BtoB articles from February 2008

BtoB archives from February 2008

THE LIST WORLD; List managers unable to adapt and create new products and services that dig deeper into data are in danger of extinction.(Special Report: List Management)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Carol Krol List companies continue to face so much pressure from marketers for services that go far beyond renting postal lists that some say it has become an adapt or die situation. In an increasingly fragmented, multichannel...

Managing multiple sources for your e-mail file.(Special Report: List Management)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Stephanie Miller Marketers are getting a bit of a mixed signal from subscribers regarding e-mail these days. Subscribers are happy to receive relevant news and information (even sales pitches) through e-mail, and they continue to...

Growng beyond the description of a 'list company'; Q&A.(Special Report: List Management)(Interview)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Carol Krol List vet Jay Schwedelson, corporate VP of Worldata, was elected chairman of the DMA List Leaders Group this year and is a board member of the Direct Marketing Educational Foundation. In those roles, Schwedelson said he...

show notes.(Events)(CMP to acquire Mass Events Labs)(Unicast to introduce Unicast Fusion3D)(The Center for Exhibition Industry Research to release exhibition industry)(Brief article)
February 11, 2008... CEIR introduces exhibition-specific ROI Tool Kit The Center for Exhibition Industry Research has released an exhibition industry-specific Return on Investment Tool Kit. It was created in concert with Exhibit Surveys, the International...

When the going gets rough, branding or lead generation?(Special Report)
February 11, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ With the economy slowing down, b-to-b marketers have to ask themselves a tough question regarding their spending: Do they focus on advertising that plugs the brand or drives sales leads? When the economy...

THE BLOG BOOST; Marketers are finding optimized blogs provide great placement on search engines as well as cost savings.(NetMarketing)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Karen J. Bannan When Southwest Airlines 18 months ago launched its employee-written corporate blog (www.blogsouthwest.com), Brian Lusk, the company's manager of customer communications and corporate editor, barely knew what a blog...

Tips on optimizing your blog for search engines; Ask the expert.(NetMarketing)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Duane Forrester Question: How can I optimize my blog for the search engines? Answer: Two of the most critical ingredients to a well-optimized Web site or blog still remain the title tags and inbound link anchor text. ...

Sparking interest; Electronics engineers demand facts, not fluff.(Vertical Insight: Electronics Engineering)
February 11, 2008... Byline: MARY E. MORRISON It takes savvy marketing to break through to electronics engineers, a group that wants straightforward information and facts, not overblown marketing fluff. "They're introverted, they're very technical, they...

Swelling ranks of 'do not mail' lists prompt DMA response.(Special Report: List Management)(Direct Marketing Association)
February 11, 2008... Byline: CAROL KROL Early this month, Catalog Choice passed the half-million member mark with its database of customers who have asked to be removed from catalog mailing lists. So it is not surprising that direct marketers and the Direct...

Learning to live with a bit of negativity; New Channels.(Opinion)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Gillin When I speak to groups of marketers about social media these days, I can almost guarantee that one of the first three questions I'll be asked is about negativity. Marketers are fixated on this issue. They fear that...

Problem solved; Search.
February 11, 2008... Problem: Driving foot traffic to your local business through online channels Solution: Geotarget your search marketing campaigns and establish an online presence on local search Web sites. Millions of businesspeople hop on the Web to...

Agenda.(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 11, 2008... Feb. 12-13 Email Evolution Conference Email Experience Council and the Direct Marketing Association Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina www.the-dma.org Feb. 21-23 Online Marketing Summit BusinessOnLine ...

Lawson Products pins hopes on database analytics system.(Tools & Metrics)
February 11, 2008... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Lawson Products sells and distributes a huge number of products-including screws, rivets and related fasteners-to the aerospace, agricultural, automotive, construction and transportation industries. Still, the...

Outsourcing analytics helps provide a high level of expertise; Ask the expert.(Tools & Metrics)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Donovan Neale-May Donovan Neale-May is executive director of the CMO Council, a nonprofit organization of technology marketers based in Palo Alto, Calif. BtoB recently asked him about trends in database and analytics marketing. ...

Analyze this; Marketing database analytics continues its upward climb.(Tools & Metrics)
February 11, 2008... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD The relentless rise of database marketing and accompanying analytics is underscored by a new survey by Alterian, the U.K.-based marketing platform provider. The annual poll, Alterian's fifth, revealed that 67%...

Doldrum remedies; Don't let the poor results from marketing metrics get you down.(Opinion)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Kevin Clancy and Peter Krieg A slew of new tools and technologies is empowering marketers to link their programs straight to market share, sales and profits. What these long-awaited metrics reveal is universally dismal results-from...

Regional business publications remain upbeat; AABP meeting finds publishing companies producing new products in soft economy.(News)
February 11, 2008... Byline: ELLIS BOOKER Despite talk of a looming U.S. recession, city and regional business magazines aren't panicking-at least not yet, according to several publishing executives who attended the annual Alliance of Area Business...

Bnet.com branches out; CNET business information site bulks up its content offerings.(Business Media)
February 11, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ Since its relaunch last year, CNET Networks' Bnet.com has added a wide array of business information with the aim of strengthening the brand and garnering a bigger share of b-to-b marketers' budgets. Bnet.com,...

Vontoo's blogs naturally enhance search performance.(NetMarketing)
February 11, 2008... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Vontoo, which was launched in September 2005, sells permission-based voice marketing and messaging services. The company's application service provider (ASP) model lets other businesses create, send and track voice...

B-to-b ads break 'Super' clutter.(Advertising)
February 11, 2008... Byline: KATE MADDOX Giant carrier pigeons, panda bears and a disembodied heart attract notice During a Super Bowl broadcast dominated by consumer ads for beverages, potato chips and movies, a few b-to-b marketers, including FedEx...

ISBM study reveals top b-to-b trends.(business to business)(Institute for the Study of Business Markets )
February 11, 2008... Byline: KATE MADDOX The most significant challenge facing b-to-b marketers over the next two years will be gaining insight into customers' needs, according to a new study by the Institute for the Study of Business Markets. The ISBM is a...

media notes.(Business Media)(Wall Street Journal to enter into agreement between Microsoft Corp.)(Intellisphere to acquire Princeton division of Ascend Health)
February 11, 2008... WSJ Digital Network, Microsoft partner The Wall Street Journal Digital Network announced an agreement in which Microsoft Corp. becomes the exclusive third-party provider of contextual and paid search advertising for its network of Web...

CELEBRATING SUCCESS; Photo caption.(News)
February 11, 2008... On Jan. 23 American Business Media hosted Women in Business-to-Business: Real Stories, Real Successes. The event, held at the Prince George Ballroom in New York, recognized the career achievements of several women who work in media. From left...

Goat or gloat.(Chasers)(AT&T and Research in Motion Ltd.)(Brief article)
February 11, 2008... Company: AT&T, San Antonio, Texas Agency: N/A Market: Mobile executives Quick chase: This ad for AT&T's Moto Q Global is no world-beater. It's workmanlike, and it does make a hero of the product. But in comparison with the BlackBerry ad and its...

cut to the chase.(Chasers)(Brocade Communications Systems Inc.)(United States. Postal Service)(Brief article)
February 11, 2008... Company: U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. Agency: Campbell-Ewald, Warren, Mich. Market: Shipping managers Quick chase: Uh-oh. Another angry-looking man staring daggers at the audience. This guy's testosterone level is so high that he's got...

Strike hasn't put end to good copywriting.(Chasers)
February 11, 2008... The Hollywood writers have spent the bulk of the past three months out on strike, but there are still good stories being written. They can be found in some b-to-b ads. Good copy has a storytelling quality to it. The writing engages readers...

ROI takes center stage at CMO summit.(News)(Return on Investment)
February 11, 2008... Byline: KATE MADDOX Partner marketing, technology top topics Proving ROI, using new technologies and leveraging partner marketing were key topics at Red Herring's CMO 2008 conference in San Diego last week. The conference drew...

No hunkering down, not just yet.(Opinion)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Ellis Booker `Talk of recession means companies have to get very creative,'' Clive Over, director of corporate marketing and communications at chip maker Atmel Corp. tells Senior Reporter Kate Maddox in our page 1 package of...

Seven winning tactics during a downturn.(Opinion)(Report)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Linden R. Brown It's still unclear how serious the current slowdown will be or how long it will last. So why not stop worrying about it and follow the lead of those firms that grew stronger during previous recessions. That's right,...

Agencies remain optimistic.(Special Report)
February 11, 2008... Byline: KATE MADDOX Ad agency execs say they're not seeing any immediate budget cuts by clients in reaction to the softening economy, and most are positive about the business climate this year. "I personally think there is an...

new campaigns.(Advertising)
February 11, 2008... Russell Investments "The High Road'' Agency: Doremus, New York Target audience: Institutional decision-makers and financial advisers Campaign objective: Show how Russell offers its clients core values of honesty, integrity and...

Beyond the biz.(American Marketing Association to update its definition of marketing)
February 11, 2008... AMA's definition of marketing stirs debate The American Marketing Association's recently updated definition of marketing has sparked a bit of a brouhaha. The definition, the first update in four years, reads: "Marketing is the activity,...

Understanding electronics industry trends helps marketers connect; industry outlook.(Vertical Insight: Electronics Engineering)(Interview)(Interview)
February 11, 2008... As president of CMP Media's Electronics Group, Paul Miller is responsible for the print publications, Web sites and events of brands including EE Times, Embedded Systems Design and Techonline.com. He also has led the group's global expansion...

Virtual displays help visualization; Event marketers enlist digital technology to demonstrate complicated products.(Events)
February 11, 2008... Byline: ERIN BIBA Last October, DHS Technologies, a company that manufactures sheltering systems and command and control units for the U.S. military, attended the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington,...

Big deals highlight list industry consolidation.(News)
February 11, 2008... Byline: CAROL KROL In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, list companies face demand from clients for services that extend far beyond renting postal lists. As a result, the industry is seeing greater consolidation when companies...

QuickHits.(Wall Street Journal to shift its headquarters to Manhattan and also introduce sports section)(Forrester Research to implement Web 2.0 technology)(American Association of Advertising Agencies to appoint Nancy Hill)
February 11, 2008... `WSJ' adding sports, moving to midtown The Wall Street Journal plans to move its headquarters to midtown Manhattan from the World Financial Center downtown and is also making plans to introduce a sports section. The news came a little more...

Dealing with the downturn; Economic worries prompt some to shift strategy.(Special Report)
February 11, 2008... Byline: KATE MADDOX While the majority of b-to-b marketers are not revising their marketing budgets in response to concerns about the economy, others are tightening their belts and making adjustments in their strategies this year,...

Intel connects with engineers by sharing employees' innovation.(Vertical Insight: Electronics Engineering)
February 11, 2008... Byline: MARY E. MORRISON Intel Corp., the world's largest manufacturer of microprocessors, has a widely recognized brand, thanks to marketing efforts such as the highly visible "Intel Inside'' advertising campaign. What's less widely...

Marketers wonder what Microsoft/Yahoo deal means for them.(News)
February 11, 2008... Byline: CAROL KROL There are two salient facts about the paid search marketing industry: Google dominates it, and Microsoft Corp. wants to change that. On Feb. 1, Microsoft announced a $44.6 billion cash and stock bid for Yahoo, a move...

Btobonline.com; poll results.(Opinion)
February 11, 2008... Is your company planning to expand internationally this year? Yes: 88% No: 12% BtoBonline.com 1/10/08 New Poll question Vote now at btobonline.com Will you hold more smaller events, such as customer meetings, this...

As multichannel marketing grows, so does the cost of lists; List Marketing Roundtable.(Special Report: List Management)(Interview)(Discussion)
February 11, 2008... Byline: Carol Krol The increase in demand for data intelligence is one of the significant trends among b-to-b marketers looking to better engage customers and move them through the sales cycle. However, obtaining enhanced-quality data...

ISBM study reveals top b-to-b trends.(News)
February 11, 2008... Byline: KATE MADDOX ***** Correction: HSR Business to Business' relationship with the Institute for the Study of Business Markets was mischaracterized in "ISBM study reveals top b-to-b trends'' (Feb. 11, page 3). HSR was the...