BtoB articles from April 2005

BtoB archives from April 2005

Resources.(Online Advertising)(advertising expenditure trends)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Net ad spending grows * Total ad spending reached $141.1 billion in 2004, up 9.8% over 2003. Internet spending was the fastest-growing segment, increasing 21.4%. Source: TNS Media Intelligence, March 2005 * Estimated online ad revenue...

Online agencies expand services; Analytics, rich media and offline creative help agencies gain new clients.(Interactive Agencies)
April 1, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX As the economy improves and marketers spend more on online advertising, interactive agencies are finally seeing their businesses grow again. The years following the dot-com crash were tough ones for online...

Interactive marketing roundtable.(News)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... To discuss trends in interactive b-to-b marketing, BtoB convened a roundtable of two marketers, one agency executive and one publisher. Participating in the roundtable, which was conducted in April via e-mail, were Scott Anderson,...

Resources.(Online Publishers)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... M&A activity on the rise * The number of media mergers and acquisitions increased 51% to 124 in 2004, from 82 in 2003. The aggregate value of the deals taking place in 2004 totaled $2.86 billion, 6% more than in 2003. Source: The DeSilva &...

Bigger, richer online ad units; Banners are still most widely used, but other formats are gaining in popularity.(Online Advertising)
April 1, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX B-to-b marketers are finding success with bigger, richer online ad formats that can communicate more compelling, relevant information to the target audience. Ad formats that are gaining in popularity with b-to-b...

Ask the Expert.(Online Advertising)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... What are some key trends in online advertising this year? Andreas Combuechen: Richer ad formats enabled by rising broadband penetration. Experiential advertising that facilitates new and additional entry points to explore the brand. New,...

Vertical search trends will continue.(Search)(interview of Niki Scevak)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... Search is so hot right now. Why is that? Niki Scevak: In no other advertising medium is the user more expressly signaling their intent based on that valuable behavioral state of the user. That's the driver. What about vertical search?...

Recorded Web events click; On-demand events better at converting registrants to qualified sales leads.(Online Events)
April 1, 2005... Byline: RICHARD KARPINSKI Online events have proven their worth as a way to deliver qualified leads to b-to-b marketers. Now, the challenge is how to run them more often and more efficiently. Merrill Corp., which provides software and...

Ask the Expert.(Online Events)(Business to business advertising)
April 1, 2005... What makes online events and webinars effective? Ira Weinstein: First of all, they are an extremely cost-effective way to reach a large number of people. Whether you have 30 people or 300 on the far end listening and receiving slides, it's...

The next phase: Bottom-up marketing.(Future)
April 1, 2005... Byline: Richard Karpinski On Sunday, April 10, the term "syndisphere'' had zero Google hits; three days later, the number was 124 and growing. Two important questions come to mind: First, and most obviously, what the heck is a...

Ask the Expert.(Interactive Agencies)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... Which interactive areas are seeing the strongest growth this year? Shane Ginsberg: I feel the strongest growth areas are immersive brand experiences, "glocalisation'' and perhaps the most obvious, your living room. When most Web sites look...

Ask the Expert.(Web Sites)
April 1, 2005... What's the single most important design element on a b-to-b site? Donna Sandsmark: The ability to purchase services online is key. In today's market, the Web has nearly replaced the salesperson driving out to a customer's facilities....

Sites designed for customers; Poll internal, external audiences; consider conducting usability studies.(Web Sites)
April 1, 2005... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN A well-designed Web site-one that does more than simply push a brand message or products-is one customers will remember. Unfortunately, the average b-to-b site usually isn't designed for maximum impact, according to...

Publishers focus on Net results; Custom packages offer marketers targeted audiences, measurability.(Online Publishers)
April 1, 2005... Byline: MARIE GRIFFIN After years of stalling online investments during the widespread advertising downturn, the average b-to-b media company can now finally expand its capabilities, offering much more to marketers than ever before. ...

Marketing online takes discipline.(Editor's Note)
April 1, 2005... Welcome to BtoB's 2005 Interactive Marketing Guide. Our annual guide offers sections on e-mail, search, Web sites, online advertising, online events, publisher sites and interactive agencies. Each section provides an overview, tips, an...

E-mail put on back burner; Spam, privacy rules undercut e-mail as an effective customer prospecting tool.(E-Mail)
April 1, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Marketers that put their e-mail marketing campaigns on hiatus following the passage of federal anti-spam legislation on Jan. 1, 2004, have been slow to come back into the space, according to industry experts. Meanwhile,...

Marketers attracted to e-mail's interaction, cost-effectiveness.(E-Mail)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... What is the greatest strength of e-mail marketing? Shar VanBoskirk: The nature of the medium fosters a relationship between marketers and customers. E-mail is more important right now because customers are inundated with marketing messages....

Resources.(Online Events)
April 1, 2005... On-demand events * More marketers are recording their online events for playback at a later time: Source: Vendor Communicast/Vcall, customer statistics How to blogify events What to include in a "conference blog,'' a weblog...

Resources.(Web Sites)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Browser wars redux * Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser has an 84.9% market share, followed by Firefox (4.5%), Netscape (3.0%), AOL (2.2%), MSN (0.6%) and Opera (0.3%). Source: Study, Janco Associates, February 2005 Web site...

Specialization comes to search; Vertical, local search emerge as growth sectors within this $4.1B industry.(Search)
April 1, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Search marketing has become a ubiquitous part of marketing strategy, and specialty areas such as vertical and local search are generating enormous interest among marketers. Search is now a necessity for marketers,...

Ask the Expert.(Online Publishers)
April 1, 2005... What are some of the key trends you see in b-to-b marketing and b-to-b online media? Steve Singh: The first, most significant trend is that information is truly king. In the consumer space, a lot of purchases are made with little...

Resources.(Interactive Agencies)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Agency search stats In 2004, marketers sought agencies with specialized services, including: * Corporate communications-up 77% * Brand and product development-up 56% * Package and design-up 18% * Events and...

Key e-mail stats.(E-Mail)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... * E-mail open rates and click rates both declined slightly in the fourth quarter of 2004, to 32.6% and 8.0%, respectively. Bounce-back rates declined to an all-time low of 9.4%. Source: DoubleClick's Q4 2004 Email Trend Report, March 2005 ...

Resources.(Search)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Google on top * Google leads in search market share, handling 47% of all online searches, followed by Yahoo! at 21% and MSN at 13%. More than 80% of all searches are conducted using one of the top three engines. Source:...

Ask the Expert.(Interactive Agencies)(Interview)
April 1, 2005... ***** Correction: In the interactive agencies list in BtoB's "Interactive Marketing Guide 2005'' (p. 36) an incorrect location and phone number were given for Media Logic. The agency is located in Albany, N.Y. Its phone number is (518)...

TechTarget plans entry into Japanese IT market.(Business Media)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Last month, TechTarget announced another partnership designed to give the information technology media company a foothold in Asia. The Needham, Mass.-based media company formed a partnership with ITmedia, a Softbank...

Media companies find new opportunities in VoIP.(News)(Voice over Internet Protocol)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Media companies are moving swiftly to satisfy the growing interest in Voice over Internet Protocol. Jupitermedia Corp. announced last week the launch of a new niche Web site covering Voice over Internet Protocol....

New Campaigns.(Advertising)(TRW Automotive Inc.)(Component Hardware Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... TRW Automotive "Safety'' Agency: Doremus, New York Target audience: Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) decision-makers Campaign objective: To communicate TRW's commitment to automotive safety and the technology behind it. Media...

Web analytics now a marketing must; In-depth data about customers' activity inform decisions about online ads, offline business.(NetMarketing)
April 4, 2005... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN B-to-b marketers are realizing that Web analytics aren't just a good idea anymore-they're a necessity for businesses that want to optimize lead generation, create more "stickiness'' and loyalty, and boost customer...

DMA's Greco addresses public policy concerns.(News)(Direct Marketing Association)(John Greco )(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Public policy can and does impact companies' bottom lines and the direct marketing community's future, Direct Marketing Association President-CEO John Greco said in a speech March 22 at the DMA's Direct Marketing to...

Public b-to-b media companies show growth.(Business Media)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN It's taken nearly four years, but the b-to-b media industry is displaying signs of strength. The positive results reported by public companies with b-to-b units for the full year 2004 are a clear sign of the market's...

Tech companies combat commoditization by selling 'solutions'.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)(interview of Steve Hurley of Information Technology Services Marketing Association)(Interview)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Ellis Booker Steve Hurley is VP-learning and performance excellence at the Information Technology Services Marketing Association. Founded in 1994, ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions....

CNET launches business site; Online network expands beyond tech in pursuit of broader advertiser base.(News)(CNET Networks Inc.)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN CNET Networks plans to announce Monday the official launch of BNET, a Web site that is aimed at business leaders and has aggregated more than 50,000 white papers, case studies and webcasts. The launch of the...

DMA's Marketer of the Year on b-to-b direct.(Direct & Database)(Interview of Bruce Dahlgren of Lexmark International Inc.)(Interview)
April 4, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL The Direct Marketing Association's Business-to-Business Council last month honored Bruce Dahlgren, VP-general manager, North America, of Lexmark International's printing solutions and services division, as its 2005...

Making an impression on Concourse A.(Opinion)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Ellis Booker I've yet to meet a business traveler who looked forward to business travel. United Airlines' terrific TV spots notwithstanding, those of us who travel often have learned to survive the routine hassles of entering and...

Can CMOs make the transition to CEO?(News)(chief marketing officers)(chief executive officers)(Appointment of Mark Hurd)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN When Hewlett-Packard Co. named Mark Hurd, who had been CEO of NCR Corp., as its new president-CEO last week, his previous experience as NCR's VP-worldwide marketing and Americas sales, seemed, at best, a secondary...

Marketers trywireless ads; Consumer applications more common, but b-to-b advertisers consider options.(Advertising)
April 4, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX B-to-b advertisers are beginning on a very limited basis to try wireless advertising, which is starting to take off in the consumer marketplace. In the past few months, new wireless advertising and marketing...

When to resolicit a bounced e-mail; newsletter content that works best.(NetMarketing)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Debbie Weil Question: How and when do I resolicit e-mail addresses that have bounced? Answer: In the early years of e-mail marketing, standardized codes labeled bounced e-mails as either hard or soft and provided valuable...

Snap-on's magazine a custom fit; Tool manufacturer's `Tech' aims to build bond with customers.(Business Media)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Snap-on, the Pleasant Prairie, Wis.-based tool manufacturer, uses a distribution system that resembles the old-fashioned methods of the milkman. Perhaps it's fitting then that Snap-on is using the traditional medium...

Correction.(Corrections)
April 4, 2005... E-commerce revenues for Staples ("Staples preps easier e-commerce site,'' p. 3, March 14) totaled about $3 billion globally in 2004. Staples North American Delivery generated $4.2 billion in sales in 2004, with Staples Business Delivery...

By Design.(NetMarketing)(IndustryWeek.com)(Industry Week relaunches its web site )(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Fara Young Company: IndustryWeek Web site: IndustryWeek.com Agency: DigiKnow, Cleveland Launch date: Feb.14, 2005 IndustryWeek.com, the Web site of IndustryWeek magazine, which caters to manufacturing managers,...

Direct Data.(Direct & Database)
April 4, 2005... Lists New provider Former provider Number of names Description Cost per thousand Ziff Davis Media subscriber files Walter Karl Worldata 22 million Portfolio of postal and e-mail subscriber files of enterprise IT professionals and...

Web analytics group seeks industry standards.(NetMarketing)
April 4, 2005... Byline: KJB Figuring out how your Web site stacks up to the competition is about to get a little easier. In February, more than a dozen Web analytics companies came together to launch the Web Analytics Association (WAA), a nonprofit group...

inDirect.(Direct & Database)
April 4, 2005... DM industry sees record M&As in '04 The direct marketing industry generated a record number of mergers and acquisitions in 2004, according to Petsky Prunier, a direct marketing and advertising investment banker, which released its "Deal...

Quick Hits.(Briefs)
April 4, 2005... Ziff Davis' `Baseline' wins Grand Neal Award Ziff Davis Media's Baseline won the Grand Neal Award at last month's 51st annual Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards. The magazine won for the story, "We Did Nothing Wrong,'' which...

Industry adapts to outsourcing trend.(Vertical Insight)(Interview of Navi Radjou of Forrester Research Inc.)(Interview)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Roger Slavens Marketers need to be aware of major changes taking place in pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and development, processing and global operations, said Navi Radjou, VP of Forrester Research. For instance, the...

PBI sells its science, business benefits to pharmaceutical firms.(Vertical Insight)(Pacific Biometrics Inc.)
April 4, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS Seattle-based Pacific Biometrics Inc. operates a central drug and diagnostics development laboratory with a highly specialized focus on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. Pharmaceutical companies will...

Tektronix wins for best practices.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)(Tektronix Inc.)
April 4, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Tektronix, Portland, Ore., which provides test and measurement equipment and services to communications and computer companies, has its own, award-winning process for testing the effectiveness of its marketing programs....

Dashboard Dynamos; Marketing performance management systems bring accountability, `clarity' to technology company efforts.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)
April 4, 2005... As the technology industry bounces back, marketers are gradually increasing budgets and marketing programs. Technology companies will increase their marketing budgets by about 3% in the first half of this year, according to IDC's "Technology...

Quote/Unquote: What are your market research goals this year?(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... "The wireless market is moving so fast that the half-life of research on stats and competitors is now measured in weeks. But customer insight is timeless.'' Rip Gerber, CMO, Intellisync Corp. "By conducting our yearly customer...

Market research charges online; Companies are spending more on research for new products and services, but lack of ROI metrics still an issue.(Special Report: Market Research)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Kate Maddox With the recession behind them, companies are funding market research again. Spending on market research is expected to total $7.2 billion for 2004, up about 7.5% from 2003, said Lawrence Gold, editor and publisher of...

Use your headline to hook readers.(Chasers)
April 4, 2005... Good headlines come at you head-on. They immediately highlight the selling proposition. They promise a reward. They alert readers to something new. They match up with the visual. They select the right audience. They draw the reader into the...

Cut to the Chase.(Chasers)
April 4, 2005... Company: FedEx, Memphis, Tenn. Agency: BBDO New York Market: Office managers, shipping managers Quick chase: FedEx spoofs a New Age-style corporate retreat scenario with a spot that deftly makes the point that the company can help make small...

Goat or Gloat.(Chasers)(Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.)(Robbins-Gioia Inc.)
April 4, 2005... Company: Robbins-Gioia, Alexandria, Va. Market: Government executives Quick chase: You've seen lots of hackneyed track-and-field imagery in business ads: The baton being passed to symbolize teamwork, the hurdles to serve as a metaphor for,...

Schofield Media buys magazines, site from VNU.(News)(VNU Business Media)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS VNU Business Media announced last month that it has sold Restaurant Business, FoodService Director, Beverage World and Retail Merchandiser magazines and the ID Access Web site to Ideal Media, a division of...

Marketing to pharma firms; Suppliers have big opportunities as industry struggles with innovation.(Vertical Insight)
April 4, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS The U.S. pharmaceutical industry is such a juggernaut that even when faced with scandal-such as the recall of Merck's blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx-and dwindling numbers of new drug approvals by the Federal Drug...

Managing your process.(Opinion)(marketing industry)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Daniel Flamberg Business Process Management (BPM), the effort to identify, document, quantify and replicate best practices, is coming to marketing. CEOs and CFOs want to know what's behind the curtain, how much it costs, how much...

Marketing budgets are earned, not granted.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)(advertising expenditures of information technology services industry)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Richard C. Vancil Last month, IDC reported our latest forecast for tech marketing spending. The good news is that budgets are still expanding-by at least 3% this year-with room for more upside as the year unfolds. This is on top of...

Delve into the data and evaluate everything.(Opinion)(Database marketing)
April 4, 2005... Byline: M.L. Hartman At the mention of "database marketing,'' your mind may instantly leap to list brokers, the acquisition and maintenance of lists and agencies promising you whatever it takes to get you to sign up for a campaign or two....

HP happy with e-newsletter contribution.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)
April 4, 2005... Byline: J.N. MCEVOY Hewlett-Packard Co. is claiming success in its ongoing campaign to increase customer satisfaction and per-buyer sales through the use of personalized e-mail newsletters. The 4.5 million opt-in subscribers to HP's...

Sprint's new solution 'bundles' call on teams to pursue opportunities.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)
April 4, 2005... Byline: J.N. MCEVOY Climbing the product stack, Sprint has begun creating "solution'' bundles out of its existing products or those of its business partners. The first bundle, released March 14, is Managed Mobility Services. It is a...

Acxiom wins bidding for Digital Impact; E-mail marketing firm accepts $140 million deal after fending off hostile buyout bid from infoUSA.(News)(Acxiom Corp. acquires Digital Impact Inc.)
April 4, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Data giant Acxiom Corp. last week announced it has agreed to acquire e-mail marketing company Digital Impact for $3.50 per share in a cash deal worth about $140 million. Digital Impact had been fending off a hostile...

Marketers stress measurement; CMO Council's inaugural MPM Forum focuses on need to prove effectiveness of marketing.(News)
April 4, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX B-to-b marketers last month debated how to measure the effectiveness of their efforts at the first in a series of marketing performance management conferences produced by the CMO Council. The inaugural MPM Forum,...

Survey: Company goals not aligned with metrics.(Special Report: Tech Marketing)(Business to business advertising)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Kate Maddox Measuring marketing performance is a top priority for b-to-b companies this year, yet there is a gap between what companies identify as critical activities and what they are actually measuring, according to a report by...

'Apprentice' castoff gets chance to do the firing.(News)(Reality television programs)
April 4, 2005... HE MAY HAVE GOTTEN FIRED FROM NBC'S "The Apprentice,'' but Danny Kastner, founder-CEO of online marketing company POPstick, isn't letting The Donald's diss get him down. Kastner, who was made redundant in episode three of Donald Trump's...

Led by Internet, global spending to grow 5%-6%.(Special Report: Market Research)(William A. Cook of Advertising Research Foundation interview)(Interview)
April 4, 2005... William A. Cook is senior VP-research and standards for the Advertising Research Foundation, New York. BtoB recently asked him about market research trends. BtoB: What will be the big trend in market research in 2005? Cook: The...

Ad campaigns tout power of magazines.(News)
April 4, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN In late February, the Magazine Publishers of America launched a $40 million advertising campaign with the tagline, "Read on,'' promoting the marketing power of magazines. The campaign followed the January debut of...

New HP chief wants to get back to the basics.(News)(Hewlett-Packard Co. appoints Mark Hurd)
April 4, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX AND SEAN CALLAHAN Mark Hurd, the new CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., has a reputation as a straight-shooting, operations-focused leader-qualities that are expected to serve him well as he works to get the company back to the...

Poll Results: 'BtoB' on the Web, e-mail.(Opinion)
April 4, 2005... BtoB encourages readers to use our Web site, www.btobonline.com, to access archives of our monthly print edition, including our Special Report lists as well as our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters. BtoB's e-mail products include "Daily...

Marketing Research Resources.(Vertical Insight)(Directory)
April 4, 2005... Ameritest/CY Research Albuquerque, N.M. (505) 856-0763 www.ameritest.net Charles Young, president-CEO Services: Copy testing ARS Group Evansville, Ind. (812) 425-4562 www.ars-group.com Wade Holmes,...

Agenda.(Calendar/Datebook)(meetings and seminars of marketing associations)(Calendar)
April 4, 2005... April 5-6 eMarketing 5 eMarketing Association Crowne Plaza Union Square, San Francisco www.emarketingassociation.com April 7 BtoB's NetMarketing Breakfast BtoB Magazine Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York ...