Marketing

United's Balky Computers Could Send Brand Into Tailspin
November 17, 2012

United Airlines experienced a major computer problem this week, and the news no doubt sent shudders down the spines of would-be Thanksgiving holiday travelers everywhere. The glitch -- reportedly in its dispatch system -- led to the delay of a number of flights. United found and corrected the error, and by mid-afternoon, system-wide on-time performance was approximately 80 percent.

Courting the Prized Omnichannel Shopper
November 16, 2012

Holiday shopping this year will take place on multiple channels, with many shoppers doing research and buying online or on mobile devices. That's according to Deloitte's 2012 Annual Holiday Survey, which found that shoppers who use multiple channels plan to spend more money than retail shoppers.

Demandbase Finely Hones B2B Targeted Marketing
November 12, 2012

Demandbase is extending beyond its Web analytics and sales roots with a new platform that allows B2B advertisers to target and personalize display ads for specific companies. Demandbase Company-Targeted Advertising, which has been incorporated by Eloqua within its own marketing automation application, represents a shift for Demandbase.

Sensewhere Goes Hyperlocal With Social Advertising
November 09, 2012

There's no better time to get an offer than a few steps into a store -- or so believes Sensewhere, a company focused on hyperlocal interactions with consumers. It just released Adwhere, a location-based mobile application that can position consumers who are indoors and otherwise out of reach of GPS.

Amex Teams With Halo 4 on Master Chief Incentives
November 08, 2012

Master Chief is going after some real world conquests in the newly released Halo 4 from Microsoft. In time for the launch of the game, American Express teamed with Microsoft to launch a campaign that will reward players who sync their American Express card to Halo 4 -- and by default, Xbox Live.

Time to Break Out the Holiday Sales Game Plan
November 03, 2012

Like great athletes in football or basketball, the most prepared merchants win online commerce in the fourth quarter, when rabid fans propel businesses to profitability. You've likely completed your sourcing and planned many of your general holiday sales and promotions already. Now, it's time to go through your pre-game checklist again to make sure you're prepared for an online sales storm of Sandy proportions in 2012.

Instagram Makes Nudge a Lot Nudgier
November 02, 2012

Nudge, a marketing application designed for the real estate space, has released an update that incorporates Instagram into its offerings. The integration expands the application's photo and visual bona fides, not surprisingly -- but also expands Nudge's potential audience, since its inclusion makes the app flexible enough to be used by any business.

The New Marketing
October 31, 2012

I spent a day last week in Boston attending a conference called the "Inbound Marketing Summit" organized by my friend and former analyst Allen Bonde. Inbound marketing IMHO is taking off in some important dimensions. Inbound marketing is a cool idea that's been pushed by multiple companies recently. For instance, HubSpot held its user meeting early in the summer, and it was all inbound marketing all the time.

StrongMail Lifts Weight Off Burdensome Marketing Operations
October 26, 2012

StrongMail has upgraded the latest version of its flagship email marketing product, Message Studio, now available in version 7.1. Chief among the changes is a new type of data integration with an ERP system, as well as new testing, optimization, automation and reporting capabilities. "This is our third release of the year," said Dave Cormier, VP of product marketing at StrongMail.

Mobile CRM Strikes Geolocation Gold
October 23, 2012

Increasingly, CRM vendors are incorporating geofunctionality into their offerings. It is a must-have marketing technique for brick-and-mortar retailers competing with e-commerce providers. While that use is indeed still a big driver, vendors are also beginning to view it as a technology that has multiple CRM-related uses, such as a complementary technology for contact management.

The True Measure of a Marketing Campaign's Worth
October 18, 2012

Last-click attribution favors campaigns that influence the lower-end of the funnel. In contrast, first-click attribution favors campaigns that influence earlier in the funnel. Both are simple to use and are widely supported by analytics tools, and they are the most common attribution models used, despite their shortcomings. So why do the majority of marketers still rely on last-click attribution?

ExactTarget Hones Cross-Channel Communications
October 15, 2012

With two new acquisitions, ExactTarget is pushing beyond its original email marketing mission to become a one-stop online marketing and social media shop. The company has acquired Pardot for $95.5 million and iGoDigital for $21 million; it announced both deals last week.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Small-Biz Sales
October 08, 2012

Is your small business guilty as sin? Many small businesses are committing sales transgressions that hinder success and threaten to condemn them to eternal mediocrity in the market. The root of all these sins lies in a failure to adhere to the "commandment of commitment." To stay on the right path, every business should commit to a sales process that is documented and measurable.

IBM Taps Middleman to Reach Mid-Market
September 27, 2012

IBM launched a major initiative on Wednesday with the goal of targeting middle-market companies via their managed service providers. Increasingly, middle market companies are turning to companies that deliver technology solutions on a pay-as-you-go-model, said Mike McClurg, IBM's VP of global mid-market sales.

Discover Bank Pays Up to Settle Deceptive Marketing Charges
September 25, 2012

Discover Bank is refunding approximately $200 million to more than 3.5 million customers under a joint enforcement action by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Discover will also pay a $14 million civil money penalty, with half going to the U.S. Treasury and half to the CFPB's civil penalty fund.

Bizo Gives Social a Twirl in B2B Target Marketing
September 24, 2012

Bizo, an online marketing provider that focuses specifically on the business segment, has introduced two new apps that refine its marketing reach. Bizo Company Targeting and Bizo CRM Retargeting are tightly integrated with Salesforce.com, although it is not necessary to be a Salesforce.com client to use them. "Bizo helps marketers reach business audiences across the Web," said CEO Russell Glass.

Aprimo Shows Reps More Cross-Sell, Upsell Possibilities
September 17, 2012

Aprimo has released its second app for Salesforce.com's AppExchange, called "Aprimo Service to Sales." It is an inbound marketing app with real-time interactive features. The first Aprimo app destined for the AppExchange was released in 2010. The newer app, however, is written on a different code base, which was acquired last year with the acquisition of Helm Interaction's IP assets.

Sage Act Hones Social, Mobile Tools for Small-Biz Marketers
September 10, 2012

Sage North America has rolled out Sage Act 2013, a new iteration of its flagship application that has been enhanced with mobile, social and email marketing capabilities, as well as new smart task automation functionality. The focus is on contemporary trends of interest to SMBs, said Brandon Balsley, director of Sage Act product management.

Marketing's New Golden Age
September 05, 2012

Now is the golden age of marketing. I was tempted to write the second golden age since history sometimes seems to repeat but I am more of the Mark Twain school of history and he believed that history did not repeat itself but that it rhymed.

Transmutation in the C Suite
August 29, 2012

My sources tell me that Salesforce.com will be handling its major Dreamforce announcements differently this year. Rather than letting us drink from a firehose at the event, they promise to tell us much of their news beforehand so that they can spend the keynotes, I assume, drilling down into more of the substance of their announcements.