BtoB articles from March 2005

BtoB archives from March 2005

Macromedia Flash celebrates 10 years; Not just a flash in the pan.(NetMarketing)
March 14, 2005... Byline: K.J.B. Macromedia Flash celebrates a milestone birthday this year: The technology, which started out as FutureSplash Animator, was introduced in 1995. Today, more than 98% of Web browsers support its capabilities, which expand...

Performance simulation.(Opinion)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Donald R. Ryan Most marketers traditionally rely on standard market research and direct response tracking to analyze the results of their marketing activities. At the best-run companies, these practices are methodical,...

"Quote/unquote"; What makes a great marketing event?(Opinion)
March 14, 2005... "It is like a great dinner party. It should give people an unforgettable experience, make them feel enlightened and leave them with the desire to come back again.'' Yvonne Tocquigny, founder and CEO, Tocquigny "It provides a platform...

Clients seek agencies with specialized services.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Clients are seeking agencies with specialized services, such as corporate communications expertise and brand and product development services, according to a report from AdForum.com, an online resource for ad agency...

`Supermarket News' feeds growth with weekly frequency.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Fairchild Publications Inc.)
March 14, 2005... Dan Bagan, the publisher of Supermarket News, said his industry is essentially flat-or up slightly at best. So why has his publication generated double-digit revenue gains for the past two years? For Bagan the key lies in the magazine's...

Agencies seek online talent, rich media skills.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Recruitment trends in consulting services)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Interactive agencies are looking for a few good people-and in some cases, lots of good people-to help them take their business to the next level. Following a downturn in hiring in the aftermath of the dot-com...

Kanbay positions itself as thought leader to reach financial firms.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)(Jean Cholka of Kanbay Inc.)
March 14, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS Jean Cholka says that to succeed in marketing IT services and software to financial companies, you need to understand your clients' business as well as or better than they do. Cholka oversees all sales and...

Tech budgets continue to rise-slowly; IDC's CMO Advisory Research sees 3% rise in first-half spending; second-half spending to accelerate.(News)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Continuing a cautious recovery, tech marketers will increase their marketing budgets by an estimated 3% in the first half of this year, according to a report released last week by IDC. Last year, tech marketers...

Marketers pursue small businesses.(News)(Advertising strategies )
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marketing to small businesses is heating up this year as companies recognize the sector's spending power. Among those stepping up their marketing efforts are Visa USA, eBay for Business and Office Depot. Total...

RICH MEDIA DEMANDS ATTENTION; Flashy online ads can deliver detailed product messages and get higher click-through rates.(NetMarketing)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Karen J. Bannan B-to-b advertisers that once opted for static-and less expensive-online ads are increasingly using eye-catching rich media ads that boast higher click-through rates. According to DoubleClick's Q3 2004 Ad Serving...

By Design: Anixter's global online redesign increases traffic.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Fara Young Company: Anixter Inc., Glenview, Ill. Website: www.anixter.com, www.anixter.co.uk Agency: In-house Launch date: November 2004 Anixter Inc., a global distributor of wire and cable security products and...

Cut to the Chase: Print.(Chasers)(Brother International)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Company: Brother International, Bridgewater, N.J. Agency: N/A Market: Technology integrators Quick chase: Lost amid the riot of various type faces, images, headlines, phone numbers, bullet points and fine print is the real hero of the ad-the...

Goat or Gloat; A quick comparison of recent work by competing advertisers.(Chasers)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Company: Postini, Redwood City, Calif. Agency: In-house Market: Technology integrators and VARs Quick chase: While the man in the tie sits on a rock in front of a placid body of water and communes quietly with the muse, readers are left to...

Cut to the Chase: TV.(Chasers)(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Goodby, Silverstein and Partners)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Company: Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif. Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco Market: CIOs Quick chase: HP taps some remarkably cool, creative metaphors for consolidation in this lively spot promoting HP BladeSystem...

The Ogilvy Group; Large Agencies: Runner-Up.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: K.M. Location: New York URL: www.ogilvy.com Key executives: Bill Gray, president, Ogilvy & Mather New York; Carla Hendra, president, OgilvyOne North America Employees: N/A 2004 revenue: N/A 2004 b-to-b...

Agenda.(Calendar/Datebook)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 14, 2005... March 21-23 Direct Marketing to Business Conference Direct Marketing Association Caribe Royale, Orlando, Fla. www.dmadmb.org April 5-6 eMarketing 5 eMarketing Association Crowne Plaza Union Square, San...

`Federal Computer Week' clicks.(Special Report: Top Trades)
March 14, 2005... The overall technology market still hasn't completely bounced back, but the government information technology market has continued to grow. And 101communications' Federal Computer Week intends to take advantage of it, even though the outlook...

Fairchild's `Women's Wear Daily' wears its success well.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Women's Wear Daily is not an off-the-rack trade publication. In a world where monthlies are the rule and weeklies the exception, WWD is a genuine daily industry newspaper. It is also a publication that has allure beyond the typical business...

Mobium Group; Small Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Location: Chicago URL: www.mobium.com Key executives: Guy Gangi, partner; Gordon Hochhalter, partner 2004 revenue: N/A 2004 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: CNH Global/Case Construction, Moog Inc., Oce North America,...

Stein Rogan + Partners; Small Agencies: Winner.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: B.S.B. Location: New York URL: www.steinrogan.com Key executive: Tom Stein, president-CEO 2004 revenue: $5.1 million 2004 b-to-b revenue: $4.7 million Key clients: BPA Worldwide, Carey International, Symbol...

Charleston/Orwig; Small Agencies: Runner-Up.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: B.S.B. Location: Hartland, Wis. URL: www.charlestonorwig.com Key executives: John Charleston, chairman; Lyle Orwig, CEO; P. Lynn Balinas, president. 2004 revenue: $7.1 million 2004 b-to-b revenue: $6.1 million ...

AKQA; Interactive Agencies: Winner.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: K. M. Location: San Francisco URL: www.akqa.com Key executive: Tom Bedecarre, CEO 2004 revenue: $42 million 2004 b-to-b revenue: $13 million Key clients: Boston Scientific, palmOne, UGS, U.S. Small Business...

Agency.com; Interactive Agencies: Runner-Up.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: K.M. Location: New York URL: www.agency.com Key executive: Don Scales, president-CEO 2004 revenue: N/A 2004 b-to-b revenue: N/A Employees: 398 Key clients: Grainger, Hewlett-Packard Co., Honeywell,...

Digitas; Interactive Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Location: Boston URL: www.digitas.com Key executive: Laura Lang, president 2004 revenue: $251.6 million 2004 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: American Express Co., FedEx Corp., General Motors Corp., Grainger,...

How to market to financial services.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)
March 14, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS To say that the financial planning industry is a highly fragmented, complex market that marketers struggle to get their arms around is a vast understatement. The largest industry association, the Financial Planners...

Ask The Expert: What you should know about RIAs.(NetMarketing)(Rich internet applications)
March 14, 2005... Question: What are rich Internet applications? How are they going to help me market to my customer? Answer: The idea of "rich Internet applications,'' which combine the interactivity and responsiveness of a conventional desktop application...

McAfee speaks to its customers, boosts sales with animated 'avatar'.(NetMarketing)(Network Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN McAfee Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based provider of security software, faced a challenge marketing one of its b-to-b products, ASaP VirusScan. Visitors to the company's online store didn't completely understand...

VNU starts Web site for Wal-Mart suppliers.(Business Media)(VNU Business Media launches web site)
March 14, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN VNU Business Media's retail group last month announced the launch of Smart Supplier, a subscription-based Web site that covers Wal-Mart Stores' marketing and supply chain strategies. "[Suppliers] have to know...

People; DMA names Dahlgren Marketer of the Year.(Direct & Database )(Bruce Dahlgren of Lexmark International Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... The Direct Marketing Association's Business-to-Business Council announced that Bruce Dahlgren, VP-general manager, North America, of Lexmark International's printing solutions and services division, has been named the 2005 B-to-B Marketer of...

Top b-to-b shops find double-digit growth by partnering with clients.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX As the economy bounced back in 2004 and marketers increased their ad budgets, agencies benefited in many ways: They saw their own revenue increase, they hired more staff, they opened new offices and they rolled out more...

Report finds most CMOs view events as 'vital'; Study also notes that many marketers fail to effectively integrate and measure events.(News)(Chief Marketing Officers)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Senior marketing executives endorse events as an important marketing tool but face challenges implementing and measuring them, according to a report released last month by the Chief Marketing Officer Council. The...

Vivid 'experiences' as the new frontier.(Opinion)(Forecasts of internet advertising)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Ellis Booker With online ad spending going gangbusters this year-growth predictions range between 20% and 30%, depending on the source-marketers are looking for ways to differentiate their increasingly sophisticated interactive...

Beyond the Biz; UPS revs up popular 'Race the Truck' campaign.(News)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Mary E. Morrison IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF ITS NASCAR SPONSORSHIP of Dale Jarrett and the Robert Yates Racing No. 88 Ford Taurus, shipping company UPS may finally get what it wants: to race the big brown truck. The company's...

BBDO New York; Large Agencies: Winner.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Kate Maddox Location: New York URL: www.bbdo.com Key executive: John Osborn, president-CEO Employees: 600 2004 revenue: N/A 2004 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Cingular, FedEx, General Electric, Office...

Sullivan Higdon & Sink; Midsize Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Location: Wichita, Kan. URL: wehatesheep.com Key executive: Joe Norris, managing partner 2004 revenue: $46.4 million 2004 b-to-b revenue: $17.1 million Key clients: Cargill Meat Solutions, Cessna Aircraft, GE Insurance...

Correction.(News)
March 14, 2005... Jeff Singsaas' name was misspelled in a photo caption on page 1 of the Feb. 14 issue. Singsaas is general manager-events for Microsoft Corp.

`Hollywood Reporter' keeps pace with changing times.(Special Report: Top Trades)(VNU Business Media)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... In the continuing battle with Reed Business' Variety properties, The Hollywood Reporter appears to be gaining momentum. The VNU Business Media magazine saw its ad pages jump 6% to 6,288 in 2004, from 5,937 in 2003. "The entertainment...

new campaigns.(Advertising)
March 14, 2005... CDW "Power of Confidence'' Agency: JWT Technology, Atlanta Target audience: IT professionals Campaign objective: Raise awareness of CDW as a company that responds to customers' IT needs Media placement: TV (CNN, ESPN, Sci-Fi Channel,...

Trades roll along; Magazines adapt to keep pace in the digital age, proving reports of their imminent demise were grossly exaggerated.(Special Report: Top Trades)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Sean Callahan Before the dot-com bust, Mark Walsh, then CEO of Verticalnet, infamously compared trade publications to "dinosaurs.'' "The demise of print media has been perhaps overstated or at least accelerated too much in...

Yahoo! turns 10, absorbs Overture; Search engine company launches solution centers, developer network.(News)(Yahoo! Inc.)
March 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Yahoo! consolidated its advertising, search and directory products under one brand two weeks ago, renaming Overture Services, its wholly owned search engine subsidiary, Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions. In addition...

`Builder' constructs strong portfolio.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
March 14, 2005... Since 1991, when Hanley Wood acquired it, Builder has built a strong position in the residential construction market. "Builder is probably the premiere publication reaching the homebuilding industry,'' said Alan Thielemann, VP-marketing at...

McCann Erickson; Large Agencies: Honorable mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Location: New York URL: www.mccann.com Key executive: Eric Keshin, regional director, McCann Erickson North America 2004 revenue: N/A 2004 b-to-b revenue: N/A Employees: 2,200 Key clients: Agilent Technologies,...

JWT Technology; Midsize Agencies: Winner.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(JWT Technology Communications Group)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Location: Atlanta URL: www.jwttech.com Key executives: Ridge White, CEO; Craig Patterson, president Employees: 75 2004 revenue: N/A 2004 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: CDW, Citrix,...

Slack Barshinger; Midsize Agencies: Runner-Up.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Slack Barshinger and Partners Inc.)
March 14, 2005... Byline: B.S.B. Location: Chicago URL: www.slackbarshinger.com Key executive: Gary Slack, chairman-chief experience officer 2004 revenue: $12.8 million 2004 b-to-b revenue: $12.6 million Key clients: Dairy Management,...

Paid search slows while vertical grows.(News)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Marketers spent $2.6 billion on paid search in 2004, a number that will climb to $3.2 billion this year and $5.5 billion by 2009, according to Jupiter Research. "Paid search growth remains strong, but it's beginning...

Staples preps easier e-commerce site; Office supplies giant revamps Web site to match customers' catalog experience.(News)
March 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Staples plans to soon relaunch the Staples.com e-commerce site as it extends its new "Easy'' brand promise to its online business. The site, which brought in almost $3 billion in revenue last year, was revamped over...

Quick Hits; B-to-b ad pages, spending up in 2004.(Briefs)
March 14, 2005... Ad spending in b-to-b publications was up 3.8% in 2004, according to the Business Information Network report by American Business Media and IMS/The Auditor. B-to-b ad pages were up 1.4%. Ad spending rose 4.6% in December, compared with the...

Beyond brochures- creating ambassadors.(Opinion)
March 14, 2005... Byline: ROGER SAMETZ The marketing communications firm you work with is a key ally. But if your engagement is focused on the "making of things,'' you're not getting the value you need. Yes, you might have a great-looking brochure, but are...

Agencies eager to add search know-how; Niche search engine marketing companies have become prime acquisition targets.(News)
March 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL As search marketing continues to outpace all other types of Internet advertising, ad agencies are scrambling to meet client demand and tap into this lucrative business. Over the past few months, there have been a flurry...

Intel chooses McCann as agency of record; Decision comes after a six-month review; timetable for new campaign not disclosed.(News)(Interpublic Group of Companies Inc.)(Intel Corp.)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Intel Corp. has named Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann Worldgroup as its global brand marketing agency of record, ending a six-month review that began in September. The account is estimated at hundreds of millions of...

in direct; Digital Impact board opposes infoUSA bid.(Direct & Database)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... E-mail marketing company Digital Impact's board of directors recommended that shareholders reject infoUSA's buyout offer of $2 per share, or about $81 million. "The Digital Impact Board has thoroughly considered infoUSA's unsolicited tender...

BtoB/Forrester survey.(News)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... BtoB and Forrester Research collaborated on the B2B Marketing Effectiveness Survey, which was conducted between Jan. 27 and Feb. 7 and obtained responses from 126 b-to-b marketing executives. Forrester is currently analyzing the data and plans...

Ad spending rallies in '04; Online advertising particularly strong, with estimated growth of 32%, IAB says.(Advertising)
March 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Ad spending bounced back in 2004, and growth is expected to continue strong in 2005, according to forecasts in several recent reports from ad research companies. Overall ad spending reached $141.1 billion in 2004,...

USPS magazine touts direct mail; `Deliver' explores how the U.S. mail can play a key role in companies' overall marketing.(Direct & Database)
March 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL The U.S. Postal Service is using direct marketing of its own to reinforce the idea that mail plays an important role in the marketing mix. In its first foray into custom publishing, the agency introduced Deliver, a...

Industry Outlook: Independent advisers want key information.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)(Interview of Andy Sonnenberg)(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 14, 2005... Byline: Roger Slavens Marketing to financial planning companies can be a daunting and complex undertaking. BtoB asked Andy Sonnenberg, advertising director of Financial Planning Magazine, a former Thomson Media monthly now owned by...

Grabbing readers at first glance.(Chasers)(Business magazine advertising)
March 14, 2005... A good merchant knows just what to put in the storefront window to select the right audience. The same goes for smart advertisers. Because a b-to-b ad is often the first meeting place between marketers and prospective customers, there should be...

Methodology.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... For this year's special report, BtoB is publishing a list of the Top 50 Agencies and Top 20 Interactive Agencies. To select the agencies that appear in this report, BtoB contacted agencies from its database of companies that have previously...

VSS seeks buyer for Hanley Wood; Analysts say the time may be ripe for a deal for the publisher of construction magazines.(Business Media)(Veronis Suhler Stevenson)
March 14, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Industry observers confirmed late last month that Veronis Suhler Stevenson has formally placed construction media company Hanley Wood on the block. "It's no great secret in the industry that Hanley Wood has been...

Case Study: Kanbay intl. sells expertise.(Vertical Insight)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Objective: Continue building momentum by leveraging two primary financial services clients-Morgan Stanley and Household International-and winning new third-party clients. Strategy: Promote domain expertise, specifically critical areas...

Case Study: Using Flash to explain a more complex product.(NetMarketing)(Marketing strategies of Network Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Objective: McAfee Inc. wanted to explain its ASaP VirusScan to Web site visitors without making the product information page too text-heavy. Strategy: The company used a Flash-based virtual character from Oddcast Inc. to talk visitors...

Web site celebrates 100 moments.(News)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... As part of Yahoo!'s 10th birthday celebration, the online giant created a microsite (birthday.yahoo.com/netrospective) to recognize Yahoo! milestones, as well as Web milestones. Called Yahoo! Netrospective: 10 years, 100 moments of the Web,"...