BtoB articles from May 2009

BtoB archives from May 2009

Big business? Speak small.(Harris Bank Barrington N.A.)
May 4, 2009... Bankers, manufacturers, agribusiness, insurance companiesall have enjoyed better times and certainly have commanded more respect. But at a time when business is held suspect amid a deep economic downtown, big business needs to act like small...

Memo to Staples: Become the Media.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Paul Gillin To: Ronald L. Sargent, CEO, Staples From: Paul Gillin, New Media Strategist You've seen the latest numbers and they aren't pretty. U.S. newspaper circulation is down a record 7% in the last month. Magazine...

Call for entries: `BtoB's' Best Awards.
May 4, 2009... We are now accepting submissions for our annual Best Awards in the following 16 categories: * Integrated campaign (more than $200,000) * Integrated campaign (less than $200,000) * Print ad campaign (more than $200,000) * Print...

No.1 Wall Street Journal/WSJ.com; "Journal' stays on top with growing circ, coverage Wall Street Journal/ WSJ.com.(Company rankings)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Sean Callahan Phone: (212) 597-5868 URL: www.wsj.com Circulation: 2,069,463*** Traffic: 23.3 million unique monthly visitors Ad revenue (print): N/A Ad revenue (online): N/A Ad rate (print): $277,646 for...

techtools.
May 4, 2009... IAB to revise standards for online ad formats The Interactive Advertising Bureau announced that it plans to revise standards for interactive ad formats. The IAB's Re-Imagining Interactive Advertising Task Force met last month to develop a...

"Media Business' names Top Innovators.(Keith Fox of McGraw-Hill Cos. awarded)(Bob Carrigan of IDG Communications worldwide awarded)(Jeff Killeen of GlobalSpec Inc. awarded)(Awards list)
May 4, 2009... BtoB's Media Business announced the winners of this year's Top Innovators in Business Publishing Awards in its May issue. Media Business inaugurated the Top Innovators in 2004 to spotlight b-to-b media executives who, in a rapidly changing...

New federal spending stimulates competition.(FedSources)(Interview)
May 4, 2009... Businesses historically look to the government marketplace when the economy weakens, and $787 billion in planned federal stimulus spending only sweetens the venue, said Ray Bjorklund, senior VP-chief knowledge officer at market research company...

InterAct keeps the conversation going through online initiatives.
May 4, 2009... Byline: CHARLOTTE WOOLARD Marketing to government agencies traditionally has not been an activity for companies seeking quick returnssomething that Jennifer Filipowski, exec VP-marketing at InterAct Public Safety Systems, is quick to point...

Exhibitors adapt programs to budget constraints.
May 4, 2009... Byline: CHARLOTTE WOOLARD TIC Gum celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, an occasion that in another economic climate might have earned its marketing team a bump in event spending. Instead the company celebrated with a steady budget....

Changes in list recognize how brands now sold.
May 4, 2009... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN One thing about the Media Power 50 remains the same: For the 10th straight year, The Wall Street Journal is the No. 1 property on this annual list of great places to put b-to-b advertising. But there is also...

GOAT OR GLOAT.(Firstbank (Mount Pleasant, Michigan))(Bank of America Corp.)(Brief article)
May 4, 2009... Company: FirstBank, Lakewood, Colo. Agency: TDA Advertising and Design, Boulder, Colo. Market: Small business Quick chase: When is white space wasted space? When white space is there for the sake of being white space rather than an attractive...

Lessons learned from a closed "Portfolio'.
May 4, 2009... Byline: NAT IVES Conde Nast Portfolio proved in the end, as some suspected from the beginning, to be a poorly timed overreach for Conde Nast's brand of high-polish, high-cost publishing. Portfolio promised business coverage that was...

Speakeasy makes statement, puts its customers on camera.
May 4, 2009... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Speakeasy doesn't do much traditional advertising. The Seattle-based company, which sells managed services, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephony and other broadband offerings, relies on its Web site, PR and...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
May 4, 2009... In a photo caption on page 1 of the April 6 issue, Stein Rogan+Partners was misidentified as being named BtoB's top midsize agency of the year. Stein Rogan was the winner of the small agency category. In "B-to-b followers flock to Twitter...

No. 2 Google.com; The search stalwart continues to extend its scope with marketers big and small.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Sean Callahan Google.com Phone: (650) 253-0000 URL: www.google.com Traffic: 151.2 million unique monthly visitors Ad revenue: $21.8 billion Ad rate: Starts at 1 cent per click Google is synonymous with...

Media Power 50.(Company rankings)
May 4, 2009... General News (5) Cnn.com Phone: (404) 878-2276 URL: www.cnn.com Traffic: 33.5 million unique monthly visitors^ Ad revenue: N/A Ad rate: N/A Comment: CNN remains a top news brand on the Web and has helped pioneer...

CMOs see disparity in digital marketing; Study finds execs hampered by inadequate internal talent, dependence on agencies.(chief marketing officer)(Survey)
May 4, 2009... Byline: KATE MADDOX A new study by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles found that the majority of senior marketing executives believe their companies are "behind the curve'' when it comes to digital marketing. The study, "The...

Systems, staffing still wanting.(Survey)
May 4, 2009... Byline: Ellis Booker The results don't look good. No, I'm not talking about economic figures. I'm talking about recent studies showing that marketers are still unsatisfied with their ability to measure complex, integrated marketing...

CUT TO THE CHASE.(Cisco Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
May 4, 2009... Company: Cisco Systems, San Jose, Calif. Agency: Ogilvy North America, New York Market: Information technology Quick chase: In the banner, a series of faces of businesspeople scrolls rapidly and vertically like fruits on a slot machine. Funny...

Yes, you can! Businesses evaluate government spending plans, new marketing tactics.
May 4, 2009... Byline: CHARLOTTE WOOLARD Nothing defeats the myth that it is boring to market to government like a year in which $787 billion in stimulus spending is slated to augment a $3.53 trillion federal budget and help pull the nation from economic...

New Campaigns.(contract between Rieches Baird Advertising and Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Inc.)(contract between Stein, Killpatrick and Rogan and Hytorc )(Richards Group)(Brief article)
May 4, 2009... Toyota Industrial Equipment "Nature at Work'' Agency: RiechesBaird, Irvine, Calif. Target audience: Fleet purchasing managers, senior executives, and plant and warehouse managers Campaign objective: Raise awareness of the productivity...

HSR merges with Gyro; Deal creates new b-to-b giant, offering clients expanded reach, services.(HSR Business to Business Inc.)
May 4, 2009... Byline: KATE MADDOX HSR Business to Business, Cincinnati, and Gyro International, London, last week completed a merger that creates what the principals say is the world's largest b-to-b agency. The merged agency, GyroHSR, has combined...

Military.com engages prospects in social arena.
May 4, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD B-to-b marketing campaigns traditionally attempt to reach decision-makers within specific niche areas. Bloggers, meanwhile, are self-defined niche aficionados. Put the two together with a compelling marketing...

Creative lessons in lingo, laughs and advertising.
May 4, 2009... Everyone does it, including you. Employees often attempt to win co-workers' respect with customized vocabulary, even at the risk of sounding pretentious. Due to the nature of many occupations, however, technical terminology is often necessary....

No. 4 Yahoo; Behavioral targeting, reach provide value to marketers.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Sean Callahan Yahoo Phone: (408) 349-3300 URL: www.yahoo.com Traffic: 146.1 million unique monthly visitors Ad revenue: N/A Ad rate: N/A At times in the past year, Yahoo has seemed like a company under...

American Express' Shinder on marketing to small businesses.
May 4, 2009... Byline: KATE MADDOX Marcy Shinder, VP-brand strategy and marketing at American Express OPEN, is dedicated to helping the business unit's small-business customers survive and thrive during the recession. To this end, she recently...

Quick Hits.(Business to business market)
May 4, 2009... List rental prices continue to decline The price of marketing lists continues to decline, according to a quarterly report by list manager Worldata. Consumer list prices took the hardest hit, down 19.3% to about $140 per thousand names,...

Networking helped build BT's network security brand in U.S.(BT Group PLC)
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Question: How do you establish a marketing dialogue with a smallish, specialized market largely influenced by thought leaders and solutions? Answer: Become a thought leader and offer solutions. That was...

Media challenges for lead-gen practitioners.(Editorial)
May 27, 2009... Byline: Ellis Booker The emphasis on lead generation we saw last year has continued and, in fact, accelerated. Given the sour economy and mandates to find "sales-ready'' prospects, that's not surprising. [paragraph] "In the down economy,...

Overland improves "post-click optimization,' lead conversion; Original paid-search efforts didn't produce good conversion rates.(Overland Storage Inc.)
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Many companies work hard to optimize their search results and click-through rates. But how many see it all the way through, focusing on optimizing what happens when visitors reach a particular Web page? Failure...

Data co-ops gain ground; Varied data, precise list-making draw marketers ready to share information.
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Strong databases are among the most essential of marketing tools, but obtaining accuracy sometimes can be hit-or-miss. In today's demanding economy, the use of cooperative databasesan amalgamation of ideal...

ALC's ad agency deal solidifies trend offering multichannel capabilities.(mergers between American List Counsel and Empathy Lab )
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD The announcement that American List Counsel, the list brokerage and management company, has taken a stake in digital agency Empathy Lab underscores a rapidly accelerating phenomenon: Niche marketing companies of...

Ramos: Four questions you must answer about your lead programs.(Interview)
May 27, 2009... Laura Ramos is a VP and principal analyst at Forrester Research. BtoB recently asked her about trends in lead generation and specifically about the impact of the economic downturn. BtoB: How is the economy impacting lead-generation...

How Toshiba created buzz, and leads, at product launch event.(Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.)
May 27, 2009... Byline: ERIN BIBA How Toshiba's product intro show boosted prospects Objective: Use a trade show to launch a new brand of CT technology that the market wasn't expecting. Strategy: Keep the debut of the technology a secret until the...

Hager finds ways to keep leads engaged.(Hager Electro)
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD As a commercial lighting and electrical components company, Hager Electro, Obernai, France, has a typically complicated b-to-b sales model, encompassing electricians, distributors and builders themselves. Few...

Virtual events yield real leads; When properly produced and managed, webinars make a powerful lead-gen tactic.
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Webinars are seemingly everywhere, with invitations about every conceivable topic flooding e-mail inboxes. But the volume of webinars and the indiscriminate distribution of webinar invitations beg the question:...

The Big Question; Given the state of the economy, what changes have you made in your lead-generation tactics?
May 27, 2009... "The current business environment has impacted our demand management activities in three main ways, from planning through tactics. First, greater collaboration. We are tightly aligned with the sales organization in evaluating business...

Nurturing possibilities in a tough economy; Focusing on warmest prospects and retaining current customers.
May 27, 2009... Byline: CHRISTOPHER HOSFORD Amid the prolonged economic recession, lead generation is one of those marketing tasks undergoing rapid redefinition. Increasingly, lead gen today is about protecting what you have while duplicating past...

quick tip.(Brief article)
May 27, 2009... Question:What's a quick and easy way to improve my e-mail conversion rates? Answer: It's simple: Give your customers what they ask for. E-mail marketing is no longer about what distressed inventory you have to sell, making quota or...