BtoB articles from March 2004

BtoB archives from March 2004

Measuring PR agency effect.(Opinion)(Column)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Michael B. Young There are two unrelenting misconceptions about agency measurement that must be dispatched if a new dialogue is to emerge about agency performance and accountability. The first is that because PR firms don't...

Methodology for Top Agencies Report.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... For this year's Top Agencies special report, BtoB is publishing lists of the Top 50 Agencies and Top 10 Interactive Agencies. To select the companies that appear in this year's report, BtoB contacted agencies and promoted the report online and...

Profile: Penton promotes Paulsen.(Business Media)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN In the brutal technology sector, Penton Media's Windows & .NET magazine has struggled like just about every other publication. Between 2001 and 2003, its ad pages fell 47.8%, from 1,184.35 to 618.11. On the other...

Search strategies; 10 tips to maximize search engine placement with minimal effort.(NetMarketing)(Intrapromote)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN A large financial firm that caters to both businesses and consumers had a problem. The company has been around for more than a century and handles transactions all over the globe; it's a brand that's easily...

Martin/Williams `easy' approach to ads pays off.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Strong creative and industrywide recognition marked a banner year for midsize agency runner-up Martin/Williams. The Minneapolis-based agency's most recognizable effort was its repositioning brand campaign for...

Winds of change blowing in Chicago; HSR to open office; Mobium to be sold.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN In recent days, three of the country's most prominent b-to-b agencies have made or are in the process of making significant business decisions regarding Chicago: * Cincinnati-based HSR Business-to-Business...

Copywriters: Grammar still makes a difference.(Chasers)
March 8, 2004... Writers of b-to-b copy beware: The grammar police are on patrol. In a two-hour scan of a dozen b-to-b publications, we discovered multiple examples of dangling modifiers, misuses of collective nouns, mis-placed punctuation and other grammatical...

Goat or Gloat.(Chasers)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Company: MC2 Agency: N/A Market: Exhibit managers Quick chase: The vertical strip of postage-stamp-size photos on the left side of the ad offers little visual sizzle. The identically sized images all blend into one bland image. That's not the...

Seven marketing mistakes you need to avoid.(Opinion)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Alan B. Isacson As the economy accelerates, increase sales by avoiding these seven marketing mistakes: 1. Promoting technology. Of course it's important to launch new technology; however, to succeed it's critical to market the...

Agency.com brings value to growing b-to-b client roster.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Agency.com, the winner of the interactive category, had a stellar year in terms of new business growth and interactive work for clients. The agency and its online advertising subsidiary, itraffic, added 24 new...

Anti-spam proposals proliferate; Authentication schemes hold promise but some fear extra charges will result.(News)(AOL, Microsoft Corp., Yahoo! and Earthlink)
March 8, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL The war against spam has turned into an arms race of sorts, with AOL, Microsoft Corp., Yahoo! and Earthlink each favoring similar but distinct e-mail authentication technologies. Each company has lined up behind one...

Quick Hits; DMA drops legal fight against 'do not call' list.(Briefs)(Direct Marketing Association, National Do Not Call Registry)
March 8, 2004... The Direct Marketing Association said last week it has decided not to pursue any further legal action in response to a federal appellate court ruling last month that upheld the National Do Not Call Registry. "We have considered our options with...

Slack Barshinger bids for success and wins big.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Kate Maddox Slack Barshinger, Chicago, had an exceptional year in 2003, growing its revenue by 41%, launching successful campaigns, picking up new business and opening new offices. During a year in which the economy was still...

In Direct; DMA steps up search for new president-CEO.(Direct & Database)(Harte Hanks)(RappTeleservices)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... The Direct Marketing Association announced it has retained Spencer Stuart & Associates, an executive search firm, to help in the hunt for and selection of a president-CEO to succeed H. Robert Wientzen, who is retiring. Spencer Stuart executives...

Ogilvy's award-winning creative in `demand'.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Kate Maddox Ogilvy, a global agency that includes Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, OgilvyInteractive and OgilvyOne, demonstrated growth in its b-to-b business in 2003 while creating outstanding work for clients. Ogilvy picked up...

MeritDirect makes big strides with new clients.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL List manager MeritDirect has seen a surge in new business in the past 90 days, landing more than half a dozen additional b-to-b clients. Significant new account wins include: OfficeMax, New England Business Services,...

New challenge: Managing growth.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX B-to-b agencies had a markedly different challenge in 2003: managing growth as the economy started to bounce back. After two years of slashing marketing budgets, clients started spending again, although at a modest...

Cut to the Chase: Television.(Chasers)(Avaya ad touts World Cup contract)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Company: Avaya, Basking Ridge, N.J. Agency: McCann-Erickson, New York Market: Chief information officers Quick chase: We got a kick out of this spot for Avaya, which merchandises the fact that it managed the communications network for the FIFA...

Correction.(News)(Correction Notice)
March 8, 2004... The article "IBM Software Group builds brand message'' (Feb. 9, P. 20) incorrectly stated the number of brands IBM Software handles. The group handles five brands: WebSphere, Lotus, Tivoli, DB2 and Rational.

Trade show deal builds Cygnus' presence in construction industry.(News)(Cygnus Business Media)
March 8, 2004... Byline: MARY ELLEN PODMOLIK Cygnus Business Media's aggressive plan to link trade shows to its publishing properties advanced in another vertical market with its acquisition late last month of nine building and construction shows from...

Dow Jones picks Alternative; Deal expands publisher's reach in private equity, VC sectors.(Business Media)(Alternative Investor Group)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Through its flagship, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Co. covers primarily public companies and the public markets. Now the company wants to expand its coverage of the private equity and venture capital...

Fund firms struggle to save brands.(News)(Putnam Investments, Janus Capital Group)
March 8, 2004... Byline: PHILIP B. CLARK Once high-flying and now beleaguered b-to-b asset managers-including Putnam Investments, Janus Capital Group, Bank of America Corp. and Alliance Capital Management Holdings-are in a struggle to save their brands...

Beyond the Biz; Long ago, when the Internet was young.(Briefs)
March 8, 2004... What's eight years in Internet time-about 1,000 years, give or take a century? That's what it feels like anyway, when you take a peek at the Top 10 Web sites in the February 1996 Media Metrix online audience ratings. Reston, Va.-based comScore...

Finance firms' sourcing evolves; Consolidated buying, focus on value require suppliers to be more aggressive.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)
March 8, 2004... Byline: PHILIP B. CLARK For vendors looking to sell to the financial services market, Javier Urioste is the mother lode. As J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s chief procurement officer, he commands a multibillion-dollar annual budget, oversees...

Industry Outlook: Financial companies give fewer vendors higher volume buys.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)(Interview)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Philip B. Clark BtoB: What should vendors consider when selling to financial companies? Rolander: Anyone who is trying to sell to the financial industry should want to know what its leaders are doing: moving toward deeper...

Case Study: Accenture focuses on service, size in selling to Deutsche.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)
March 8, 2004... Byline: PHILIP B. CLARK. In 2001, fresh after plastering London's Heathrow Airport with ads announcing the launch of the Accenture brand, the consulting company's marketing executives began looking out over the English Channel-toward...

Intel launches new TV ads for Centrino; Spots extend `unwire' campaign, seek to create brand awareness, association with freedom.(Advertising)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Intel Corp. last month rolled out new TV spots for its Centrino mobile technology, an extension of the "Unwire'' campaign that debuted last year. The spots kicked off a new global campaign that also will include...

New Campaigns.(Advertising)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Corporate jet campaign takes flight J. Mesinger Corporate Jet Sales, Boulder, Colo., launched a print campaign last month aimed at corporate jet buyers at Fortune 500 companies. The campaign, developed by Cultivator Advertising & Design,...

Integrated work garners Mobium plenty of awards.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)(American Business Media's Creative Excellence in Business Advertising)(Business Marketing Association's national Pro-Comm Awards)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Kate Maddox Mobium Creative Group demonstrated its creative strength in 2003 with award-winning campaigns for b-to-b clients. The Chicago-based integrated marketing communications agency captured six awards at the American Business...

New marketing index to benchmark spending.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marketing budgets are up an average of 8.9% this year compared with 2003, according to a new report by Blackfriars Communications, a Maynard, Mass., marketing consulting and research firm. The report, "The State of...

By Design: Kemiron relaunches Web site's form and function.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Jeremy Esposito Company: Kemiron Cos. Web site: www.kemiron.com Agency: Bayshore Solutions, Launch date: Jan. 27, 2004 Design: Kemiron, a provider of iron salts and aluminum base coagulants for water purification,...

Siemens promo event on track; Railcars tell automation unit's product story.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN The train arrived by plane. Siemens, the $80.6 billion conglomerate based in Munich, had created a 1,000-foot train outfitted to display the capabilities of its Siemens Energy & Automation unit, which provides...

Joint report reveals online ad recovery; Traditional advertisers embrace rich media, but not all sectors benefitting.(News)(Year in Online Advertising 2003)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX A recovery in Internet advertising is under way, according to a joint report released last week by ad serving company DoubleClick and Internet research service Nielsen//NetRatings. The report, titled "Year in Online...

Quote Unquote.(Opinion)
March 8, 2004... "Search is reverse direct marketing. You need to find the words that real customers are using to find your site.'' Sara Holoubek, icrossing's chief strategy officer, about the need for specific keywords when optimizing a Web site for...

Yahoo! offers paid inclusion with new marketing program.(News)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Yahoo! last week launched a new marketing program that features paid inclusion. The Content Acquisition Program uses paid search technology Yahoo! gained through its Inktomi and Overture acquisitions last year. It...

Stay tuned: TV will adapt to direct marketing needs.(Opinion)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Ellis Booker Is broadcast in trouble? I'm not talking about the Federal Communications Commission's latest, election year effort to restore "decency'' to the public airwaves or the nearly inevitable, tit-for-tat political...

Local search heats up as vendors boost offerings; Overture readies local product, joining Google, Switchboard.(NetMarketing)(Yahoo's Overture)
March 8, 2004... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Over the next few months, Yahoo's Overture will make a move that will change the pay-per-click industry: The company will officially launch its as-yet-unnamed local pay-per-click program. Overture's local...

BtoB Q&A: Metviner named marketer of year; DMA honoree puts stamp on Pitney Bowes' efforts to reach small businesses.(Direct & Database)(Neil Metviner, recipient of award, discusses views on marketing and business)
March 8, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL The Direct Marketing Association this month will honor Neil Metviner, president of PB Direct, as its B-to-B Marketer of the Year. Metviner, who will receive the award at the DMA's Direct Marketing to Business...

BBDO New York's `imagination' sparks a big year.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Kate Maddox BBDO Worldwide made a splash in 2003 with award-winning campaigns for b-to-b clients General Electric Co., FedEx Corp., Cingular Wireless and Office Depot. One of the agency's biggest challenges was repositioning GE...

Martin Agency strikes gold with `brown'.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik For midsize agency winner the Martin Agency, the biggest news in b-to-b in 2003 was summed up in just three letters: UPS. In March 2003, the Richmond, Va.-based agency rebranded UPS to help move the company's...

New clients find Carat's `Practice' makes perfect fit.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)(Carat Interactive)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Byline: Carol Krol Carat Interactive was named runner-up among interactive agencies, largely for its success with its new Internet Development Practice, search engine marketing strategy and new client wins. The interactive arm of Carat...

Honorable mention: DDB Chicago.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Location: Chicago URL: www.ddb.com Key executive: Pat Dermody, president of integration Employees: N/A 2003 revenue: N/A 2003 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Cardinal Health, Cars.com, Dell, Emerson, Home Depot ...

Honorable mention: Doremus.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Location: New York URL: www.doremus.com Key executive: Carl Anderson, president-CEO Employees: N/A 2003 revenue: N/A 2003 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Amdocs, Autodesk, ITT Industries, TRW Automotive, United...

Honorable mention: boede & partners.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Location: Salt Lake City URL: www.boedepartners.com Key executive: Dave Boede, president Employees: 65 2003 revenue: $10.2 million 2003 b-to-b revenue: $10.2 million Key clients: Unisys, SCT Corp., Network Associates,...

Honorable mention: Tocquigny Advertising, Interactive + Martketing.(Special Report: 2004 Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Location: Austin, Texas URL: www.tocquigny.com Key executive: Yvonne Tocquigny, president Employees: 103 2003 revenue: $6.9 million 2003 b-to-b revenue: $6.2 million Key clients: Dell, Seagate Technology, Advanced...

March 1974: Beetlelike vehicles; Hindsight A b-to-b time capsule.(Opinion)
March 8, 2004... Thirty years ago in Industrial Marketing, William K. Pedersen, assistant VP and director of advertising and promotion for Eastman Kodak Co., speculated on how an expected economic downturn fueled by the energy crisis would affect different...

ASK THE EXPERT: 'Skip intro' pages trip up search.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 8, 2004... Question: How does a "skip intro page" negatively affect search engine rankings? Answer: Search engines thrive on the text content of a Web site. They need keywords and phrases to index you in their database. Introductory pages, or "skip...

Call to the Chase.(Chasers)
March 8, 2004... Have you seen any ads you thought were really good-or really bad? Ads that made you laugh, cry or feel sorry for the poor soul who must have lost a job for coming up with that idea? The Chasers are always open to suggestions, so let us know...