BtoB articles from August 2006

BtoB archives from August 2006

Corrections.(Correction notice)
August 14, 2006... In BtoB's July 10 issue, in its Who's Who in B-to-B special report, Kevin Ryan was mistakenly identified as CEO of DoubleClick. Ryan is CEO and co-founder of ShopWiki. He previously led DoubleClick as CEO, but left there in 2005 when it was...

Rise of independents, demand for technology bring opportunities.(Vertical Insight: Hospitality)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Roger Slavens Clayton Reid understands the hospitality industry like few others, having helped hotels and other hospitality businesses market to their target audiences-as well as vendors win b-to-b contracts with hotels-for more...

Pegasus reaches hotel groups with multichannel campaign.(Pegasus Solutions Inc.)
August 14, 2006... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS For more than 75 years, Pegasus Solutions has provided the hotel industry with a range of reservation and distribution services. Today, it's a global company with 17 offices in 12 countries that provides a universal...

Hospitality industry welcomes innovation.(Vertical Insight: Hospitality)
August 14, 2006... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, every company that tracks numbers on the lodging industry is predicting 2006 will set record numbers in just about every category. Smith Travel Research reports...

ALM buys Strategic Research Institute.(Events)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Media company ALM has acquired the assets of Strategic Research Institute, a privately held conference producer. Financial terms were not disclosed. ALM, which publishes American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, The National Law Journal and Real...

Knight Capital Group.(marketing techniques)
August 14, 2006... Knight Capital Group, a specialty trading firm, wanted to build awareness of the company and position it around themes of innovation and integrity in financial trading services. Founded in 1995 as an online trading site for broker-dealer...

Marketers better able to measure ROI; ANA study shows confidence in quantifying results, but problems persist in collaboration.(Association of National Advertisers)
August 14, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL Marketers have substantially improved their ability to measure and act on ROI data, but only just over a third (36%) have coordinated their marketing accountability programs with the finance division or a...

Niche trade titles talk the talk; Foreign-language publications respond to demographic changes in U.S. market.(Business Media)
August 14, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ Seeing an opportunity to take advantage of occupational and demographic changes, some b-to-b media companies are producing niche foreign-language publications for the U.S. market. The latest entry into the...

Seeking nominations for BtoB's Best 2006.(News)
August 14, 2006... On Oct. 23, BtoB will publish a special issue featuring the best advertising, brands and marketers of 2006. The following are guidelines for nominations: Best Advertising of 2005: We will accept nominations for the year's best advertising...

New Orleans still jazzed for business.(News)
August 14, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ For the past 11 months the media have focused on those areas in New Orleans hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina-such as the Lower Ninth Ward and New Orleans East-while devoting somewhat less coverage to the city's...

Creative engagement; Simple tips to help you create e-mails that grab recipients' attention.(Net Marketing)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Karen J. Bannan You can't judge a book by its cover, but that's exactly what many readers do when deciding whether to open e-marketing messages. There are things marketers can do, however, when it comes to designing and creating...

Let's face it-faces sell.(business to business advertising)
August 14, 2006... They are visual magnets that readers, visitors and viewers simply can't resist because people are enormously curious about their fellow human beings. Faces have a place in b-to-b advertising, despite its reputation for being cold and clinical....

Cut to the Chase.(Sprint Corp. contracts with Publicis and Hal Riney Co.)(Intel Corp. contracts with McCann-Erickson Inc.)
August 14, 2006... Company: Sprint, Overland Park, Kan. Agency: Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco Market: Mobile executives Chase: Sprint puts its mobile broadband card to the torture test in a well-choreographed spot that lets the product ride to the rescue....

Goat or Gloat.(Cingular Wireless L.L.C. contracts with BBDO Worldwide Inc.)(Verizon Communications Inc. contracts with McCann-Erickson Inc.)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Company: Cingular, Atlanta Agency: BBDO, New York and Atlanta Market: IS directors, corporate management Quick chase: A gray-toned wireless device set against a white background doesn't exactly pop on the page. The lack of contrast undermines...

Search spending tops in online; JupiterResearch study projects search outlay will hit nearly $30 billion by 2011.(Advertising)
August 14, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX Online ad spending will reach $15.7 billion this year and $25.9 billion by 2011, according to a new report from JupiterResearch. The report, "U.S. Online Advertising Forecast, 2006 to 2011,'' predicts search will...

Quick Hits.(Briefs)
August 14, 2006... ComScore Media Metrix adds SEM service ComScore Media Metrix, a digital media measurement company, announced the launch of Competitive Search Marketing Reports. The new service enables agencies, publishers and online marketers to compare...

Content is king in e-mail newsletters.(Net Marketing)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Question: What e-mail newsletter content will engage my readers? Answer: Content is king. Inspired, relevant content will capture buyers' interest and move them through the sales pipeline. As a marketer, you are charged with providing...

Integrated Marketing Success Stories.(Special Report: Integrated Success Stories)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Kate Maddox In today's fragmented media environment, with business executives getting their information from a variety of sources, it is more important than ever for marketers to create integrated campaigns that communicate their...

Mimeo.com.(marketing techniques)
August 14, 2006... Mimeo.com had a tough challenge-build awareness of the online, on-demand print company, which competes against print shops such as FedEx Kinkos. "Mimeo has been around for six years, and no one seemed to know about us,'' said Mime.com CEO...

Direct marketing hiring drops off.(Direct Media enhances DataMart software)(Alterian enahncing Dynamic Messenger )(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Direct marketing hiring is beginning to slow down, according to Bernhart Associates Executive Search's quarterly hiring trends survey. Sixty-six percent of survey respondents said they planned to add staff this summer, down from 72% in the...

List Leader Pont does more for less; Pont urges marketers to seek out new channels, particularly online, to keep competitive edge.(Pont Media Direct's Stefanie Pont interviewed)(Interview)
August 14, 2006... Byline: SHELLY BANJO This month, the DMA List and Database Council honors Stefanie Pont, managing partner of Norwalk, Conn.-based list brokerage and direct marketing consultancy Pont Media Direct, with the List Leader of the Year Award....

Survey shines spotlight on 'experiential marketing'; Most b-to-b marketers don't measure results, but say programs important for the future.(business to business)
August 14, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX While a vast majority of b-to-b marketers use experiential marketing programs and say they are important to the future of marketing, most do not measure the results of their experiential marketing efforts, according to...

Results are in: "Google' now a verb.(Office Depot Inc.'s marketing through Carl Edwards)(Eurogroups Inc.'s marketing techniques)
August 14, 2006... IT'S OFFICIAL. "GOOGLE'' IS NOW A VERB. That is, according to the venerable Oxford English Dictionary, published by Oxford University Press, as well as Merriam-Webster. Google as a verb with an uppercase "G'' was added to the OED, the...

Parry touts usefulness of live events.(Trade Show Exhibitor Association awarded Lynne Parry)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Barbara Axelson Lynne Parry, trade show manager at Lancaster, N.Y.-based Apple Rubber Products, received this year's Trade Show Exhibitor Association Chairman's Award, recognizing a member who has contributed greatly to the group's...

TS2 attendance, floor space up; Marketers take advantage of event industry growth at TSEA's annual show.(Trade Show Exhibitors Association)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Barbara Axelson TS2, the annual event for exhibit and event marketers sponsored by Trade Show Exhibitors Association and owned and produced by National Trade Productions, was successful this year in terms of growth and attendee...

Customer service expert on demand-chain management.(CSO Insights's Jim Dickie interviewed)(Interview)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Byline: C.H. Jim Dickie is managing partner of CSO Insights (www.csoinsights.com), a Boulder, Colo.-based research firm that analyzes how companies market to and service customers. BtoB recently asked Dickie to discuss the evolving metrics...

Converting event attendance to sales.(Sourcefire Inc.)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Christopher Hosford Sourcefire is a world leader in providing security for computer networks, using a commercial version of Snort, the open-source intrusion-detection software created by company founder Marty Roesch. Sourcefire...

Demand-chain b-to-b tools arrive; Automated Web analytics and lead analysis help clarify the demand chain for marketers.(business to business advertising)
August 14, 2006... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Among the most intriguing of the new marketing measurement tools emerging in the b-to-b sector is demand-chain management. Its goals are simple: to measure everything one can know about potential customers, keep...

B-to-b media companies moving in hot M&A market.(business to business, mergers and acquisitions)
August 14, 2006... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN How strong is the mergers and acquisitions market in b-to-b media? It's attractive enough that two companies which have had very public struggles since 2000 have put themselves on the market: Ziff Davis Media,...

Quick Hits.(Briefs)
August 14, 2006... Top brands demand audited ad numbers The Interactive Advertising Bureau last week announced that a group of top brand marketers will demand audited numbers from online publishers, effective mid-2007, and measurement certified numbers in...

General Electric Co.(ecoimagination)
August 14, 2006... In May 2005, General Electric Co. launched "Ecomagination,'' an integrated marketing effort to position the company as one that develops products and services to help improve the environment. Ecomagination is more than an ad campaign. The...

AT&T.(new marketing plans after acquisition by SBC Communications Inc.)
August 14, 2006... Following its acquisition by SBC Communications last November, AT&T launched the most aggressive campaign in its more than 120-year history to introduce the new brand to consumer, business and government audiences. The new AT&T was...

Agenda.(News)
August 14, 2006... Sept. 11-13 B-to-B Interactive Marketing Conference Direct Marketing Association Westin Kierland Resort Scottsdale, Ariz. www.dmab2b.org Sept. 20 BtoB's NetMarketing Breakfast BtoB magazine Hilton, New...

CMOs, CFOs work on ROI, relationships.(chief marketing officers, chief financial officers, return on investment)
August 14, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX As marketing accountability has risen as a corporate priority, CMOs and CFOs have found themselves working closely together to define marketing objectives, determine investments and prove the value of marketing to the...

New Campaigns.(Advertising)
August 14, 2006... Magnecote "SuperPitch'' Agency: Hadrian's Wall, Chicago Target audience: Ad agency creatives and designers Campaign objective: Build awareness and drive leads for Magnecote's magnetic printing paper, using an online game in which...

Trade show revenue 8.9% higher in 2005.(Business Media)
August 14, 2006... American Business Media's Business Information Network released figures showing trade show revenue grew 8.9% in 2005, generating more than $9.8 billion in total revenue. Trade show attendance showed a slight increase, up 1.1% compared with...

Acquisition to help AMD take on Intel; Chip maker continues aggressive strategy with planned integration of ATI.(Advanced Micro Devices Inc. planning to acquire ATI Technologies Inc.)
August 14, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX The hotly competitive chip rivalry between Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices is about to get hotter, following AMD's announcement last month that it plans to acquire chipset and graphics technology provider ATI...

Better to light a single candle ...(America Online Inc. and its customer services and relations)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Paul Gillin Two weeks ago, America Online began to dismantle its Internet access business. It was a momentous decision for the company that was probably influenced, at least a little, by a young man from the Bronx. Vincent...

A summer bundle of marketing books.(Opinion)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Ellis Booker Is it August already? Must be, and BtoB's bookshelf is groaning under the weight of many new books for marketers. Here is a short list of some of the best titles published in the past 12 months-as well as a couple due...

Five common misconceptions big business has about small business.(Column)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Mike Megalli The way most technology companies market to small businesses is to translate their product offerings into terms that they think will appeal. This usually entails "dumbing down'' the product by trimming it back to...

Does your company need a culture audit?(Column)
August 14, 2006... Byline: A. Louis Rubin Ironically, a company's defined culture, that intrinsic aspect of branding and communications, is never measured when we want to know the effectiveness of communications programs. Traditional measures such as...

Media deals in first half top $37B.(News)(Brief article)
August 14, 2006... Byline: Matthew Schwartz The media merger party that's been going on for the past three years shows no signs of slowing down. Led by the $11 billion acquisition of VNU by a consortium of six private equity firms and the $6 billion sale...

Google claims click fraud audits flawed; Internal study on accuracy causes an uproar at search conference.(News)
August 14, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL While marketers, search marketing agencies and search engines themselves agree click fraud in pay-per-click advertising is an issue that must be resolved, there seems to be little consensus on a solution. And now, as...

Problem Solved.(Net Marketing)
August 14, 2006... Problem: A steady flow of traffic to a landing page, but a majority of visitors leave without becoming leads. Solution: First, you must begin thinking like your customer. Take a step away from your business objectives-e.g., let's get them...