BtoB articles from May 2004

BtoB archives from May 2004

No. 5: BusinessWeek; A redesigned and revved up `BusinessWeek' increased circulation to its highest level ever.(Media Power 50)
May 3, 2004... Byline: R. S. Despite the slumping economy, 2003 proved to be a banner year for McGraw-Hill's BusinessWeek. The magazine's average paid circulation of 991,757 at year's end was the highest in its 75-year history. "Consumer demand for...

No. 4: Squawk Box; CNBC's morning business show dominates in-office viewing among C-level executives.(Media Power 50; chief executives)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Roger Slavens Ask John Kelly, senior VP-advertising sales at CNBC, how many people watch "Squawk Box,'' the cable network's signature program, on a daily basis and you'll be surprised by the answer. "I don't exactly know how...

May 1964: Touting the tax cut; Hindsight A b-to-b time capsule.(Opinion)(A Business-to-Business time Capsule.)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Forty years ago, Industrial Marketing's Washington Editor Stanley E. Cohen wrote of the surging economy, noting "government experts have discarded all caution": "Whether it is the tax cut or something else, the business trend so far this...

Case Study: CDW wins gov't contracts with direct sales; Catalogs, public relations, events serve as sales support for face-to-face meetings.(Vertical Insight: Government)
May 3, 2004... Byline: PHILIP B. CLARK When sitting across from a U. S. Air Force buyer, being able to speak credibly on topics ranging from sorties to munitions to in-flight refueling systems is important. So when CDW Corp. has a big sale with the USAF...

No. 10: Builder; Hanley Wood's flagship keeps building on success.(Media Power 50)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: R.S. Being the No. 1 publication in the home construction market certainly has had its perks over the past few years. While ad-driven publications in most other industries struggled, Hanley Wood's flagship magazine, Builder,...

Tips for selling.(Vertical Insight: Government contracts)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... * Find out if you are selling to Uncle Sam: Run the credit card test. 4716, 4486 and 5568 are all federal unique credit card prefixes. * Determine where your audience gets its information and how those targets buy. Do they need a contract?...

By Design.(NetMarketing)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Carrie M. Brown Company: Alcoa Closure Systems International Web site: www.alcoa.com/csi Agency: In-house Launch date: Feb. 19 Design: Alcoa CSI, a packaging unit of Alcoa Inc., specializes in closures for various...

No. 1: Wall Street Journal; The `Journal's' editorial excellence, global reach and creative ad packaging lead it to the top again.(Media Power 50)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Kate Maddox Editorial excellence, an influential business audience, and integrated ad programs make The Wall Street Journal the top pick in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the fifth year in a row. "It's a large-circulation...

Web analytics use on the rise; Vendors release new versions as marketing departments increasingly rely on site stats.(NetMarketing)
May 3, 2004... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Web analytics have moved from the IT department into the marketing department permanently, if recent vendor announcements are any indication. WebSideStory introduced HBX, which allows users to view site...

IT gets swept up in marketing, sales; Network Services Co. execs work together to tout proprietary system for ordering over the Internet.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Network Services Co. is using the Internet to revamp its 36-year-old business of providing commercial janitorial services, industrial packaging and food service disposables through a national distribution network. ...

Highest brand equity: General Electric.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN General Electric Co.'s brand equity at the end of the first quarter totaled $55.25 billion, or 17.74% of the corporate giant's market capitalization, according to a proprietary formula developed by branding...

USPS to break with U.S. cycling team; Lance Armstrong's success in tour de france lent prestige to oft-criticized sponsorship.(News)(United States Postal Service; )
May 3, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN He delivered for them on the world stage. Nonetheless, the U.S. Postal Service announced last month that it would end its sponsorship of Lance Armstrong and the USPS Pro-Cycling Team at the close of the calendar...

Is enterprise software a suite deal for marketers?(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: RICHARD KARPINSKI B-to-b marketers no longer have suite envy. Like their counterparts in finance, manufacturing and sales, they now have access to enterprise-scale, integrated software packages that oversee and manage all aspects...

Customer needs spur data quality activity; Companies seek to answer demand for solutions with acquisitions, partnerships.(Special Report)
May 3, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL Data quality is front and center in the marketing world as companies continually strive to identify and sell to their best customers. As a result, there's been an increase in acquisition activity in recent months, as...

How to target lucrative gov't sector.(Vertical Insight: Government)
May 3, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL Patience is a virtue in the world of marketing to the government. There is no easy money to be had, but considering the chunk of change the government spends every year-about $250 billion in 2003-it can be a worthy...

Bidding drives keyword prices up; As big search engines become more popular, marketers turn to more affordable players.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL Words are worth more than before on leading search engines, according to many marketers. Because search engine keywords are bought under an auction model, the popularity of search marketing-now estimated to represent...

No. 6: The New York Times; The `Old Gray Lady' maintained its commitment to editorial by boosting staff despite the downturn.(Media Power 50)
May 3, 2004... Byline: K. M. The New York Times, which has been consistently recognized for its high editorial standards, upheld its commitment to journalism through the weak economy by expanding staff and coverage when most other publications were...

New Campaigns.(Advertising)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Konica Minolta launches 'bizhub' campaign Konica Minolta Business Solutions last month launched a TV ad campaign to promote its bizhub brand of digital imaging products for business. The campaign was created by Cronin and Co., Glastonbury,...

The QUEST for CLEAN DATA; Feeling the pressure from new government regulations and the ever-present mandate for ROI, marketers are refining their database strategies.(Special Report)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Carol Krol The necessity for clean, current data has always been a priority, but a confluence of events has pushed this sliver of the direct and database world into the spotlight. Fear is a big motivator. Companies are being...

Search advertising leads online growth; Interactive advertising bureau report finds overall '03 revenue up 21% to $7.3 billion.(Advertising)
May 3, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Online ad revenue reached $7.3 billion in 2003, up 21% over 2002, according to the Internet Ad Revenue Report released last month by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In the fourth...

When bad advertising sinks a good product.(Chasers)
May 3, 2004... A reader with a wicked sense of humor writes that one of the "minor fringe benefits of a career in the industrial sales and marketing space is the occasional opportunity to view some truly awful advertising examples.'' While no match for the...

Guest Column: Maintaining the right data on the right people.(Special Report)(Column)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mac McIntosh "Less is more'' is an adage that seems strange in a world that always wants bigger, better and more. But in managing a database, keeping it simple is usually the best strategy. It's not difficult to fill a database...

Michelin extends brand to line of work boots.(News)(Soletech Inc.)
May 3, 2004... Byline: JUSTIN BOYD A Massachusetts footwear company has developed a line of boots under the Michelin brand name, claiming to be the first company to license the brand for a non-automotive product. The line-to be introduced this...

Captivate gets a lift from acquisition by Gannett; Rare daytime access to business people attracts media company with deep pockets.(News)(Captivate Network)
May 3, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN You can't TiVo in an elevator. That's one of the things that made Westford, Mass.-based Captivate Network, a venture capital-backed company offering TV programming and advertising in office towers across North...

Goat or Gloat; A quick comparison of recent work by competing advertisers.(Chasers)(Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard )(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Company: Sun Microsystems, Santa Clara, Calif. Agency: Arnell Group, New York Market: CIOs, network administrators Quick chase: Sun fails to shine in this ad that looks like it belongs amid the low-budget fractionals in the back of a tech...

Cut to the Chase: Television.(Chasers; AT&T Corp. ads by Young & Rubicam Advertising considered)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Company: AT&T Corp., New York Agency: Y&R Advertising, New York Market: IT executives Quick chase: Like raindrops from the sky, bits and bytes from a datastream spill down from the heavens on people below to illustrate how a network operates....

Cut to the Chase: Print.(Chasers; Stanley Works campaign by Keiler and Co. considered)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Company: Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn. Agency: Keiler & Co., Farmington, Conn. Market: Tool buyers in the automotive field Quick chase: Stanley has a clear sense of its target audience: brawny, sweaty guys who know how to handle a set of...

Beyond the Biz; Unlike Yankees, Bronx ad campaign hits homer.(Briefs)(Bronx Borough )
May 3, 2004... Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. and a nine-partner cooperative last month kicked off an ad campaign to promote business in the Bronx. The group claimed that it "hit a home run'' with the campaign launch, which took place at New...

No. 2: Google; Google allows customers both big and small to target their audience at their Internet point of purchase.(Media Power 50)(Company Profile)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Sean Callahan First, Google was a noun: a Web site employing an ingenious algorithm to simplify and speed searching the Internet. Quickly, Google became a verb: "To google'' is to search the Web. Now, it probably won't be long...

Quick Hits; McCann-Erickson wins Verizon Wireless account.(Briefs)(REPRINT MANAGEMENT SERVICES)
May 3, 2004... Verizon Wireless has awarded its national advertising account to McCann-Erickson, New York, and its media planning account to Universal McCann, both part of McCann-Erickson Worldgroup owned by Interpublic Group of Cos. The total account is...

Ask The Expert: How to test e-mail marketing efforts, prevent site 'harvesting'.(NetMarketing)
May 3, 2004... Question: Everyone says the key to e-mail marketing is "test, test, test.'' What are some easy things to test that will quickly improve my e-newsletter ? Answer: The first thing you should test is your assumptions. Is your free...

Guest Column: Psst... It's not your CRM, it's the data!(Special Report)(Column)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Jack Waite A recent satisfaction survey revealed that up to 73% of companies deploying CRM applications questioned the return on their investment. All finger pointing aside, the inability to implement a results-oriented CRM...

No. 9: CNET; Enterprise sites draw viewers--and competitors' respect.(Media Power 50)(revenue continues a steady growth)
May 3, 2004... Byline: S. C. Like other visionary media start-ups such as CNN and USA Today, CNET Networks has spilled a lot of red ink on its ambitious path to large-scale acceptance. It posted an operating loss of $5.7 million in the first quarter,...

No. 8: CIO; `CIO' reaches IT influencers with award-winning editorial.(Media Power 50)
May 3, 2004... Byline: S. C. For CIO, it's been a season of editorial awards. Not only did the International Data Group publication win its second consecutive Grand Neal, the biggest prize in American Business Media's Jesse H. Neal Awards for Business...

Methodology.(Media Power 50)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... In making the selections for the Media Power 50 list, BtoB editors employed both objective and subjective criteria. They evaluated data such as ad revenue and audience, and interviewed about two dozen top media buyers, advertisers and industry...

Quick Hits; Trade groups oppose do-not-e-mail registry.(Briefs)(KMD Media)
May 3, 2004... The Email Service Provider Coalition, Interactive Advertising Bureau and TRUSTe jointly announced their opposition to the proposed do-not-e-mail registry currently being considered by the Federal Trade Commission as part of the CAN-SPAM Act of...

Primedia co-founder forms media company.(News)(Charles G. McCurdy, Apprise Media)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN Charles G. McCurdy, who co-founded Primedia and served as the company's interim CEO between the regimes of Tom Rogers and the current CEO, Kelly Conlin, is launching a new media company. McCurdy, who was also a...

Media Power 50; Our annual ranking of the top b-to-b media venues shows the strongest are those that offer marketers tailored advertising programs.
May 3, 2004... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN In b-to-b marketing, branding may be out of style, but a glance down the list of this year's Media Power 50 shows that powerful media brands-The Wall Street Journals and InformationWeeks of the world-are still in...

No. 7: WSJ.com; Web companion to `Wall Street Journal' touts reach among top-level executives.(Media Power 50)
May 3, 2004... Byline: K. M. The Wall Street Journal Online, at WSJ.com, is considered a media powerhouse for b-to-b advertisers that want to reach C-level executives with decision-making authority. The site reaches an audience of 695,000 paid...

No. 3: ESPN's SportsCenter; Network's flagship continues to draw the elusive male viewer.(Media Power 50)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Sean Callahan Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN/ABC's sports customer sales, sometimes feels like he has an unfair advantage when he's selling ESPN's "SportsCenter.'' "I'll be talking to a VP-marketing, and he'll say, `My son has...

BtoB Database Roundtable: Opportunities, challenges grow with data.(Special Report)(Miller-Starr InternationaL)(Weyforth-Haas Marketing)(Panel Discussion)
May 3, 2004... How do direct marketing agencies view the current state of database marketing? BtoB asked a group of agency executives to talk about the state of the industry, how it has changed in the past year and what challenges remain, as well as their...

Case Study: 'Saturation' mailings reach small, local firms.(Special Report)(Capitol Color Mail)
May 3, 2004... Byline: CAROL KROL You'd think Shaun Boylan, president of Capitol Color Mail, Bonita Springs, Fla., would have his hands full, mailing 389 million consumer cooperative mail pieces each year. Like Advo or Valpak, these direct mail...

Watching Microsoft's tricky upgrade to the next Windows.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Ellis Booker Microsoft Corp. has always been a fascinating study in technology, money and marketing. Microsoft typically plays to the breathless, "this is so cool'' techie joy about new products, new introductions and new...

Industry Outlook: Focused approach key in selling to government.(Vertical Insight: Government)(Andrew Bartels)(Brief Article)(Interview)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Philip B. Clark BtoB: What are the biggest differences in marketing to government versus corporate customers? Bartels: It's important to understand that public sector purchasing is more out in the public. Governments are...

Marketers look to agencies for strategic help.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marketing clients place a premium on the creative work and strategic ideas coming from their agencies, according to a study released last month by the Association of National Advertisers. The study found the No. 1...

Offshore your marketing? It's inevitable.(Opinion)(Column)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Nick Wreden B-to-b marketing executives are asking the same question as their counterparts in other industries: Should we outsource some job functions overseas? In fact, the question is moot. The cost savings, potential for new...

Adding IT consultants to mix.(Opinion)(Column)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Rick Capps More than ever, IT consultants are valuable members of marketing teams. The Aelera Corp. Marketing & IT Executive Survey, a recent national study, found optimizing relationships between marketing and IT...

Data quality needs to be assessed before cleansing; Companies learn they can't manage what they can't measure.(Special Report)
May 3, 2004... Byline: CHRISTINE BLANK Recognizing that the success of their marketing efforts hinges on the quality of their databases, companies are more committed than ever to data cleansing efforts. But before conducting a complete database overhaul,...

Marketers use data to help cross-selling.(Special Report)
May 3, 2004... Byline: CHRISTINE BLANK More marketers are realizing the value of using their customer database to cross-sell products and services to current customers, particularly across channels. They know, for example, that if a customer bought a...

Media Power 50.(Directory)
May 3, 2004... Newspapers Financial Times Phone: (212) 641-6550 URL: www.ft.com Circulation: 447,735 Ad revenue: About $76 million in U.S. Ad rate: $56,600 for 1 page 4/C Comment: Providing a foil to The Wall Street Journal...

Google's initial public auction.(News)(files initial public offering with SEC)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Carol Krol Last Thursday, Google filed its eagerly anticipated initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In a tip of the hat to the bidding model that is the basis of its paid search keyword business,...

Quote Unquote.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... "Throughout the day we serve two home pages and measure which one gives us a better conversion rate.'' -Nathan Miller, e-commerce marketing manager for construction equipment company Northern Tool, as quoted in "Web analytics use on the...

Grainger seeks local ad impact.(News)(W.W. Grainger)
May 3, 2004... Byline: KATE MADDOX W.W. Grainger, the nation's largest distributor of supplies for maintenance, repair and operations, announced at its annual shareholders meeting last week that it is rolling back its national marketing and launching...