With the downturn in the economy encompassing nearly every aspect of our lives, growing businesses are feeling the pinch. Many companies have slashed their marketing budgets significantly this year and are hunting for cost–effective, measurable [Read More]

One of today’s hottest consumer marketing trends, blogging, is rapidly coming of age as both a strategic communication tool and an effective sales technique. Companies, including banks, automotive firms, and entertainment conglomerates, have been developing [Read More]

Companies large and small are going to great lengths to keep employees motivated, build camaraderie, and stimulate creativity. Some of the more curious team–building activities include team skydiving, team drumming, taking an improvisational comedy class, [Read More]

“The subject line is the most important part of e-communications,” stresses Grant Johnson, president and CEO of the Brookfield, Wis.–based marketing agency Johnson Direct. “It’s the equivalent of the outer envelope in your direct mail [Read More]

Take a good look at your favorite store on the corner. There is a 10 percent to 12 percent chance it will not be there next year, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of [Read More]

Much has been written about companies’ increased spending on integrated Internet marketing, from search engine optimization and Webinars to podcasts, social networks, and video on demand. While these nontraditional strategic communication tactics represent smart, innovative [Read More]

Employee newsletters, a critical component of any integrated marketing communications plan, get a bad rap, for good reason. They’re mostly bad. Their intent — to educate and to boost morale — may be admirable, but [Read More]

For an industry that pretty much fuels the whole capitalist engine, advertising is getting a sound snubbing these days — a Tom Petty-ish, “don’t come around here no more” message. Fatigued consumers, looking to free [Read More]

It’s really quite simple: Either your integrated marketing communications plan is delivering meaningful ROI or it just plain sucks. That may sound harsh, but integrated marketing guru Mark Stevens has been around the block enough [Read More]

Ask most businesspeople how Alpha companies — businesses that dominate their industry or product category — earn top-dog position, and they’ll probably list things like competitive pricing, customer service, quality products, being the first to [Read More]