BtoB articles from March 2006

BtoB archives from March 2006

Tapping the blogosphere for market research.(Opinion)(Masterchem Industries Inc.)(Hughes Group)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Paul Gillin Last fall, Masterchem Industries discovered the power of the blogosphere. The company, which makes the popular Kilz brand of stain-covering paint primers, had launched a summerlong campaign for its recently...

Rich media rulebook; No longer a novelty, rich media has expanded the possibilities of online marketing and stretched the creativity of marketers that use it.(NetMarketing)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Karen J. Bannan A year ago, rich media b-to-b advertising was still somewhat a novelty. Marketers used it as a visual disturbance-something different than the static e-mails and banner ads that populated their world. Today,...

Tips for using audio to engage Web site visitors.(NetMarketing)
March 13, 2006... Question: Should I add sound to my Web site using Flash or another rich media format? Answer: Incorporating sound into a Web site no longer requires the user to download an audio file and then launch a media player to listen to it. With...

Problem Solved.(NetMarketing)(electronic marketing methods)
March 13, 2006... Problem: E-mail newsletter content isn't engaging readers. Solution: Content is king. Inspired, relevant content will capture buyers' interest and move them through the sales pipeline. As a marketer, you are charged with providing valuable...

How to market to financial services; Savvy marketers help brokerages build relationships with customers.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)(Burson-Marsteller)
March 13, 2006... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS The financial services industry continues to grow at a healthy clip due to the overall expanding economy, according to analysts and insiders. And with the baby boomer generation now reaching retirement age-though a...

Mortgage technology firm focuses on emotional messaging.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)(Arketi Group)
March 13, 2006... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS Three years ago, Alpharetta, Ga.-based Advectis Inc., teamed up with its integrated marketing agency, nearby Atlanta-based Arketi Group, to introduce its paperless mortgage technology to the banking industry. The...

Five notable trade publication launches of 2005.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Helmers Publishing)(TechTarget)(Advanstar Communications)
March 13, 2006... Chief Supply Chain Officer Launch date: Feb. 18, 2005 Publisher: Helmers Publishing, Dublin, N.H. Circulation: 20,000 controlled Frequency: Four issues in 2005; six issues planned for 2006 Competitor: Supply & Demand Chain...

THE POWER OF PRINT; Battered, but not bowed, by the digital media revolution, trade magazine publishers count on readers' loyalty to paper and ink.(Special Report: Top Trades)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Matthew Schwartz When Computer Associates rebranded itself CA in November, it showered print media with new advertisements to help get the word out. The computer giant ran ads in general business publications such as Financial...

Agenda.(Calendar/Datebook)(business to business advertising)(Brief article)(Calendar)
March 13, 2006... March 22 BtoB NetMarketing Breakfast BtoB Magazine Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York www.btobonline.com April 5 BtoB NetMarketing Breakfast Fairmont Copley, Boston www.btobonline.com April 19 IDC...

'Aviation Week & Space Technology' ascends to new level.(Special Report: Top Trades)(McGraw-Hill Inc.)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Aviation Week & Space Technology has long garnered a healthy share of its market through its comprehensive coverage of the aviation industry, from initial design of aircraft to operational issues to maintenance. Now, it's opening up new...

Cut to the Chase.(Chasers)(Hornall Anderson Design Works Inc.)(Chubb Corp.)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Company: CitationShares, Greenwich, Conn. Agency: Hornall Anderson Design Works, Seattle Market: Corporate executives Quick chase: Across a deep blue sky streaks a white Citation corporate jet. The online ad scrolls through several frames that...

The nitty-gritty of industrial ads.(Chasers)(industrial advertising method)
March 13, 2006... In the gritty world of industrial advertising, the product-more so than in information technology advertising-often plays a prominent role in the production. Industrial audiences of engineers and other specifiers seem to have less tolerance for...

Why aren't more marketers trying to reach business women?(News)
March 13, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marketers have been successfully reaching women for decades to sell consumer products and services ranging from health and beauty to home improvement. When it comes to the b-to-b world, it's been a different story. ...

AT&T-BellSouth merger to spur short-term ad spending; Rebranding will be a priority as names, including Cingular, expected to change.(News)
March 13, 2006... Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO AT&T's proposed $67 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corp. has far-reaching ramifications for spending in the telecommunications category, now at nearly $6 billion. AT&T said it is acquiring BellSouth, its...

Dow Jones' reorganization gets mixed reviews.(News)(Dow Jones and Company Inc.)
March 13, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ B-to-b marketers had a mixed reaction to Dow Jones & Co.'s plan to divide its operations into three distinct business units to cater more effectively to customers' advertising demands. The centerpiece of the...

Dashboards must be functional, not flashy to communicate clearly and quickly.(Tools & Metrics)(Interview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Richard Karpinski Poor information design, especially for creative marketing-types used to consuming data visually, can sentence your dashboard to the worst of all fates-that of not being used. Stephen Few, principal of...

Making the most of a marketing dashboard; Companies taking the plunge must identify key metrics, integrate disparate data sources.(Tools & Metrics)
March 13, 2006... Byline: RICHARD KARPINSKI With an ever-greater emphasis on accountability and measurement, b-to-b marketers are turning to information dashboards to help them track their departments' opportunities, successes and shortcomings. ...

IDC study finds tech spending up; Marketing expenditures outpace global IT outlay for the 3rd consecutive year.(News)(International Data Corporation )(Industry overview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX Showing that the technology market continues to improve, IDC released a report last week that found tech marketing spending will be up an estimated 7.0% this year over 2005. IDC's "Technology Marketing Spending and...

Mixed news; Study of news consumption habits underscores the challenges that face newspaper companies.(News)
March 13, 2006... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ A recent study of consumers' news habits shows most Americans get their news from television and that newspapers continue to cede readership to the Internet. What's more, the survey said the interactivity afforded...

New clients, added strategic services lead to huge growth.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(business to business agencies)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Kate Maddox As the economic recovery continued in 2005, b-to-b agencies reaped the benefits. Marketing budgets were up on the client side, bringing strong, double-digit revenue growth to most agencies. B-to-b agencies, in...

3-D a bright idea for lighting firm; Display Supply & Lighting enhances Web site with three-dimensional catalog technology.(Direct & Database)
March 13, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL Display Supply & Lighting, an Itasca, Ill.-based supplier of interior lighting, spent the latter part of 2005 retooling its marketing approach and updating its brand image. At the time it decided to revamp, DS&L had...

Ogilvy North America; Large Agencies: Winner.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Company overview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Kate Maddox Location: New York URL: www.ogilvy.com Key executives: Bill Gray and Carla Hendra, co-CEOs Employees: N/A 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: American Express, Cisco...

BBDO New York; Large Agencies: Runner-up.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Company overview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: K.M. Location: New York URL: www.bbdo.com Key executive: John Osborn, president-CEO Employees: 600+ 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Cingular, eBay, Federal Express, GE, New York...

McCann Erickson; Large Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Company overview)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Location: New York URL: www.mccannworldgroup.com Key executive: John Dooner, chairman-CEO Employees: 4,500 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Intel, Hitachi/Applied Materials, Microsoft, Verizon...

JWT Technology; Midsize Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Company overview)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Location: Atlanta URL: www.jwttech.com Key executives: Ridge White, CEO; Craig Patterson, president Employees: 105 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: CDW, Citrix, Research in Motion, Texas...

RiechesBaird; Small Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Rieches Baird Advertising)(Company overview)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Location: Irvine, Calif. URL: www.riechesbaird.com Key executive: Ray Baird, principal 2005 revenue: $8.2 million 2005 b-to-b revenue: $8.2 million Key clients: Custom Building Products, MonierLifetile, Motorola, ROHL,...

Agency.com; Interactive Agencies: Winner.(Special Report: Top Agencies)(Company overview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: B.S.B. Location: New York URL: www.agency.com Key executive: David Eastman, CEO Employees: 450 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: 3M, Chevron, Gevity, Hewlett-Packard, W.W. Grainger...

Digitas; Interactive Agencies: Runner-up.(Special Report: Top Agencies)
March 13, 2006... Byline: B.S.B. Location: Boston URL: www.digitas.com Key executive: Laura Lang, president Employees: N/A 2005 revenue: $340.5 million 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: American Express, AT&T, Federal Express,...

ClearGauge; Interactive Agencies: Honorable Mention.(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Location: Chicago URL: www.cleargauge.com Key executive: Karen Breen Vogel, president-CEO Employees: 15 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: GE Commercial Finance Services, Dow Chemical, Mod-Pac,...

Integration: Bridging the online/offline gap.(direct marketing)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Chris Batchik Everyone talks about it, strives for it and is convinced it's the way to go. But let's face it, the integration of online and offline direct marketing isn't where it should be. In fact, the oft-heard rallying cry is,...

Tech Tools.(Click Forensics launches Click Fraud Network to control internet fraud)(HitDynamics acquired by Hitwise)(new tool added to WILink's Vcall)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Companies offer new click fraud applications Click Forensics, a company that helps advertisers determine so-called click fraud in their search marketing campaigns, launched Click Fraud Network at the end of February to enable advertisers to...

Reunited and it feels so good.(AT&T Inc. acquires BellSouth Corp.)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Ellis Booker AT&T's proposed $67 billion acquisition of BellSouth Corp., announced last week, will not reconstitute the old Ma Bell, which was split up in a court-ordered divestiture in 1984. It is true the merger, which must...

New Campaigns.(Advertising)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... GE Healthcare "Healthcare Re-imagined'' Agency: BBDO New York Target audience: Health care professionals Campaign objective: Show how GE technologies can transform health care delivery. Media: TV (CNBC, MSNBC, NBC, USA), print (The New...

PJA Advertising and Marketing; Small Agencies: Winner.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Location: Cambridge, Mass. URL: www.agencypja.com Key executive: Mike O'Toole, exec VP-partner 2005 revenue: $5.8 million 2005 b-to-b revenue: $5.5 million Key clients: Novell, IBM, Boston...

Mobium Creative Group; Small Agencies: Runner-up.
March 13, 2006... Byline: B.S.B. Location: Chicago URL: www.mobium.com Key executives: Gordon Hochhalter and Guy Gangi, managing partners 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Accenture, CNH Global/ Case Construction,...

Doremus; Midsize Agencies: Runner-up.
March 13, 2006... Byline: K.M. Location: New York URL: www.doremus.com Key executive: Carl Anderson, president-CEO 2005 revenue: N/A 2005 b-to-b revenue: N/A Key clients: Bank of America, ITT Industries, Tektronix, United...

Slack Barshinger; Midsize Agencies: Winner.(Slack Barshinger and Partners Inc.)
March 13, 2006... Byline: K.M. Location: Chicago URL: www.slackbarshinger.com Key executive: Gary Slack, chairman-chief experience officer 2005 revenue: $16.8 million 2005 b-to-b revenue: $16.8 million Key clients: eBay/PayPal, Dairy...

Quick Hits.(Interactive Advertising Bureau reports Internet ad revenue up 30% in 2005)(Slack Barshinger named BMA Agency of the Year)(Unica Corp. agrees to acquire Web analytics provider)
March 13, 2006... VNU accepts private equity consortium offer Ending nearly two months of speculation, Anglo-Dutch media giant VNU last week said it has accepted a sweetened $10.3 billion offer from a consortium of private equity firms. The deal, which...

InfoUSA announces management changes.(People)(George P. Thacker received Direct Marketing Association Financial Services Council's Marketer of the Year Award)(Hacker Group promoted Brian Gilbert)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... InfoUSA recently announced several executive changes. Chief Financial Officer Raj Das has stepped down from that role and will continue in a strategic planning role at the database company. Stormy Dean replaces Das. Dean was previously chief...

In Direct.(direct marketing industry trends)(Alliance Data Systems Corp. buys DoubleClick Inc. unit)
March 13, 2006... DM M&A activity hit $46.3 billion in 2005 Direct marketing industry M&A activity totaled 469 transactions in 2005, with an estimated $46.3 billion in deal value, according to Petsky Prunier, an investment banker that specializes in direct...

The Education Fallacy.(Opinion)(industrial educational presentations)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Wayne E. Pollard B-to-b marketers often give educational presentations to inform people about their offerings. However, the belief that educating the market will get prospects to become customers is a fallacy. Educating the market...

Corrections.
March 13, 2006... In the column "Podcasting: Ready for prime time'' (Feb. 13, p. 13), venture-backed startup Podshow Inc. was incorrectly identified as Podcast Network. In the interview with book author Lynne Hambleton ("New book offers three-part, Six...

'Baseline's solid base in business helped out in tough times for tech.(Special Report: Top Trades)(ZDNet Inc.)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... When Baseline debuted in November 2001, just two months after the 9/11 attacks and in the midst of an economic slump, the reaction in the marketplace was less than enthusiastic. "The natural reaction was: `How can you launch a b-to-b...

Marketers want customers to serve themselves.(News)(Forrester Research's Customer Experience Spending Booms in 2006)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marketers will increase spending in 2006 to drive customers to self-service channels such as Web sites and automated phone services, according to a new report from Forrester Research. The report, "Customer...

'Interior Design' takes its own advice and generates buzz with new design.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Reed Business Information Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... While many trade titles were suffering from double-digit declines in ad pages earlier this decade, Interior Design's ad pages were pretty flat, which at the time was considered the new "up'' for b-to-b magazines. Still, the publication...

Comfortable time for BNP Media's 'Air Conditioning Heating Refrigeration News'.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Throughout 2005 Air Conditioning Heating Refrigeration News provided ample coverage of a new regulation-vital to the heating ventilation air-conditioning (HVAC) dealers who make up its ad base-that went into effect in January of this year. ...

Diller as Darth- or Search Wars meets 'Star Wars'.(Parking Stripe Advertising)
March 13, 2006... IN HIS QUEST TO DOMINATE THE SEARCH ENGINE GALAXY, Barry Diller, chairman-CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp, parent company of Ask.com, is going to crib from Darth Vader's playbook, not Luke Skywalker's. At a keynote Q&A session with SearchEngineWatch...

'Meetings & Conventions' retools agenda.(Special Report: Top Trades)(Northstar Travel Media)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which had a chilling effect on business travel for several months, Meetings & Conventions had to reinvent its brand. "We realized right away that there was a whole new set of opportunities available to...

Superior services, differentiation key.(Vertical Insight: Financial Services)(Levick Strategic Communications)(Interview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: Roger Slavens Michael Robinson, VP of Washington, D.C.-based marketing communications agency Levick Strategic Communications, has a multifaceted insight on financial services marketing. During his more than two decades of...

Goat or Gloat.(Chasers)(Lyon and Associates)(N/A Market)(Brief article)
March 13, 2006... Company: Websense, San Diego Agency: Lyon & Associates, Encinitas, Calif. Market: Chief security officers Quick chase: Perhaps it doesn't take much to stimulate the suspicious minds of chief security officers. But certainly there's more that...

IBM uses video, rich media to boost newsletter click-throughs.(NetMarketing)(International Business Machines Corp.)(IQ Interactive)
March 13, 2006... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Like most b-to-b marketers, IBM's Small and Medium Business in the Americas three years ago was sending its extensive customer database monthly e-mail newsletters. But the company had a dismal 1% to 2% open rate. Of...

Ad:tech impact explores metrics; Newly launched event series discusses ways to measure, test marketing efforts.(Advertising)(AD-TECH Communications)(Event overview)
March 13, 2006... Byline: KATE MADDOX Ad:tech, the online advertising industry's largest conference series, kicked off ad:tech impact, a 10-city conference tour that focuses on advertising and marketing metrics. The ad:tech conferences are produced by...

Click fraud causing concern; Search giants move quickly to repay victims, quell fears.(News)(fraudulent cost per click charges)
March 13, 2006... Byline: CAROL KROL Click fraud is a serious issue to online advertisers, search engine marketing companies and the search engines themselves. Just last week, Google settled a high-profile class action click fraud lawsuit for $90...

Benchmarks.(NetMarketing)
March 13, 2006... See printed publication for the following: Top b-to-b online advertisers: January 2006 Ranked by total impressions of ads bought by b-to-b advertisers Top b-to-b subsegments: January 2006 Ranked by image-based impressions/January 2006...

Interactive agencies expand range of marketing services.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Just five years after the dot-com crash and the ensuing shakeout of interactive agencies, 2005 could be considered a watershed year for those in the interactive marketing space, particularly in b-to-b, agency...