BtoB articles from November 2005

BtoB archives from November 2005

A steady guide in changing times.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Bob Felsenthal Welcome to the 2006 edition of our Marketers Resource Guide. This annual issue, now in its fourth year, has become one of the most popular that we do, because in one place we make it easy to review all our important...

Market Research Vendors.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Ameritest/CY Research Albuquerque, N.M. (505) 856-0763 www.ameritest.net Charles Young, president-CEO Services: Copy testing ARS Group Evansville, Ind. (812) 425-4562 www.ars-group.com Wade Holmes,...

Media Power 50; Our annual list of the top b-to-b advertising venues demonstrates that change is good.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Sean Callahan Many of the top properties in this year's edition of BtoB's Media Power 50 are protecting their esteemed brands not by standing pat but by changing constantly. Venues ranging from the venerable (The Wall Street...

No. 1 The Wall Street Journal; Still the gold standard, the 'Journal' continues to launch new products to boost its ad base.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Sean Callahan The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Co.'s flagship newspaper, appears on the surface to be an icon, an unchanging institution. But the reality is that the newspaper has undergone numerous changes in the past decade....

No. 2 Google; Flush with cash from its successful IPO, Google invested in tech, new products.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Roger Slavens Last year, Google's harshest critics said the search giant was ripe to lose ground to growing competition from the likes of Yahoo! and Microsoft. They also said Google's highly publicized and unorthodox initial public...

No. 3 BusinessWeek; McGraw-Hill's 'BusinessWeek,' now in its 76th year in print, positions itself as a multichannel news source.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Marie Griffin BusinessWeek, which celebrated its 75th birthday last September, "is still a very solid business publication," as Donna Mercer, partner-media director at Howard, Merrell & Partners, put it. BusinessWeek's print...

No. 4 USA Today; Executive readership studies show Gannett Co.'s flagship holds its own against 'Wall Street Journal,' 'New York Times'.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: S.C. Over the years, some observers have dismissed USA Today as a lightweight, dubbing it "McPaper." But when it comes to delivering a top-level business audience, the Gannett Co. flagship can go toe to toe with such heavyweights...

No. 5 ESPN SportsCenter; Popular show's predominantly male prime-time audience is a hit with advertisers.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: Roger Slavens "SportsCenter is the single most identifiable property on ESPN and perhaps in all of cable sports programming, and the show differentiates us from all of our competitors," said Lou Koskovolis, exec VP-multimedia sales...

No. 6 Fortune; Magazine succeeds by offering hard-hitting reporting, marketing packages with other Time Warner properties.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: S.C. So far in 2005 Time Warner's Fortune has brought down one CEO. Well, that may be stretching the facts a bit, but some observers believe that Fortune's Feb. 7 cover story by Carol Loomis, titled "Hewlett-Packard: Why Carly's...

No. 7 Forbes.com; Business news site offers 10.3 million unique monthly visitors and a guarantee to boost advertisers' brands.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Byline: M.G. Jim Spanfeller, president-CEO of Forbes.com, recognizes that "a brand is a brand-but the iteration of that brand in different media is not the same. I don't see Forbes.com as being apart from Forbes magazine, but people employ...

No. 8 CNET Networks; IT stalwart is expanding into more general b-to-b.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Byline: S.C. CNET Networks is generally known as a tech site designed for consumers looking to compare PCs or digital cameras. But the company also boasts several robust sites for IT professionals. These prime destinations are: a tech...

Methodology.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... In making the selections for the Media Power 50 list, BtoB editors and reporters employed both objective and subjective criteria. They evaluated data such as ad revenue and audience, and interviewed about two dozen top media buyers, advertisers...

No. 9 InformationWeek; CMP powerhouse expands on the Internet and overseas.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Byline: R.S. InformationWeek, the flagship IT publication of CMP Media, has emerged from the tech downturn with an impressive 33% share of the IT market and last year dwarfed its closest competitor by 1,200 ad pages, according to Michael...

No. 10 'Closing Bell,' CNBC; Afternoon show wraps up the markets, reels in C-level execs.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)(Consumer News and Business Channel Partnership)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Byline: R.S. Many business executives have a new definition of must-see TV, thanks to CNBC's highly successful two-hour program "Closing Bell." "Buying daytime for business sounds like an oxymoron, but there's a new way of thinking...

Media Power 50.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)(Buyers Guide)
November 1, 2005... Newspapers Financial Times Phone: (212) 641-6550 URL: www.ft.com Circulation: 132,000 Ad revenue: $28.5 million (for U.S.) Ad rate: $45,300 for 1 page 4/C Comment: For international-minded readers, Pearson's...

Who's Who in B-to-B.
November 1, 2005... MARKETERS Who: Lisa Baird What: VP-worldwide integrated marketing communications Where: IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y. Why: Baird oversaw the continuation of IBM's "On Demand" campaign, showing how IBM meets the needs of an on-demand world. She...

Top Marketers.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... Marketer of the year Karen Jones Title: VP-advertising, brand and promotions Company: DHL Express USA Years in current job: 1 Quote: "My challenge was to rebrand this entire company and begin to change the mind-set of DHL...

Top Brands.(Marketers Resource Guide '06)
November 1, 2005... American Express Headquarters: New York Brand established: 1850 2004 advertising: $420.8 million Interbrand/BusinessWeek ranking: No. 14 Brand value: $12 billion CoreBrand ranking: No. 23 Expert Insight ...

David Rittenhouse.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Matthew Schwartz David Rittenhouse Title: Group planning director Company: mOne North America Location: New York Key b-to-b client: IBM Corp. Years in media business: 8 Most unusual media placement in...

Michael Nicholas.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Carol Krol Michael Nicholas Title: Senior VP-managing director Company: Carat USA Location: Boston Key b-to-b clients: Amdocs, Parametric Technology Corp., Philips Years in media business: 12 Most unusual...

Steve Thomas.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Matthew Schwartz Steve Thomas Title: Director of contact planning Company: Colle+McVoy and Mobium Creative Group Location: Bloomington, Minn. Key b-to-b clients: Bayer Environmental Science, NEC Display Solutions,...

Search, tracking big at ad:tech; Vendors launch search, blog, e-mail products and services from N.Y.C. event.(Advertising)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX The ad:tech conference in New York last week was a staging platform for dozens of new online ad products, from search to blogs to analytical services. With the proliferation of search as an effective way to reach...

Studies project stronger revenue and spending.(Special Report: Marketing to Small Business)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX The climate for U.S. small business is positive, with leading indicators such as projected revenue, projected spending and optimism all pointing up, according to a study of small businesses conducted by City Business...

Agenda.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
November 14, 2005... Nov. 14-16 Top Management Meeting American Business Media Westin River North Chicago www.americanbusinessmedia.com Nov. 15-17 Streaming Media West 2005 Conference & Exhibition Streamingmedia.com San Jose...

Red Hat tweaks, trims and tests to maximize e-newsletter impact.(NetMarketing)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KAREN J. BANNAN Red Hat, a provider of Linux and open source technology, has an internal house list of about 800,000 names. Most came from a newsletter launched three years ago when Red Hat Linux was free software that could be...

Industry weathers storms, shows promise.(Vertical Insight: Construction)(Norbert W. Young Jr. president of McGraw-Hill Construction)(Interview)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Roger Slavens Few people follow the construction industry as closely as Norbert W. Young Jr., president of McGraw-Hill Construction, which publishes Architectural Record, Engineering News-Record and Construction.com. BtoB asked...

New Campaigns.(Advertising)(Department of Homeland Security and Slack Barshinger and Partners Inc.)(Intel Corp. and McCann Worldwide)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Department of Homeland Security "Experience Lines'' Agency: Slack Barshinger, Chicago Target audience: Owners and managers of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) Campaign objectives: Educate SMBs about the ease and affordability of...

Guarantee prices, market aggressively to keep customers loyal.(Vertical Insight: Construction)(Interview)
November 14, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS As publisher and general manager of Reed Construction Data's Associated Construction Publications (ACP), John Weatherhead keeps his hand on the pulse of the industry's regional markets. ACP is a national network of 14...

I ordered a keynote not an ambush.(News)(Seth Godin)
November 14, 2005... Are association types a masochistic bunch? Consider this: The Direct Marketing Association and the Magazine Publishers of America both recently booked keynote speakers for industry events who proceeded to trash the very audience they were paid...

Marketing to construction industry execs.(Vertical Insight: Construction)
November 14, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS This year, the U.S. construction industry will invest more than $1 trillion in residential, commercial and public works projects, according to FMI, a management and investment banking consultancy in the construction...

Lenox hones marketing strategy to cut through commodity clutter.(Vertical Insight: Construction)
November 14, 2005... Byline: ROGER SLAVENS Lenox, a division of Newell Rubbermaid that has manufactured band saws and hand tools since 1915, needed some razor-sharp marketing to launch a new premium product in the summer of 2004. The Lenox Gold utility blade,...

Chris Philip.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Mary Ellen Podmolik Chris Philip Title: Senior VP-media director Company: Doremus Location: New York Key b-to-b clients: Deutsche Bank, ITT Industries, Morgan Stanley, United Technologies Corp. Years in media...

Kevin Arsham.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Mary Ellen Podmolik Kevin Arsham Title: Associate media director, business-to-business specialist Company: OMD Location: New York Key b-to-b clients: American Stock Exchange, eBay, General Electric Co., Visa USA...

E-mail testing; Determining what works-or doesn't-in your e-mail marketing is critical to its success. Here's what you'll need to know.(NetMarketing)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Karen J. Bannan Marketers that would never send out a direct mail campaign without doing some form of testing often don't think twice about sending out an untested e-mail campaign. Only about 40% of all e-mail marketers use...

Direct marketers find small businesses, but not easily; Comparative scarcity of public records, high churn rate pose major obstacles.(Special Report: Marketing to Small Business)
November 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Direct marketing plays a central role in marketing to small businesses-a highly desirable segment that represents enormous marketing potential along with major challenges. Small-business owners-owners of companies...

Oracle takes charge of data; Database software giant turns to D&B to get a complete view of its own data.(Direct & Database)
November 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Oracle, like most large b-to-b companies, was challenged by the need to maintain quality data and intelligence on customers and prospects. The company, which markets enterprise software and services to manage, share and...

In Direct.(Direct & Database)
November 14, 2005... Two NCDM conferences merged The Direct Marketing Association and co-producer DIRECT magazine announced they have combined the National Center for Database Marketing summer and winter conferences into one annual show. The combined NCDM...

From the DMA show.(Opinion)(Direct Marketing Association)
November 14, 2005... Byline: John Obrecht Anybody who attended the Direct Marketing Association's annual conference and exhibition in Chicago in 2001 remembers the gloom that hung over the event. A month and a half after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,...

B to B Online.(www.btobonline.com)(BtoB)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... BtoB encourages readers to use our Web site (www.btobonline.com) to access archives of our monthly print edition, including our Special Report lists, as well as our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters. BtoB's e-mail products include: "Daily...

Podcasting call lures advertisers; Is downloadable audio a viable channel for b-to-b marketers?(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL In just a few months, podcasting has replaced RSS feeds as the hottest thing in the fast-moving digital media realm. While many marketers and content providers are still tuning in to podcasting's potential, a few...

Embattled CMOs share strategies; Seeking greater efficiency, marketers embrace technology, restructuring.(News)(chief marketing officer)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX With pressure bearing down on them from top management, senior marketing executives met at the CMO Summit last month to debate how to improve the role and performance of marketing within their organizations. The...

Vickie Szombathy.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Kate Maddox Veteran: Vickie Szombathy Title: VP-media director Company: StarLink Worldwide Location: Chicago Key b-to-b clients: Caterpillar, Heidelberg USA, X-Rite Years in media business: 23 Most...

Hey, big spenders; The growth of the small-business sector has attracted the attention of big marketers that are wooing them with core services.(Special Report: Marketing to Small Business)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Recognizing that small businesses make up a powerful segment of the U.S. economy, many marketers are honing their efforts to reach this sector with new campaigns, strategies and even corporate reorganizations. ...

Radio still dials up small businesses at local level.(Special Report: Marketing to Small Business)
November 14, 2005... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ When facilities maintenance company UNICCO Service Co. decided to target small-business owners this year via the radio, the company didn't want to sing the same old marketing tune. Newton, Mass.-based UNICCO,...

Authentication solutions bolster trust in e-mail.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL E-mail remains a key tactic for marketers. But, with large numbers of e-mail recipients reporting wariness about opening messages due to concerns about spam, security, privacy or viruses, e-mail marketing companies, ISPs...

Survey finds salaries, hiring on the rise at b-to-b agencies.(business to business)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Salaries at b-to-b agencies increased this year over last year, with the strongest gains in senior management, media and interactive positions, according to recent salary surveys and interviews with agency executives....

Microsoft plan promises advertising opportunities.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL Responding to ongoing competition from companies such as Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft Corp. two weeks ago announced the launch of two Internet-based software services: Windows Live and Microsoft Office Live. The company...

TechTarget to pursue IPO in 2006; Three VPs out as technology publisher streamlines its management structure.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN AND MATTHEW SCHWARTZ An IPO it is. TechTarget confirmed last week that it will pursue an initial public offering in 2006. The company had hired investment bank UBS to explore its valuation in the mergers and...

Why sales forces armed with ROI tools still fail.(Opinion)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Glen Gow Many technology companies, especially those that offer complex or expensive solutions, have developed Return on Investment (ROI) tools for their sales organizations. The goal is to provide prospects a factual, economic...

Rethinking the blogosphere.(Opinion)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Ellis Booker In May, my column in this space ("Thinking out loud about blogs,'' May 2, p. 10) questioned the hyperactive news coverage about blogging and the belief among some blog zealots that the technology was rapidly...

Quote / Unquote.(Opinion)
November 14, 2005... "What technologies did you see at ad:tech that look promising?'' "MSN's behavioral technology, as it allows marketers to microtarget their search advertisements down to the demographic profile of the user.'' Bryan Wiener, President,...

Print paves way for marketers to speak to small-business sector.(Special Report: Marketing to Small Business)
November 14, 2005... Byline: MATTHEW SCHWARTZ It was the kind of contest that causes cash-strapped small businesses to go crazy: a competition sponsored by Entrepreneur to win an "Office Technology Makeover,'' paid in full by Xerox Corp. The winner, Sprecher...

VerticalSearch.com: Google for b-to-b? `Search engine for the b-to-b community' will crawl thousands of business media Web sites.(Business Media)
November 14, 2005... Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN For media companies, Google is both the bogeyman and, increasingly, the model for how to generate revenue on the Internet. This is a company, after all, that reported revenue of $1.6 billion for the third quarter, an...

Media Notes.(Business Media)(Reed Business Information appoints Jim Casella)(Vance Publishing Corp acquired Doane Agricultural Services)(Wachovia Capital Partners buys Randall Reilly Publishing)
November 14, 2005... Reed Business names Casella vice chairman Jim Casella, formerly CEO of Reed Business Information, has been promoted to vice chairman of Reed Business, the company announced last week. Casella will have overall responsibility for the growth...

Postal rate increase in line with expectations; Mailers prepare for 5.4% hike in January, fear considerably larger increase in 2007.(News)
November 14, 2005... Byline: CAROL KROL AND MATTHEW SCHWARTZ As expected, the U.S. Postal Service's independent Postal Rate Commission this month approved a 5.4% across-the-board rate increase. The increase, the first since June 2002, will take effect in early...

Paper size reduction not the only change expected at 'Journal'.(web width size reduction)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX Media buyers reacted cautiously to Dow Jones & Co.'s announcement last month that it plans to cut the size of its flagship newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, from a web width of 60 inches down to 48 inches by January...

Quick Hits.(Association of National Advertisers study marketing organization)(newspaper circulation)(infoUSA has acquired Millard Group)
November 14, 2005... ANA examines health of marketing organizations The Association of National Advertisers released findings from the second phase of its marketing organization study, conducted in conjunction with global consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton....

Brian Monahan.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Brian Monahan Title: VP-group media director Company: Universal McCann Location: San Francisco Key b-to-b clients: Microsoft Corp. Years in media business: 13 Most unusual media...

Seb Maitra.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Beth Snyder Bulik Seb Maitra Title: senior VP-group manager Company: Hill Holliday Location: Boston Key b-to-b clients: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Putnam Investments, Tyco International Years in media business:...

Media planners push innovation and creativity.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: KATE MADDOX The world of media planning has changed dramatically in the past 10 years as a result of new technologies and highly fragmented audiences. Online advertising, digital TV, mobile devices, podcasting and other...

Three keys to testing e-mail effectiveness.(NetMarketing)
November 14, 2005... Question: What can I test to improve my e-mail marketing messages? Answer: There are three primary things that you can look at to test the effectiveness of your e-mail marketing messages once you are confident they are getting into the...

Rosanne Peterson.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Carol Krol Rosanne Peterson Title: partner, account director Company: mediaedge:cia Location: San Francisco Key b-to-b clients: Advanced Micro Devices, DHL International, Hitachi Data Systems Years in media...

Home-run ads in a Series sweep.(B-to-b marketers )
November 14, 2005... B-to-b spots in this year's World Series coverage were about as rare as a Chicago White Sox championship. But, like the White Sox, who won the crown for the first time since 1917, the b-to-b sector put its best foot forward on a field dominated...

Goat or Gloat.(Chasers)(advertising contracts)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Company: VeriSign, Mountain View, Calif. Agency: N/A Market: IT buyers Quick chase: The collision of visuals and text muddles the start to this ad for VeriSign. We prefer a cleaner look, and we firmly believe that text and image should avoid...

Cut to the Chase.(Chasers)(advertising contracts)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Company: Ingram Micro, Santa Ana, Calif. Agency: N/A Market: IT buyers and decision-makers Quick chase: The spectacular colors in the flower shop are show-stoppers. Everyone in the audience will pay a visit to this page. They might even notice...

Up-and-comer: Michelle Mukherjee.(Special Report: Best & Brightest Media Strategists)(Universal McCann)
November 14, 2005... Up-and-comer: Michelle Mukherjee Title: Media supervisor Company: Universal McCann Location: San Francisco Key b-to-b client: Microsoft Corp. Years in media business: 2 Most unusual media placement in past 12 months:...

Before you test anything, check your deliverability.(NetMarketing)
November 14, 2005... Byline: Elaine O'Gorman Question: How can I improve my b-to-b e-mail deliverability? Answer: Despite what many might think, b-to-b e-mail marketers face deliverability hurdles every bit as daunting as their business-to-consumer...