet and International/Japanese catalogs.
In 1996, Faith advanced to Director of Circulation at J. Crew, a multi-channel marketer of classic and casual men’s and women’s apparel and accessories. At J. Crew she was responsible for the circulation strategy and execution of over 85 million catalogs a year, which included analyzing the impact of internet demand on catalog circulation.
Harriet Davis
Vice President, Director of Media and Consulting
Harriet has over thirty years of experience in the advertising and direct marketing arenas. She has served both business-to-business and consumer clients and worked with a wide range of media including direct mail, print, radio, television, telemarketing and the internet.
After receiving a B.A. magna cum laude from Tufts University and an M.Ed. from Harvard University, Harriet joined Reader’s Digest Association as a marketing analyst. She moved to the agency side early in her career, working at three top direct and integrated marketing agencies – Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline (New York), Draft Worldwide (New York) and Holland Mark Martin (Boston). She advanced to Vice President and management supervisor and was responsible for strategic planning and overall direct response advertising management for such clients as Avis Europe, Avis, Inc., Cellular One, NYNEX Mobile Phones, Philips Consumer Electronics, Polaroid, Time Warner Cable, Tele-Communications, Inc (cable TV), L.L. Bean, Columbia House Video Library, Time-Life Books and Book-of-the-Month Club. In addition to helping her clients, Harriet was head of staff training at both Draft Worldwide and Holland Mark Martin. She also has taught a research and design course to graduate students in education.
Jean Jespersen
Vice President, Client and Digital Marketing Services
Jean Jespersen has joined Ballard Direct as our Vice President, Client and Digital Marketing Services. Jean has over 25 years direct marketing experience. She began her career at Columbia House, the premier direct marketer of music and video products, as a marketing analyst and advanced to Director of Marketing, Music Club Advertising, where she managed a $30 million advertising budget. She then moved to the Reader’s Digest Association as the Marketing Director, Entertainment. There, she oversaw nineteen direct mail promotions annually for music compilations, video and general merchandise catalogues and subscription continuity programs. She next became the Vice President, Marketing – Apparel at Hanover Direct, where she was responsible for all online and offline marketing of the Silhouettes (plus-size fashion) and International Male and Undergear (menswear) brands. In 2009, Jean joined Ballard Designs, a major US home furnishings direct-to-consumer brand, as the Vice President, Marketing, where she was responsible for all marketing across digital, catalogue and retail store channels. Her accomplishments included overseeing seventeen catalogue mailings with total circulation of 65 million a year, developing the brand’s first P.R. and social media programs, and acting as marketing lead for the brand’s first store opening after an eight-year hiatus. Since leaving Ballard Designs, Jean has developed and managed online and offline marketing programs for menswear brands like Patrick James, Williams & Kent, Bobby Jones Golf and Westport Big & Tall, as well as b-to-b companies like Zep, Inc., and Progressive Lighting. Jean has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Fordham University.