BtoB articles from July 2003

BtoB archives from July 2003

Agencies revamp client services; Doremus, McCann restructure to serve clients better in aftermath of advertising recession.(Advertising)
July 14, 2003... Byline: KATE MADDOX Many ad agencies serving b-to-b clients are restructuring their services to address changing client needs in this lagging economy. The changes-which address areas such as consulting, creative and integrated marketing...

What's the point when there's no point of entry?(Chasers)(effective advertising)
July 14, 2003... There are myriad ways to poorly design an ad. Some are obvious: clutter, unfortunate collisions of text and visuals, ill-chosen typefaces, lack of white space. But a more subtle problem is the lack of an unmistakable point of entry into the ad....

Goat or Gloat.(Chasers)(includes multiple articles)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Company: ViewSonic Corp., Walnut, Calif. Agency: Two Brains Creative, Costa Mesa, Calif. Market: IT directors, purchasing managers Quick chase: The image of a man and a woman on separate LCD screens is eye-catching, but this ad breaks down at...

Call centers pin hopes on b-to-b; Consumer do-not-call registry puts pressure on teleservices companies.(News)
July 14, 2003... Byline: CAROL KROL B-to-b has emerged as the strongest segment of the beleaguered telemarketing industry in the wake of the recently implemented federal consumer do-not-call regulations. Because b-to-b telemarketing is exempt from most of...

Steve Tinlin, Senior VP-business-to-business services, Abacus, a division of DoubleClick Inc., Broomfield, Colo. Direct & Database.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Carol Krol Steve Tinlin, senior VP-business-to-business services at DoubleClick Inc.'s Abacus division, celebrates his one-year anniversary as head of its b-to-b cooperative database this year. And there are plenty of reasons to...

Mark Shadle, Exec VP-managing director, Edelman, Chicago; PR/Promotions.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Sean Callahan It's only a slight exaggeration to say that b-to-b public relations once consisted of a little more than product press releases sent occasionally to a handful of trade publications. In his 18 years at Chicago-based...

Kathy Button Bell, Chief marketing officer, Emerson, St. Louis; Marketer.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Roger Slavens Until Kathy Button Bell came along, Emerson didn't have anyone who held a corporate marketing post. Such duties were pretty much left to each of the company's more than 60 divisions, and they operated without a...

Robert McLaughlin, Co-founder and exec VP-product marketing, Aprimo Inc., Indianapolis; CRM/Marketing Automation.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Mark J. Miller If you're wondering where the term "enterprise marketing management'' came from, blame Rob McLaughlin. In the mid-'90s, he and William Godfrey-old friends who met at a young married couples group at church-were busy...

Cut to the Chase: Internet.(Chasers)(FedEx Corp)(Digitas L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Company: FedEx Corp., Memphis, Tenn. Agency: Digitas L.L.C., Boston Market: Shipping managers Quick chase: If you're going to select corporate colors, make sure they're vibrant. FedEx Ground's combination of purple and green letters on its...

Cut to the Chase: Print.(Chasers)(Leisure Deck)(Communications Factory)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Company: Leisure Deck, Akron, Ohio Agency: The Communications Factory, Mantua, Ohio Market: Professional builders, contractors Quick chase: Ah, the pleasures of having a deck: barbecues, parties, taking in the sun or paging through a book. But...

By Design: SkinMedica aims to turn doctors into resellers.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Company: SkinMedica Inc., Carlsbad, Calif. Web site: www.skinmedica.com Relaunch date: July 2003 Design: Skin-Medica Inc. is a pharmaceutical company that sells specialty skin care products through a network of approved physicians...

Midmarket CRM vendors close gap; `Lite' CRM systems with low cost and high functionality rival large-scale options.(CRM Strategies)(customer relationship management)
July 14, 2003... Byline: RICHARD KARPINSKI When Web-based and other "lite'' versions of customer relationship management software arrived several years ago, most marketers felt they were facing a clear trade-off: cost savings and reduced complexity in...

Case Study: Documentum gets results after making CRM central.(CRM Strategies)
July 14, 2003... Byline: RICHARD KARPINSKI Technology vendor Documentum Inc. may be typical of today's midsize marketers: It wants more out of its CRM solution. To get it, the company's VP of e-business strategy, Peter Tait, recently made a bold move,...

Jim Stadler, Senior VP-group account director, DDB, Chicago; Agency.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Kate Maddox Credit Jim Stadler with starting up the b-to-b practice at an agency with accounts as diverse as Dell Computer Corp., USG Corp., Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. and McDonald's Corp. Stadler joined DDB Chicago in 1998...

Geoffrey Ramsey, Co-founder and CEO, eMarketer Inc., New York; Analyst/Academia.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Mark J. Miller Geoffrey Ramsey is a magician. Really. The co-founder and CEO of eMarketer Inc.-an independent source for statistics, trend data and original analysis covering emerging technologies-was trained as a professional...

John Nolan, Deputy Postmaster General, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. Government/Associations.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Carol Krol John Nolan is blunt about the harsh realities facing the U.S. Postal Service. "Our business model doesn't really work any more,'' Nolan said. The USPS dramatically cut costs in 2002 but still recorded a net loss of $676...

New 'Firehouse' publisher knows how to fight fires.(Business Media)(Bill Hershman)(Brief Article)(Interview)
July 14, 2003... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN It's unlikely that many publishing executives are as well suited for their jobs as Bill Hershman, who took over as publisher of Firehouse magazine three months ago. For starters, Hershman is a firefighter himself....

Corrections.(News)
July 14, 2003... * The agency that created an ad for Aetna Inc. (Chasers, June 9, page 38) was misidentified. Grey Advertising, New York, created the ad. * TMP Worldwide's URL (Interactive Marketing Guide, June 23, page 18) was listed incorrectly. The...

Who's Who in B-to-B 2003.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Sometimes it's not what you know, it's who you know. In the case of BtoB's annual Who's Who Special Report, it's both. The 100 individuals we've selected to profile know plenty about b-to-b marketing and strategy, from executing integrated...

David Hirsch, Director-B2B Vertical Markets Group, Google.com, Mountain View, Calif. Services.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Roger Slavens Three years ago, David Hirsch helped set up Google.com's New York office-which, for a while, was nothing more than his boss' apartment. Today, he works in much more comfortable surroundings at 1440 Broadway in...

A light at the end of the measurement tunnel.(Opinion)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Ellis Booker At last month's "B-to-B Marketing Day 2003: Where Do We Go From Here?'' conference in New York, panelists and presenters alike kept returning to two fundamental issues: how to measure the effectiveness of marketing...

Publishers offer advanced Web behavior measurement.(News)
July 14, 2003... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Last month, CNet Networks Inc. announced plans to launch its new Trax marketing measurement tool on the business technology portals of its Web site in the coming months. Introduced a few months ago on its GameSpot...

Webcasting Don'ts.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... * Don't mislead prospective attendees about content by positioning it as informational when it's actually promotional. * Don't ask participants to spend more time than is necessary. One hour should be the maximum for a live event. *...

Guest Column: What's wrong with today's Webcasts?(NetMarketing)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Evan Schuman The Webcast is fast becoming a favorite marketing tool, but it's becoming one of the most misused vehicles even more rapidly. The sins of the poorly done Webcast are many, but the most destructive one is the...

Some tech titles buck downturn; Magazines that cover the sales channel, hot technology sectors post ad page gains.(Business Media)
July 14, 2003... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Technology publishing ad pages continue their slump, with computer ad pages down 12.7% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier and software ad pages down 11.2%. But certain niches of information technology...

THE LIST.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... MARKETERS Who: John Beystehner What: Senior VP-worldwide marketing and sales Where: United Parcel Service of America Inc., Atlanta Why: The "What can Brown do for you?'' campaign launched last year created a whole new way for customers to...

Quick Hits; 'EE Times,' 'EBN' combine editorial staffs.(Briefs)
July 14, 2003... CMP Media said it is combining the editorial staffs of EE Times and EBN. The restructuring of the two electronics industry magazines includes an unspecified number of job cuts, according to Paul Miller, president of CMP's electronics group. The...

Reports point to rebound in ad spending; Technology sector to lead growth; magazines also showing signs of life.(News)
July 14, 2003... Byline: KATE MADDOX Several reports released last month point to a rebound in advertising spending this year. One projection, issued June 24 by TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, said total U.S. ad spending is expected to reach $124.7 billion in...

Who's Who in B-to-B 2003; The 100 names you need to know.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... For the third year in a row, we've put together a list of 100 individuals who've made (or are making) their mark in the b-to-b space. These movers and shakers range from corporate marketers to technology vendors, from in-the-trenches...

Top 5 rich-media mistakes advertisers should avoid.(NetMarketing)
July 14, 2003... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Making a mistake in an online ad campaign can have disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, errors are common, especially when that advertising has a rich-media component-a feature that 12% of b-to-b marketers use...

In Direct; DoubleClick acquires data management company.(Direct & Database)(DoubleClick Inc. acquires CSC Advanced Database Solutions)(Salesforce.com partners with WebSideStory )(ClientLogic Specialists Marketing Services wins Institute for International Research contract)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... DoubleClick Inc. announced it has acquired CSC Advanced Database Solutions, a data management company based in Schaumburg, Ill. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. DoubleClick plans to offer data management solutions as part of an integrated...

New Campaigns.(Advertising)(AT and T Corp.)(Panasonic Computer Solutions Co.)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... AT&T targets small-business owners AT&T last month launched a campaign promoting its All in One plan for small-business owners. The plan offers small companies the opportunity to combine local and long-distance services into a single bill....

Study shows IT/marketing relationship affects success.(News)
July 14, 2003... Byline: KATE MADDOX Improving the relationship between marketing and IT departments can boost the success of revenue-driving marketing efforts in organizations by an average of 15%, according to a study by Aelera Corp., a marketing and...

Rich-media campaign success stories.(NetMarketing)
July 14, 2003... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Flashy and colorful consumer marketing efforts have a history of overshadowing hardworking b-to-b ads. Yet business marketers are now finding they're able to level the playing field with rich-media technology that...

Lawyer untangles regulatory web.(Direct & Database)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Byline: CAROL KROL He's not a telemarketer, but William M. Heberer knows more about the ins and outs of the latest teleservices regulations than most practitioners. That's because Heberer, recently promoted from associate to partner at...

DMA benchmarks response rates; Sweeping study finds lead generation drives two-thirds of b-to-b direct marketing campaigns.(Direct & Database)(Direct Marketing Association)
July 14, 2003... Byline: CAROL KROL The Direct Marketing Association will release a report next month that will provide response rate benchmarks detailed by media and by industry-data long sought by marketing departments eager to justify their...

Michael Wood, CEO, Hanley-Wood L.L.C., Washington, D.C. Business Media.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Sean Callahan Mike Wood learned long ago that economic downturns can be the perfect time to make bold moves. Wood and Mike Hanley founded Hanley-Wood L.L.C. in 1976. However, Wood said, the company didn't really get going until...

Short-sighted marketing moves.(Opinion)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Bill Power If there's one job that's considered a hot seat these days it's chief marketing officer. More than ever, there's greater short-term accountability for all things marketing-related, and you can't escape the misused ROI...

Primedia sells 'Coal Age' and 'E&MJ' to Lobos.(News)(Engineering and Mining Journal)
July 14, 2003... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN The canary lives for a pair of venerable mining publications that had faced shutdowns. Early last month, Primedia Business Magazines & Media, a unit of New York-based Primedia Inc., said it was closing Coal Age...

Beyond the Biz; Biffle supplies Grainger with big NASCAR win.(Briefs)
July 14, 2003... It was beginning to look like luck had run out for W.W. Grainger Inc. and its NASCAR racing sponsorship. However, after a slow start, the company and its driver recently scored their first Winston Cup win. The Lake Forest, Ill.-based industrial...

New digital dashboards help drive decisions.(News)(analytic software)
July 14, 2003... Byline: JEFFREY SCHWARTZ While analytic software has become more sophisticated in recent years, a new generation of these powerful tools is aimed at a broader constituency of business users, including marketing managers. There are...

Nextel wins the race to sponsor NASCAR; Wireless company signs 10-year deal for $750 million, joining b-to-b giants Dupont and Grainger at the track.(News)
July 14, 2003... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Nextel Communications Inc. put the pedal to the marketing metal last month, signing a 10-year deal with the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Nextel will replace R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes as the...

Quote Unquote.(Opinion)(H. Robert Wientzen, Direct Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... "Asking what is the average response rate is an irrelevant question.'' H. Robert Wientzen, Direct Marketing Association president-CEO, speaking about the DMA's landmark report that benchmarks response rates across more than a dozen media...

July 1973: Stay off the links; Hindsight A b-to-b time capsule.(Opinion)(Electronics Representatives Association)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2003... Raymond Hall, exec VP of the Electronics Representatives Association, had some straightforward advice on making sales meetings more effective. Among his recommendations: * Light luncheons without cocktails should be served to help retain...

AGENDA.(Calendar/Datebook)
July 14, 2003... July 28-30 NCDM Summer 2003 The Direct Marketing Association Long Beach, Calif. Long Beach Convention Center (203) 358-9900 www.the-dma.org July 30-31 Jupiter Advertising Forum Jupitermedia New...

Tamara Birdsall, VP-Creative Director, Carat Interactive, San Francisco; Creative.(Special Report: Who's Who in B-to-B 2003)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Kate Maddox In a year of reduced marketing budgets and staff, agencies had to work extra hard at developing and executing outstanding, measurable creative work for clients. Perhaps nowhere was this more prevalent than in the...

Big consumer agencies need to learn from b-to-b.(Opinion)
July 14, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo While writing my book about the future of advertising, I came to a startling conclusion. Many of the problems in consumer advertising do not apply to b-to-b advertising. For example, one major problem with consumer...