Lawrence G. Chait, one of the pioneers of direct marketing in the post-World War II era, was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on June 27, 1917, the son of Perez and Rebecca Chait. During World War II he served in the Merchant Marine and in 1945 began his professional career with Dow Jones & Company, publishers of the Wall Street Journal, Barron's and the National Observer. In subsequent years he was also employed as a circulation executive for Time Inc., publishers of Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated, and then as vice-president for R.L. Polk & Company.
In 1957 he established his own firm, Lawrence G. Chait & Company, the first advertising company to focus on direct mail marketing. In 1972 the name of the firm was changed to MMDM, an abbreviation of Multi-media Direct Marketing. This change reflected the firm's growth from personal consultation to a variety of services such as travel, insurance, consumer credit, retail store and catalog merchandising, industrial marketing, electronics; and land development. During this period Chait became increasingly influential in the use of computerized mailing lists. Among the firm's major clients, according to his New York Times obituary, were American Airlines, Diner's Club, Hertz, Manpower, and Spiegel. In 1972 Chait's brother Maurice M. Chait (1908-1998) joined the firm as co-chair. Maurice had worked in retail advertising and sales until 1958 when he founded a large travel and tour operation business. It was undoubtedly Maurice's experience that led to the agency's focus on tourism and travel. In part reflecting the firm's diversification, in 1973 Chait formed a subsidiary company, International Business Development Corporation (INBUDCO) that specialized in corporate acquisitions and mergers. About 1975, Chait formed his own independent consulting firm, and after 1990 he turned to lecturing, writing, and teaching at Colby-Sawyer College.
Widely regarded as one of the nation's leaders in the field of direct marketing, Chait was an international speaker and writer on the theory and practice of the field. In addition, Chait was involved in a variety of professional organizations. He was president of the Direct Mail Advertising Association and the Association of Direct Marketing Agencies and vice-president of the Sales Promotion Executives Association. He also served as president of the Hundred Million Club of New York.
Chait married Sylvia Levine in 1938 and they had three children: Martha Berlin, Pamela A. Chait, and George Chait. Lawrence Chait died on July 18, 1997, in Croydon, New Hampshire.
