BtoB articles from December 2006

BtoB archives from December 2006

BtoB Online Poll Results.(Opinion)(Survey)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Online video ad spending will increase 89% in 2007 to $775 million, according to a just-released eMarketer report. What is your video ad strategy? Currently placing online video ads - 36% Planning to place online video ads - 22% ...

Hilton's dashboards graphically depict five "value drivers' at hotel properties.(Tools & Metrics)(Hilton Hotels Corp.)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Christopher Hosford There was a time when Hilton Hotels Corp. tracked performance metrics with the standard electronic spreadsheet, updated monthly. But almost 10 years ago, the hospitality company decided to automate the process...

ROUNDTABLE: Interaction key when delivering message.(Special Report: Outlook 2007)(discussion between marketers for advertising campaign needs for their company)(Discussion)
December 11, 2006... Driving profitable growth, reaching segmented audiences and building value with customers are common goals of b-to-b marketers in 2007. However, how they will deliver on these objectives varies depending on the industry and the company. To...

Q&A: Chris Melissinos, chief gaming officer, Sun Microsystems; Sun Microsystems benefiting from move to Second Life.(Events)(Interview)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Erin Biba Chris Melissinos is chief gaming officer at Sun Microsystems (www.sun.com). Following the major buzz surrounding the company's recent foray into the digital world of Second Life, BtoB spoke with Melissinos about why the...

E-mail marketing insight.(Net Marketing)
December 11, 2006... Question: How should my e-mail marketing evolve as more ISPs implement default image suppression? Answer: Research from Epsilon and GfK NOP reveals that 65% of respondents have received e-mail in their in-boxes with images suppressed. This...

TOP TRENDS FOR 2007: Marketers' influence grows even as customers demand more control of the message.(Special Report: Outlook 2007)(Dow Chemical Co.)(Intel Corp.)(Wells Fargo & Co.)
December 11, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX As b-to-b marketers prepare for the new year, they are looking at a business climate in which marketing enjoys more influence than ever yet faces significant challenges, such as proving ROI and implementing new...

New campaigns.(Advertising)(Consumer News and Business Channel Partnership)(Hitachi Ltd.)(Victaulic PLC)
December 11, 2006... Hitachi: "Hitachi True Stories'' Agency: McCann-Erickson San Francisco Campaign objective: Demonstrate Hitachi's technological innovation in the IT, telecommunications, electrical power, medical and consumer industries. Target audience:...

'Wall Street Journal' unveils major revamp.(Business Media)(Dow Jones and Company Inc.)
December 11, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ Dow Jones & Co. last week unveiled the long-anticipated, major redesign of its flagship Wall Street Journal. The new look will debut Jan. 2. There will be several physical changes to the Journal. It will...

The future looks bright, with marketing expanding and online exploding.(Special Report: Outlook 2007)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Kate Maddox Marketing will get a big boost in 2007 as b-to-b marketers increase overall budgets, shift more dollars to online and try out new technologies, according to BtoB's "2007 Marketing Priorities and Plans'' survey. B-to-b...

Taking search to next level.(Net Marketing)
December 11, 2006... Question: We're hearing a lot of buzz about new search opportunities to connect with customers via blogs, videos and images. How do we take advantage of these? Answer: Before you push ahead with initiatives within any of these channels, be...

PROBLEM SOLVED.(Net Marketing)
December 11, 2006... Problem: Getting ripped off by click fraud. Solution: While click fraud can be a very real problem for pay-per-click search engine marketing, we estimate that fewer than 8% of all clicks generated are fraudulent. The perceived threat is...

FULL OPTIMIZATION; Effective search marketing doesn't stop at optimizing your site and keyword buys. Smart marketers make their online audio, video and images easily searchable, too.(Net Marketing)(ThomasNet Industrial )
December 11, 2006... Byline: Karen J. Bannan ThomasNet Industrial has a news database of more than 50,000 product and service news stories. Anyone who is interested in a specific industrial vertical can visit and find information about vendors, manufacturers...

Radio network makes its podcasts searchable, lets users create 'hit lists'.(Net Marketing)(Webmaster Radio )
December 11, 2006... Webmaster Radio (www.webmasterradio.fm) is a 24/7 radio network targeted at the b-to-b audience. The site features regular radio talk shows, a chat area and trade show conference coverage from events such as ad:tech, ecomXpo and...

How to market to insurance brokers; In changing industry, relationship-building more important than ever.(Vertical Insight: Insurance)
December 11, 2006... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS ***** Correction: Felicia Stanczak is director of strategy and planning for Magnani Continuum Marketing, the marketing agency of record for CNA Insurance. Her employer was incorrectly identified in "How to market...

Specialty insurance provider's ad campaign drives awareness.(Vertical Insight: Insurance)(Burns & Wilcox )
December 11, 2006... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS Burns & Wilcox is in the business of providing insurance agents with specialty lines of insurance, specifically excess and surplus lines that usually are not written by the standard insurance carriers. "We help agents...

Build awareness, trust to reach agents.(Vertical Insight: Insurance)(Interview)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Roger Slavens Marketing to the insurance industry can be difficult, but marketers can be successful if they take time to solidify their approach, said Eric Hobbs, president and founder of Cary, N.C.-based technology consulting firm...

Benchmarks; Top b-to-b online advertisers.(Net Marketing; business-to-business)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Top b-to-b online advertisers, October 2006 Ranked by total impressions of ads bought by b-to-b advertisers Top b-to-b subsegments, October 2006 Ranked by impressions October 2006, Ranked by sponsored link impressions Top...

Pinpoint marketing: Laser-sharp customer focus targets messages to multiple layers of b-to-b decision-makers.(Opinion)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Elizabeth Brohan B-to-b marketers should resist the urge to "go wide'' with traditional demand generation direct programs aimed at high overall response and lower CPR. They may increase awareness but rarely move the sales needle...

Indirect.(Direct & Database)(Alterian Inc. introduced new version of its Data Discovery and Visualization application)(AT&T Corp. AT&T Computer Systems Div. plans to acquire Comergent Technologies Inc.)(WebTrends Corp. introduced latest version of WebTrends Marketing Warehouse)
December 11, 2006... Alterian debuts expanded tools Alterian, a direct marketing analytics software company, announced it has released a new version of its Data Discovery and Visualization application, a part of the Alterian Marketing Suite. The new program,...

New technology boosts online ads; Marketers find customers respond to increased opportunities to interact.(Advertising)
December 11, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX With advances in live chat, online video and rich media technologies, b-to-b marketers are using banner ads in innovative ways to reach and engage their target audiences. Last month, as part of the launch of its...

Cisco effort grows sales by $200 mil. New program targeting small and midsize businesses greatly exceeds revenue forecast.(Direct & Database)
December 11, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL In 2005, Cisco Systems developed what it called the Attach, Renewal, Multiyear Service Incentive program to enable channel partners to target, create demand for, and sell Cisco services to small and midsize businesses....

New Channels: Newspaper death spiral has begun.(Opinion)(Viewpoint essay)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Paul Gillin As a journalism school graduate who once dreamed of writing for The New York Times, I find it painful to write this column. However, this I believe: The American newspaper industry stands on the brink of a collapse that...

It's that time of year ... to test the marketplace.(Beyond the Biz)
December 11, 2006... For many, the end of the year is a time to pause and reflect. Businesspeople are no different, and at this time of year, some decide they hate their job and begin to polish up their curriculum vitae. Business.com says that is what must be in...

goat or gloat; A quick comparison of recent work by competing advertisers.(Chasers)(Pfizer Inc.)(Bayer AG)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Company: Pfizer, New York Agency: N/A Market: CEOs, human resources executives Quick chase: The image of a human head outlined in chalk on a black slate board frames the headline: "Get well soon? We prefer, `Stay healthier longer.' '' But it...

Leading those horses to water.(Chasers)(Cisco Inc.)(Northern Telecom Ltd.)(Schneider Electric S.A.)
December 11, 2006... Long before the Internet existed, this column urged b-to-b advertisers to guide prospects through an ad in a sequence consistent with the logical development of the selling proposition. That usually meant arresting the reader with an intriguing...

cut to the chase.(Chasers)(Lexmark International Group Inc.'s advertisement by W.B. Doner and Co.)(Allsteel Inc.'s advertisement by BBDO Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Company: Lexmark International, Lexington, Ky. Agency: W.B. Doner, Southfield, Mich. Market: IT managers, small businesses Quick chase: From a visual perspective, the banner ad for Lexmark is nothing to write home about. A steel-gray printer...

Driving business with dashboards; Applications that coordinate, display key metrics help focus marketing performance.
December 11, 2006... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD You know the old saw about a picture being worth a thousand words? Fans of marketing dashboards say the slogan is most true about these report-generating tools, which graphically depict a company's marketing and...

Quick Hits.(News)
December 11, 2006... TNS reports Q3 ad revenue up 3.8% Total ad spending during the third quarter was up 3.8% from the year-earlier period, according to TNS Media Intelligence. For the first nine months of the year, ad spending was up 4.0% over the same period...

Online advertising continues phenomenal climb.(Special Report: Outlook 2007)
December 11, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL AND KATE MADDOX Ad industry prognosticators agree: Online advertising remains the sweet spot for the media industry. Four of the most-recognized ad industry prognosticators-three media agencies and an...

AMA's mPlanet draws a crowd.(News)(American Marketing Association)
December 11, 2006... Byline: ELLIS BOOKER Inaugural event focuses on marketing's potential for promoting `innovation,' driving business growth The American Marketing Association's inaugural mPlanet conference, nearly two years in the making, attracted...

Major trends that will impact brands in 2007.
December 11, 2006... Byline: James Gregory Energy independence: Energy independence will emerge as the No. 1 issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. With national efforts required to find innovative solutions to energy needs, the federal government will...

Plenty of holiday cheer this year.(Opinion)(Survey)
December 11, 2006... Byline: Ellis Booker Two features in this, our last issue of the year, are worthy of special attention. The first is our exclusive, annual "Marketing Priorities and Plans'' survey (page 28). The survey, compiling the online responses of...

CORRECTIONS.(Correction notice)
December 11, 2006... Felicia Stanczak is director of strategy and planning for Magnani Continuum Marketing, the marketing agency of record for CNA Insurance. Her employer was incorrectly identified in "How to market to insurance brokers'' on page 24 of this issue,...

Agenda.(Calendar)
December 11, 2006... Dec. 11-13 NCDM Annual Conference Direct Marketing Association Caribe Royale, Orlando, Fla. Dec. 12-13 Word of Mouth Marketing Summit Word of Mouth Marketing Association Washington, D.C. www.womma.org/summit2 ...

Staging Second Life events can be tricky; In-world b-to-b events are well-publicized but are by no means the right marketing outlet for everyone.(Events)
December 11, 2006... Byline: ERIN BIBA The virtual world of Second Life has become a hot topic of discussion among marketers. This digital experience isn't a game; it is a medium in which like-minded people meet inside a global environment and ponder common...

New ABC audit for business publications sparks debate.(News)
December 11, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ The Audit Bureau of Circulations' new "Consolidated Media Report,'' which extends the scope of reporting beyond circulation, is fueling debate over whether ABC should develop a similar type of audit for daily...

New media survey shows b-to-b users big on video, slow to embrace wikis.(News)
December 11, 2006... Byline: RICHARD KARPINSKI In the final of three surveys evaluating the impact of new media and Web 2.0 technologies on b-to-b marketing, webcasting and videocasting scored big, while social networks and wikis proved to be still early on...

Web Analytics Association head on the best uses-and users-of dashboards.(Tools & Metrics)(founding president Jim Sterne at Web Analytics Association)(Interview)
December 11, 2006... Jim Sterne is president of consultancy Target Marketing, in Santa Barbara, Calif., and founding president of the Web Analytics Association. BtoB recently asked Sterne about the use of marketing dashboards. BtoB: We've had charts and graphs...

Lead management takes cooperation; CEO oversight, marketing/sales alignment and measurement among recommendations.(News)
December 11, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX While lead generation is a top priority for most b-to-b companies, managing leads throughout the sales cycle is a daunting job for virtually all organizations. There are significant hurdles in lead management,...

IAB names Rothenberg to succeed Stuart.(News)(Interactive Advertising Bureau appoints Randall Rothenberg)(Greg Stuart)
December 11, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL The Interactive Advertising Bureau announced last week that it has named marketing and media vet Randall Rothenberg as president-CEO. He succeeds Greg Stuart, who stepped down in August. Rothenberg's appointment takes...