Affinity marketing firm Affinion has launched a new direct marketing services unit, Affinion Direct Response Group (ADRG). ADRG formally coalesces the marketing strategy, creative design, database modeling, direct mail, telemarketing and analysis functions the company offered into a single organization.

While the agency provides its services to outside clients, ADRG's initial charge is to market Affinion's membership products and services, such as its travel and automobile offerings, and package products offerings, which are made up of ancillary goods and services for checking account holders.

Affinion has an interesting pedigree as a marketing firm: It was created in 2005, when failing marketing giant Cendant sold several of its membership units to investment firm Apollo Management. Apollo subsequently took the company public.

ADRG employs more than 180 of Affinion's 3,000 workers, and is headed by Nancy DiSprito, its senior vice president. Both the unit and the parent company are based in Norwalk, CT.