BtoB articles from December 2004

BtoB archives from December 2004

E-mail authentication standard debated; Open source advocates voice concerns about Sender ID.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS At last month's FTC E-Mail Authentication Summit in Washington, D.C., and the INBOX East Show in Atlanta, technologists and policy-makers attempted to build some consensus as to which authentication platforms could...

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SEM PROVIDER; As the search engine marketing sector changes and expands, how should marketers choose among vendors?(NetMarketing, search engines, Search-Engine Marketing )
December 13, 2004... Byline: Karen J. Bannan The trajectory of search engine marketing growth looks like that of a rocket ship: straight up. This year, the sector is worth $5.4 billion, but it will hit $7.91 billion by 2005 and $10.40 billion by 2006,...

Nortel dials up brand campaign; TV, print ads show C-level executives how embattled firm's networks improve lives.(Advertising)(Nortel Networks Corp.)
December 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Facing financial and brand challenges, Nortel Networks last month launched a global ad campaign designed to reposition the company as a leader in telecommunications. The year has been fraught with difficulties for...

TechTarget makes trio of big moves; Flush with $70 million in VC funding, company buys Bitpipe, ServerSide; plans new IT magazine.(Business Media)
December 13, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN With $70 million in venture capital funding burning a hole in its pocket, TechTarget made a flurry of moves over the past several weeks that have made it clear the information technology media company aims to be a big...

Looking for ways to avoid phish net; Identity theft threatens brands, mobilizes industry.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL Online identity theft, known as phishing, has grown exponentially in recent months, and experts say that should concern marketers. In October, 6,597 new, unique phishing e-mail messages were recorded. That was more...

By Design: Gates gets to know its audience, tailors content for it.(NetMarketing)(www.gates.com)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Nadine Youssef Gates Corp., a rubber belt and hose manufacturer, recently completed an in-house redesign of its Web site, which was unveiled in October. The redesign process took more than a year, as the company's marketing,...

Companies lose sight of search on own sites; Hard-to-search sites forfeit visitors, sales.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL Despite huge investments in search engine advertising and search engine optimization, nearly 30% of companies spend nothing on search technologies deployed on their own Web sites. So-called enterprise search directs...

Marketing professionals overworked but satisfied; Survey finds perception of employer as `socially responsible' a key factor.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marketing professionals work too many hours a week, spend too much time putting out "brushfires'' and work in understaffed marketing departments-yet a majority are satisfied or very satisfied with their current level of...

Beyond the Biz; Human billboard heads for the hills.(News; briefs)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Mary E. Morrison As you finalize your media plan for next year, you're likely weighing the pros and cons of various media buys. Consider this: Human billboards sound like a fantastic idea-until they abscond. Last year, we reported...

Entrepreneur learns why it's best to optimize site before it launches.(NetMarketing)(RealMCSEBootcamps.com )
December 13, 2004... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN John Mills launched RealMCSEBootcamps.com in October 2002. The company, which provides online training to individuals and corporations, came up with a business plan but, like most companies, outsourced the...

BtoBonline.com adds job board.(News)(www.btobonline.com)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... BtoB's Web site, www.btobonline.com, this month added a job board specifically for professionals in the marketing, media, advertising and PR industries. "There is a great need for a place for b-to-b marketers and publishing executives to...

Advertising will pump $5.2 trillion into U.S. economy.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX The advertising industry is projected to drive $5.2 trillion into the U.S. economy in 2005, according to a study released last month. The study, "The Comprehensive Economic Impact of Advertising Expenditures,'' was...

Quick Hits; Chinese company agrees to buy IBM PC business.(Briefs)
December 13, 2004... IBM Corp. announced last week it has agreed to sell its PC business to Lenovo Group, a leading PC marketer in China, for $1.75 billion in cash, equity and debt. The deal, which will give IBM an 18.9% equity stake in Lenovo, is expected to be...

Marketers to stress customer acquisition in 2005.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX B-to-b marketers will continue to increase ad spending in 2005, focusing on customer acquisition and driving sales over brand awareness. These are some of the key findings of an exclusive BtoB survey, "2005...

A giant's shadow falls across the search landscape.(Opinion)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Jim Grinney To compete more aggressively in the ever-expanding search space, software behemoth Microsoft Corp. expects to release its own search engine early next year. The new technology will completely replace MSN's current...

Correction.(Corrections)
December 13, 2004... Two information technology publications, CRN and Government Computer News, were inadvertently left off the list of the Media Power 50 published in the Nov. 22 special issue BtoB's Best 2004. The list originally appeared in the May 3 issue of...

Optima finds aftermarket road leads to designers, OEM status.(Vertical Insight: Automotive)
December 13, 2004... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS Sometimes to get the attention of car manufacturers and become an original equipment manufacturer, you have to do an end-around. "Doing well in the automotive aftermarket is a great opportunity for component...

Industry Outlook: Automakers want value at low cost.(Vertical Insight: Automotive)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Roger Slavens One of the most important voices for automotive component manufacturers is the Troy, Mich.-based Original Equipment Suppliers Association, which represents more than 350 member companies and $280 billion in supplier...

new campaigns.(Advertising)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Adobe "Simplicity at Work'' Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco Target audience: C-level executives and IT decision-makers Campaign objective: To boost awareness of Adobe as an enterprise software company Media...

DMA shakes up management, eliminates net.marketing.(News)(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX The Direct Marketing Association earlier this month announced a management reorganization following an operational review by President-CEO John Greco, who succeeded H. Robert Wientzen in August. The trade group also...

Dow Jones to buy MarketWatch for $519 million.(News)(Dow Jones and Company Inc., MarketWatch.com Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Reportedly outbidding Yahoo!, the New York Times Co. and Viacom, Dow Jones & Co. announced last month that it has agreed to acquire MarketWatch for about $519 million in cash. The deal is expected to close in the...

D&B enhances corporate data linkage; New service offers multiple views of prospects.(Direct & Database)
December 13, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL Database giant D&B next year will roll out a new service, Corporate Linkage Plus, that moves beyond basic corporate data linking. Corporate Linkage Plus, which is now being tested by 10 unnamed D&B marketer clients,...

"Quote/unquote"; Q. What one event would convince you to dramatically increase your marketing spending?(Opinion)
December 13, 2004... "[We] would make changes to our marketing mix for a significant product development or innovation .'' Susanne Lyons, CMO, Visa "If we greatly exceeded our revenue plan and the pipeline for future business was rapidly outpacing...

SEM Resources.(NetMarketing)
December 13, 2004... Books "10 Online Marketing & Search Engine Essentials Every Executive Needs to Know,'' by Fergal O'Byrne, Aspatore Books, June 2004 "Google AdWords Handbook: 21 Ways to Maximize Results,'' 2004 Edition, by Andrew Goodman, January 2004...

B-to-b ads tackle Sunday NFL game.(Chasers)(National Football League)(business to business advertising)
December 13, 2004... On any given Sunday, you can find a smattering of b-to-b spots competing for the attention of an audience more accustomed to seeing ads for beer, cars and erectile dysfunction medications during the National Football League game. On one...

Goat or Gloat.(Chasers)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Company: Westcon Group, White Plains, N.Y. Agency: N/A Market: Value-added resellers Quick chase: There's a big risk to this ad's design. We suspect that readers will immediately gravitate to the image of the man working his cell phone and...

Cut to the Chase: Print.(Chasers)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Company: AMD, Sunnyvale, Calif. Agency: McCann-Erickson, San Francisco Market: Value-added resellers Quick chase: AMD gets into the head of a customer who's got viruses on his mind. The image of the man peering intently into a screen pairs up...

Cut to the Chase: Online.(Chasers)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Company: FedEx, Memphis, Tenn. Agency: BBDO New York Market: Shipping and logistics managers Quick chase: Good ads promise a reward. Even better ads are specific about the rewards. This eye-catching banner for FedEx Kinko's might have said:...

Ask The Expert - Rule #1: Buy your brand as keyword.(NetMarketing)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Melissa Burgess Question: Should I buy my brand name as a keyword in Overture and Google? Answer: Ah, yes, the age-old question that comes up in every search strategy meeting: "Should we purchase our brand name in Google and...

Jupiter study shows agencies handle majority of SEM spend.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Mary E. Morrison Search engine marketing agencies now direct the majority of SEM spending in the U.S., according to a report released last week by JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corp. Currently, 31% of search marketers...

A holiday lesson: Make your demo a gift worth getting.(Opinion)
December 13, 2004... Byline: JC Stites During the holidays, the best-wrapped gifts get the most attention. Shiny metallic wrapping paper and perfectly tied bows make people excited about what's on the inside. The trick is to generate the same buzz for your...

media notes; M&A market has surplus of buyers.(Business Media)(mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... A recent survey by media investment bank AdMedia Partners found that potential buyers far outnumber potential sellers in the business media mergers and acquisitions market. Forty-seven business media executives participated in the "M&A Snapshot...

Study shows new business development needs attention.(News)
December 13, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Companies are missing out on potential revenue growth as a result of mismanaged new business development practices, according to a joint study by the Chief Marketing Officer Council and the Business Performance...

Corporate Culture; B-to-b companies find marketing treasure in sponsorship of the arts.(News)(Column)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Sean Callahan `Museum piece'' usually is not a compliment when used to describe a piece of technology, but GE Transportation-Aircraft Engines is thrilled that a component of its GE90-115B jet engine is featured at the Museum of...

Online advertising will grow in 2005.(News)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Kate Maddox Online advertising is expected to grow by at least 20% in 2005, according to reports from several media research firms. Internet research firm eMarketer projects that online ad spending will reach $11.3 billion next...

Carmakers seek price, innovation; Suppliers must offer better mousetrap, sell through strong direct sales force.(Vertical Insight: Automotive)
December 13, 2004... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS The automotive industry is one of North America's largest, with production of passenger cars and light trucks totaling approximately 16 million units in 2004 and with a purchase value of more than $500 billion. More...

Will you play the China card in 2005?(Opinion)(China's expanding economic impact on U.S. marketers)
December 13, 2004... Byline: Ellis Booker China's expanding economic impact on U.S. marketers-some would say threat, some would say promise-has been a key story this year. In terms of long-term effects, I'd argue it trumps that other international story, the...

Nortel's new campaign.(Advertising)(Northern Telecom Ltd.)
December 13, 2004... Objective: Wes Durow, director of global marketing communications at Nortel, said the company's challenge was simply telling the brand story. "We are often quiet, and how we talk about our brand is critical," he said. "We need to be able to...

Tips for marketing to AUTOMOTIVE.(Vertical Insight: Automotive)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... build relationships To do business with the Big 3, it's a good idea to be QS9000 compliant, foster a corporate culture that fits with their vision and be willing to export to offshore manufacturing facilities. innovate Car...

Case Study: How Optima achieved OEM status.(Vertical Insight: Automotive)(original equipment manufacturer)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Objective: Achieve original equipment manufacturer (OEM) status with various carmakers. Strategy: Create industry buzz and demand from car enthusiasts in the automotive aftermarket; get the product in front of car manufacturers' engineers...

Case Study: Smart search strategies help start-up Web site gain clients, increase revenue.(NetMarketing)(RealMCSEBootcamp.com)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Objective: Improve search engine ranking to build client base. Strategy: RealMCSEBootcamp.com's John Mills hired Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing, an Atlanta search engine optimization company. Medium Blue redesigned and optimized the...