Biographical Information

Articles for Jessica Tsai

Marketing the New Green

Companies should be rightly proud of their environmental improvements. So why can't they market those achievements without seeming mercenary?

What Wood You Do?

Building products distributor BlueLinx does its part for preservation.

Mail Model of the Year

U.S. Bank accrues savings by only pitching customers who aren't already likely to show interest.

Required Reading: Sustainability Is the Ultimate Business Practice

The 2010 CRM Service Awards: The Service Elite -- Drugstore.com

RightNow Technologies is helping Drugstore.com get better at making its customers look good.

The 2010 CRM Service Awards: The Service Elite -- Enterasys Networks

Enterasys Networks wants a relationship, not just efficiency—and Salesforce.com helps deliver both.

The 2010 CRM Service Awards: Service Leaders -- Web Self-Service

The 2010 CRM Service Awards: Service Leaders -- Web Interaction Management

The 2010 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- CallCopy (The Copy Cat)

Echoing the big players' functionalities, a spate of new releases are pushing CallCopy toward the upper tier.

The 2010 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Clickability (The Deliveryman)

In a fragmented Web content management field, Clickability's on-demand solution is delivering results in unexpected places.

M&A & CRM

A timeline of the tumult: The industry's shaken, but that may be a sign that the something's stirring. Here's a chance to look at the big picture—and to remember that not all deals pan out as intended.

Who Analyzes the Analysts?

The technology analysis industry has seen as much upheaval lately as the sector it covers.

Business Is Calling for the Customer Voice

Despite boasts that "the customer is king," a new report finds that consumer insight isn't getting a seat at the table.

High Five for DB5

With InfoStreet, a consultancy gets enterprise-caliber efficiency on a small-business budget

Keeping Up with the (For-Profit) Joneses

Modern nonprofits can't afford to seem like technological backwaters

The Lowest Cost of All

Why the nonprofit sector should embrace social media and viral marketing

Required Reading: Greenberg at the Speed of Light

The author, thought leader, consultant, and industry expert chats with Managing Editor Joshua Weinberger and Associate Editor Jessica Tsai to reveal why he wrote the book he swore he'd never write.

Helping Hands

The nonprofit sector needs CRM more than it knows, but its relationships are with donors, members, or activists—and technology is rarely a cause worth fighting for. Will the low cost of on-demand solutions finally allow nonprofits to embrace CRM?

Profiting from the Nonprofits

The for-profit world should heed the hard-won lessons of the nonprofits

Google Wave Makes a Splash in CRM

Google Wave isn't the first to wade into real-time collaboration, but the tsunami of buzz may drown the competition.

Required Reading: Indecisions, Indecisions, Indecisions

The author of "How We Decide" discusses the essential role of customer indecision.

Actuate Releases Enhanced Reporting, Acquires Xenos Group

Enterprise solution provider is keeping busy with a new edition as well as a new addition.

Gartner Acquires Burton Group, Finalizes AMR Deal

Information technology research firm expands its offerings with two recent acquisitions.

Amdocs Releases CES Version 8

The vendor's latest release focuses on enhancing the customer experience by enabling companies to be connected.

Are You Smarter Than a Neuromarketer

Companies have always aimed for the customer's heart, but the head may make a better target.

Required Reading: Innovation by Design

Here, There, and Everywhere

Knowing where consumers are can reveal a lot about who they are.

Cook, Clean, Watch, Buy

Video adds a new dimension to Electric Shopping's products and dramatically improves conversions

Passenger Opens Up

Online community provider extends its private network to Facebook and Twitter.

5 in the Lead in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Content Management

With single-digit growth and the addition of several new niche players, ECM continues to thrive.

Forrester Waves In Cross-Channel Campaign Management

In response to the demand for cross-channel marketing functionalities, the research firm publishes its first report covering this trend.

Unica Rounds Out Email Offering with Acquistion

The $17.8 million cash purchase of email deliverability specialist Pivotal Veracity is intended to help the marketing automation pioneer compete with best-of-breed email service providers.

Jive Acquires Filtrbox; Reaches Record Revenue in 2009

The social business software provider buys a social media monitoring company and plans to extend social insight across the entire enterprise.

Powered Powers Up Social Offering with 3 Acquisitions

After closing deals at the end of 2009, the social media agency aims to deliver a broad suite of social media capabilities.

Retail Experts Optimistic in 2010

NRF Annual ‘10: With the worst of the economic recession behind them, retailers must seek new growth opportunities through jobs, innovation, and international expansion.

Luxury Brands Embrace Social Media

NRF Annual '10: Consumers are looking for value that goes beyond just a price cut.

Partner Collaboration Critical to Innovation

Survey reports that working together makes everyone stronger.

Bringing Enterprise-Caliber Integration to the Midmarket

MindTouch and SnapLogic, two providers of open-source solutions, join together to deliver cost-effective enterprise integration application.

Forrester Releases Social Computing Predictions for 2010

Another year older, another year stronger-social media continues to gain momentum in the business world.

Top Online Retailers See Strong Growth

Large retailers are seeing record numbers in customer satisfaction but small and midsized businesses still feel the pain of the economy.

2010: The Year of Measurable Social Media?

Unable to connect social media to quantifiable results has made marketers wary of the investment, but this year may be the year all that changes.

Selling to the Sales Experts

The Sant Corp. discovers that even expertise in sales-specific software can be bolstered by an integration with other sales-specific software.

Healthier Web Sites For All

Site satisfaction calls for improvement as customers increasingly look online for information about their health.

Sales Gets eTrigued By Marketing

A new solution by eTrigue gives sales a taste of marketing automation.

IBM Leads Forrester Wave on Enterprise Content Management

Forrester Wave on ECM '09: Steady growth and a spate of consolidation mark the latest report by Forrester Research.

Customer Service by the People for the People

Attensity's latest release incorporates insight from social networks to enhance a company's own knowledge base for better customer service.

Video Is More Than Viral

Forget YouTube sensations and wardrobe malfunctions. After years spent bound up by bandwidth, video is finally able to help your business become the star of the show.

Video, At Your Service

A contest turns the customer service center into a film location.

Required Reading: Think Again. And Again.

Customers aren't unreasonable, says author William Cusick -- they just make decisions without necessarily being able to articulate why.

On Your Marketing, Get Set, Go

With the help of Brainshark's on-demand Web events, Corporate Visions sees record sales in its consulting business.

Salesforce.com Brings Social to the Enterprise

Dreamforce '09: The software-as-a-service pioneer unveils what it calls its fourth cloud -- the Collaboration Cloud -- as well as a product called Chatter.

Gen. Colin Powell Is Part of the Force

Dreamforce: In a moving speech to a global audience, Colin Powell reinvigorates the need for the purpose-driven individual.

Dreamforce: Releases Galore

Dreamforce '09: A roundup of product releases and enhancements that came out of the so-called "Cloud Event of the Year."

Dressing in Augmented Reality

New solution for online retailers brings the dressing room into the consumer's own home.

The 5 Potholes on the Road to Enterprise 2.0

Enterprise 2.0: Andrew McAfee, the man who coined the term "Enterprise 2.0," says the key to the transition involves sharing, not scaring.

Is Enterprise 2.0 a Crock?

Enterprise 2.0 '09: The concept may be mainstream enough to warrant having a conference in its name, but "enterprise 2.0" still faces criticism from industry skeptics who want to see results before they believe the hype.

Socializing with NetSuite and InsideView

NetSuite's first "premier partner" is a vendor that specializes in making social media work for the enterprise.

Required Reading: Cloud Formation

The coauthor of Marc Benioff's new book, Behind the Cloud, reveals the creation story behind the creation story

There's an App for That

The AppExchange, Salesforce.com's application marketplace, simplifies the selling process for developers and the buying process for users. What's the catch?

Sales Away into the Cloud

Software-as-a-service has expanded horizons—but your sales reps may ultimately need a unified solution.

Finding the ‘Where' with Software

SpatialKey's on-demand solution boasts a geographic information system (GIS) that's both low cost and caters to the business user.

B2Bs Have Clicks Up Their Sleeve, Too

eMetrics '09: Even if the transactions don't necessarily happen on the Web site, B2B marketers still have to manage the site experience.

The Great Data Debate

eMetrics '09: The Web has the potential to change the way companies and consumers interact, but how to make that happen is still up in the air.

They've Got Your Number, Sort of

Predictive Analytics World '09: With great power comes great responsibility, but the power has yet to fully manifest and predictive analytics is already assuming significant responsibility as it battles hearsay and consumer fear.

DMA Presents Awards to Future Innovators

DMA '09: The Direct Marketing Association reinvigorates the industry with an award to recognize thought leaders.

Marketing Knows No Age Limit

DMA '09: Members of past generations didn't age — they simply died. Baby Boomers, on the other hand, are defying that fate -- and if they're demanding more from life, why aren't marketers giving them what they want?

The Future of Technology: Where Are You Headed?

Forrester Services and Sourcing Forum '09: Technology teams are forced to re-evaluate their goals amid tech-industry upheavals in both delivery and cost.

Technology Needs to Be Lean and Mean

Forrester Business Technology Forum '09: It's not only hip -- it's critical -- to be lean today, especially when waste is a significant cost to companies. To do so, however, technology and business need to start communicating in terms both can understand.

The Next-Generation CMO Knows Something You Don't Know

destinationCRM.com Exclusive: A new report from Forrester Research explores the maturity of your customer intelligence — and reveals what your marketing department isn't measuring.

PowerReviews Connects Brands Socially

With BrandConnect, retailers try to listen in on reviews, while getting consumers to propagate them out.

Salesforce.com Invests in a Provider of Software-as-a-Service Accounting

Coda 2go, an application built natively on Salesforce.com's Force.com platform, becomes FinancialForce.com, a new company backed by Salesforce.com and Unit 4 Agresso, parent company of accounting software vendor Coda.

Who Do You Trust About Trust?

What to do with conflicting research from reputable sources.

Required Reading: In Us We Trust

Chris Brogan, co-author of the new "Trust Agents," explains why there's no better relationship than one built on trust.

Market Focus: Sports & Entertainment -- First Star I Tweet Tonight

Even a diehard fan wants to know the person behind it all.

Required Reading: Measuring Your Marketing

The author of The Marketing Performance Measurement Toolkit tries to help marketers identify what "success" really means.

The Cure for the Common Virus

Given the powerful effects of some viral-marketing efforts, even those previously immune are seeing possibilities of epidemic proportions.

Marketing to the Money Men

A wholesale provider of financial services tools finds a way to reach a better class of financial adviser.

6 Ways E-Commerce Survived the Recession

Shop.org Annual Summit '09: A record number of attendees gather to learn strategies for the changing e-commerce landscape.

Shopping with Moms and Millennials

Shop.org Annual Summit '09: With 90 percent of households reporting a reduction in shopping,

Retail Buys Into New Social Media Tools

More retail merchants are on Facebook and Twitter than they are employing customer reviews and viral videos, according to a survey by The E-tailing Group.

Jive's New Social Media Release Powered by Radian6

Social business solutions company adds social monitoring to its offering and aims to enable collaboration and engagement.

Forrester Unveils Consumer Technology Benchmark

Survey results of more than 40,000 American households shows that technology will continue to see strong adoption in daily life.

Marketers Need to Fully Own the Customer Experience

Enough with the promotions, customers demand better service.

Google Leaves Users Satisfied

Driven largely by the search engine giant, e-business receives a customer satisfaction score of 81.5 this quarter, up from 79.3 a year ago.

The 2009 Elite - ShipServ Sets Sale

Despite the economic storm, a maritime-industry e-marketplace stays afloat with Marketo lead management [Marketing Automation]

The 2009 Elite - Wrigleyville Sports Brings It Home

With NetSuite, a retailer scores a run, a basket, a touchdown, and a goal [Midmarket Suite CRM]

The 2009 Rising Stars - InsideView

Aggregating the Data

The 2009 Rising Stars - Jigsaw

Purifying the Data

The 2009 Influential Leaders - The Facilitator

CHRIS BROGAN
PRESIDENT, NEW MARKETING LABS

The 2009 Influential Leaders - The Socialist

ROSS MAYFIELD
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND COFOUNDER, SOCIALTEXT

The 2009 Influential Leaders - The Strategist

JEREMIAH OWYANG
SENIOR ANALYST, FORRESTER RESEARCH

Microsoft’s Million-Member March

Milestones and roadmap promises at the vendor's Worldwide Partner Conference '09.

Required Reading: Don’t Worry, Be Creative

What B2B Marketers Can Learn from B2C

CRM Evolution '09 — Day 2: Whether marketers are hitting an individual or an enterprise, both are consumers and, ultimately, share the mindset that "it's all about me."

The Future of Mobile Is Now

CRM Evolution '09 — Day 2: Mobile applications are bridging the gap between sales and CRM.

Calling All Social Customers

CRM Evolution '09 — Day 1: KEYNOTE: Customers may control the conversation, but they do not control your business.

Unica Integrates with Version 8

Sporting a new look and a new user interface, the marketing solutions vendor retires the Affinium name and targets the interactive marketer.

Xora and Gearworks Make a Mobile Merge

Former competitors combine, aiming to be the largest provider of mobile business applications.

Omniture Tops Forrester Wave in Web Analytics

Innovation isn't slowing down as vendors meet the increasing demand to merge online and offline data.

Webtrends Looks to Reclaim Position in Web Analytics Market

In what the company calls its biggest launch ever, Webtrends unveils Analytics 9 and acquires Widemile.

Interactive Spending Expected to Rise to $55 Billion by 2014

Marketers are cutting costs and opting for cheaper, more measurable tactics.

Still No Leaders or Challengers in Gartner's EMM Magic Quadrant

Magic Quadrant for EMM '09: Enterprise marketing management vendors continue to face slow adoption rates in an economic downturn.

Beyond the Hype: CRM Applications Endure

Forrester principal analyst William Band takes a deep dive into technologies that have evolved from having "overhyped expectations" to becoming critical to the "enterprise competitive strategy."

X Marks the Spot

Consumers are looking for you on search engines—but are you there to be found?

Required Reading: Rave All About It

Author David Meerman Scott reveals the secret to having your idea spread everywhere.

Intelligence in the Cloud

Business intelligence software defined a certain stage of maturity with CRM data by making that data actionable. Now on-demand BI promises to do the same for on-demand CRM — by making it affordable.

LucidEra: The End of an Era?

Industry experts—including some LucidEra investors and competitors—speculate on the reasons behind the fall of an on-demand business intelligence pioneer, and LucidEra customers talk about how they'll cope with the loss.

Less Is More

Email-collaboration provider Zimbra sheds complexity, opts for simplicity—and achieves better results.

IBM to Acquire SPSS for $1.2 Billion

Looking to enhance its business analytics capabilities, Big Blue adds the predictive analytics pioneer to its list of more than a hundred companies acquired in the past decade.

Marketers and Mobile Carriers Put Best Practices in Motion

For the first time, U.S. mobile carriers and the Mobile Marketing Association have collaborated to create a single standard for mobile SMS marketing.

Worldwide BI Revenue Reached $8.8 Billion in 2008

Growth in business intelligence software continues despite economic pressures.

Twitter: Social Media for the Sophisticated User?

"As people become more savvy with social media," says the managing partner of Anderson Analytics, "they pick up Twitter."

Microsoft Makes a Million (or Two)

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference '09: The tech giant hits two major milestones: a million members of its partner network and a million customers for Dynamics CRM.

A Happy Tech-Support Caller Is a Happy Customer

A new study reaffirms the impact a satisfactory tech-support experience has on brand image and likelihood to repurchase.

Alterian Socializes with Techrigy

The marketing automation provider brings social media monitoring onto its platform.

Gen Y Finally Begins to Value Loyalty

Consumers continue to look for additional value through loyalty programs. Millennials show the highest increase in participation.

Amid Budgetary Bloodshed, Social Media Marketing Is Spared

In a new survey, more than half of respondents cite overall marketing-budget cuts of at least 20 percent, but nearly half claim they'll be increasing their social media marketing spend.

Responsys Gets Personal

By integrating data collected by its recommendation-engine partners, Responsys aims to help clients deliver highly personalized emails.

Coremetrics Targets Ad-Targeting

New releases promise to help Coremetrics clients deliver ads of higher relevance.

Diaper Duty

With search-optimized customer reviews, Diapers.com increases site traffic and online sales.

Search Engineering

Your customers are searching for you. Unfortunately, if you don't come to grips with search engine marketing, you're making it harder for them to find you.

Required Reading: Cashing In On Social

Author Tara Hunt explains how The Whuffie Factor can be a company's saving grace.

Taking the Measure of Social Media

Experts insist that social media is measurable—it just depends on how you define your metrics.

LucidEra Shuts Down Operations

Sources say the software-as-a-service business intelligence vendor caved under tough economic conditions.

The Growth of the Social Inbox

Forrester Research forecasts overall growth in domestic email marketing — to $2 billion by 2014 — but social platforms are replacing the traditional email inbox among the younger set.

Socializing with Gen Y

Latest report from Forrester's "Designing for Gen Y Series" examines one of four approaches for engaging with Gen Y on the Web.

Marketo Brings Social Into Sales Insight

Incorporating data from Jigsaw, Demandbase, and LinkedIn, Marketo aims to empower sales with its native Force.com application.

Autonomy Interwoven Unveils Social Media Analytics Tool

Merging social media monitoring with content management, the solution aims to help marketers find meaning and take action.

Customer Experience Is A Key Differentiator

Research by Strativity Group shows that higher investments in customer experience result in lower attrition and higher referral and customer satisfaction rates. Cutting back is not an option. "The race is on," says Lior Arussy, president of Strativity Group.

No More Teachers, No More Books: The Social Student Comes of Age

Internet Week '09: Students are connecting and learning on the Web -- and institutions that fail to stay relevant are sure to flunk out.

Does Mobile Need Social?

Mobile Marketing Forum '09: The quintessential benefit of social media is the ability to stay connected anywhere, anytime. That makes social media reliant on mobile technology -- but is the reverse also true?

On the Scene: Users Converge

Microsoft Convergence '09: Microsoft and its user groups extend face-to-face with @-to-@.

Required Reading: Socially Aware

The co-author of Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom explains why it's not so easy for companies to simply hop aboard the social media bandwagon.

Marketing and Social Media: Everyone’s Social (Already)

Your customers are increasingly connected — to you, to your competition, to each other — but you're not supposed to be the center of every network.

Social from the Inside Out

By focusing on connecting employees, a socially entwined culture benefits clients.

Doesn't Your Sales Team Want Access to Prospect Data?

Eloqua's latest release strives to throw more than just leads over the wall from marketing to sales.

"Second-Generation Analytics" with Quantivo's Omniture Adapter

Using data from Omniture SiteCatalyst, Quantivo aims to perform deeper analytics, faster.

Paperless Marketing for the Digital Consumer

No-programming-necessary software allows the traditional direct marketer to offer the choice of receiving marketing materials as desired.

Location Technologies Should "Creep You Out"

Where 2.0 '09: As geolocation expands beyond mere mapping technology, location data can provide sociological insight -- but it also represents a significant risk to privacy.

How Online Social Networking Explains Offline Social Behavior

International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media '09: Using the digital to explain the analog.

InsideView's Vision Of Social Sales

The vendor's new SalesView Buzz tab aggregates social networking information and integrates the data directly into CRM systems, providing richer context around sales leads. The problem? A significant amount of data on the social Web is simply wrong.

Customer Satisfaction Drops for E-Commerce Top 100

Only 16 of the top 100 Internet retailers -- including perennial leaders Netflix and Amazon.com -- improved their satisfaction scores, but the majority of e-commerce sites lost ground. Also, research firm Gartner offers cost-saving tips.

TreeHouse Interactive Digs Up the Roots of ROI

New features in the company's Marketing View product focus on demand generation and connecting campaigns to leads.

Attensity Group to Tackle Unstructured Data

The three-company roll-up aims to enhance customer service by using voice-of-the-customer feedback.

On-Demand Is In Demand within Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Campaign Management

Magic Quadrant for MCM '09: A tough economy calls for tough, but cheaper, solutions.

Government Agencies and Internet Retailers Lack Trust

In a down economy, consumers are vulnerable to Internet scams, but many government and Internet retailers are still neglecting to implement preventive measures.

Scoring with Fans

Retail had a bad season, but Wrigleyville Sports now finds itself safe at home.

Selling Out

Have retailers, desperate for survival, abandoned their commitment to the customer experience?

Shopping On the Go

Why mobile shopping—"m-commerce"—is finally getting a move on.

Required Reading: Short and Sweet

Being a shortcut means enhancing your value to those around you.

Customer Satisfaction with E-Gov Declines

Expectations are high for the new administration, and even with the first "President 2.0" in office, government Web sites are slow to change.

Social Media: The Five-Year Forecast

Social media has only just taken off, says Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang -- and his "Future of the Social Web" report says social networks and marketers will have to change their strategies. "Bad things will happen," he says.

Web Analytics Meets Social Media

Webtrends and Radian6 are the latest vendors to partner up for companies hoping to monitor and respond to online conversations.

Can Marketers Afford Customer Centricity?

"What marketing really needs to be doing is driving business," says a CMO Council executive.

Marketers Need Technology to Step Up

Automation, optimization, integration -- all critical to effective marketing, and all require technological involvement. Too bad the relationship between the two still has a few bugs.

Global Technology Spending: Declining This Year, Rising in 2010

The strength of U.S. currency depresses revenue earnings abroad, but a forecast indicates that 2010 will bring a strong turnaround.

USPS Delivers a New Discount

Facing a drop in mailings and a poor economy, the United States Postal Service plans to implement a variable-price "Summer Sale" -- but only the largest mailers will benefit.

New Social Media Not Helping Sales

A recent study affirms that what's cool isn't necessarily what's selling -- or what's helping your company sell more.

On The Scene -- Net Promoter Conference ’09: Can You Hear Me Now?

Wireless service providers aren't listening to their loudest customers

Required Reading: Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Tell All About It

Solving a problem works best when others help you spread the good word.

Microsoft Announces Free Accelerators and Online Service Updates

Microsoft Convergence '09: In light of a troubling economy, Microsoft offers free service upgrades and eight add-ons for its Dynamics CRM and CRM Online customers.

Customers Want Productivity, Not Products

Microsoft Convergence '09: They've got the technology -- that was the easy part. Now customers are eager to learn how to use it to succeed.

Reviews for the Little Guys

At online-auction site eBay, ProStores opens PowerReviews Express to its 40,000 small and midsized merchants.

Microsoft Focuses on Existing Customers

Microsoft Convergence '09: A focus on people, process, and an integrated ecosystem is what's needed for businesses expecting to survive this turbulent economy.

Marketo Strikes Up a Conversation

The marketing automation vendor's latest release focuses on usability and that human touch.

On the Scene -- National Retail Federation ’09: Retailers Face Reality

In today's economy, mere survival can become the primary goal.

Required Reading: Barack Wants You

A new book suggests that Barack Obama's presidential campaign—and his presidency—can teach the business world a thing or two about 2.0.

Innovation Nation: 5 Marketing Campaigns for a New Generation

The country's in a turbulent period—a new administration, a recessionary economy—but these campaigns prove that creativity thrives in the face of change.

The Virtual Welcome Mat

Eloqua extends the reach of its marketing message with some outside Web-event expertise.

Retailers Better Buy In to Social Media

eTail West '09: Companies are either wallowing in uncertainty or else diving aimlessly into unknown waters -- either way, the brand takes a hit.

Online Retailers Actually Had a Holly, Jolly Christmas

eTail West '09: With revenue down, retailers are having to rely more on analytics than ever before.

Your Most Loyal Customers Demand the Best Experiences

Latest report from Forrester Research affirms high correlation between experience and loyalty across all industries.

Newegg Takes the Lead in Customer Satisfaction

Despite a slight drop in customer satisfaction, e-commerce and retail put up a strong fight against the economy.

What You See Is What We've Got

ANA TV & Everything Video Forum '09: No matter what screen the consumer's looking at, the video message still needs to connect.

No Money in UGC Video...Yet

User-Generated Content Expo '09: What's the value of a video that's been seen a million times, if no one buys anything?

The 6 Principles of User-Generated Content

User-Generated Content Expo '09: Executives of iStockphoto explain how passion -- backed by user insight -- can be the foundation for a booming business.

Online Video: "We're the Entertainment People"

AlwaysOn OnMedia '09: More people are viewing content online than on any other channel, forcing advertisers to venture out of their comfort zones.

2009: The Year Mobile Finally Makes a Move?

AlwaysOn OnMedia '09: Panelists discuss the current state of mobile marketing.

Next Customer, Please!

Adobe increases conversions with the help of behavioral-targeted live chat.

Make Marketing Your Megaphone!

When budgets are tight, it's your job to calm skittish customers and capture the few viable prospects. You can't be everywhere at once, so be where you're most effective.

Express Service

American Express wants to cut spending as it enters 2009—nearly $2 billion worth—but what happens if its customers do the same?

Market Focus: Automotive—Running on Empty

Will Detroit get the help it claims to need, or the fate some say it deserves?

Required Reading: Finding a New Path to Customers

Finding a new path to customers means identifying what works, what doesn't, and why.

The 5 Levels of Customer Experience Maturity

Net Promoter Conference '09: Deliver an excellent customer experience, and riches are sure to follow.

Customers Invest in—and Promote—Charles Schwab

Net Promoter Conference '09: The financial services leader relies on a simple measure of customer loyalty that often goes unacknowledged.

Keeping Your Financials Intacct

The provider of on-demand financial applications launches its Winter 2009 product.

Recession Deflates Noncash Incentives

In a down economy, companies anticipate a negative impact on incentive programs for 2009, but a well-planned, well-implemented program may be just what they need to survive.

MicroStrategy Dresses to the 9s

MicroStrategy 9, the business intelligence company's first major release in nearly four years, boasts enhanced features and an increase in both scalability and flexibility.

Retail's Uncertain Horizon

NRF Annual '09: Petsmart and Urban Outfitters weigh in on what retailers must do with the horror of 2008 behind them and projections of a difficult 2009 ahead.

Wal-Mart CEO Reveals the Company of the Future

NRF Annual '09: No pressure or anything, but retailers are the key to building "a stronger America."

The Most Valuable Retail Brands of 2009

NRF Annual '09: Discounts are tactical, but a brand is forever. The companies that manage to balance the two will be the ones to come out of this recession alive.

Marketing Trends for 2009

"Customer satisfaction" and "customer retention" top the list for marketing executives.

A New Destination for Mobile Users

New online community offers mobile computer users the chance to help reinvent product development.

Predictive Analytics Can Pinpoint Profitable Customers

Customer retention is one thing. Identifying the right ones to retain is another.

Barnes and Noble Tops Customer Experience List

Only 11 percent of companies were considered "excellent" in Forrester's second annual Customer Experience Index (CxPi) Rankings.

Amazon.com and Netflix Score in E-Commerce Customer Satisfaction

In this recessionary holiday season, the two online players tie for first, while all others fall short of "excellence."

The Marketing Line for ’09

Having already endured nearly two years of economic decline, a bleak forecast means marketers are in for a bumpy year.

Required Reading: The Ne(x)t Generation

In "Grown Up Digital," author Don Tapscott revisits the kids who grew up on technology and the Internet.

Email: What’s Inside?

There are several layers to effective email messaging. Delivery is the first one, but getting customers to open and act on emails is what matters.

Lead Sweet Lead

A Realtor discovers that as one door (fore)closes, another might not open.

Federal Government Improves, But Still Trails Private Sector

Any improvements in customer satisfaction given today's economy is noteworthy, but government could still use more votes.

On-demand Content Management Sprung

The latest release by SpringCM brings affordable alternatives to traditionally cumbersome and expensive content management systems.

Bazaarvoice's Quick Take on Reviews

A new tagging feature aims to make reviews more easily accessible.

Lyris HQ Goes Mobile

The company expands its online marketing platform with a new text-messaging solution.

College Kids Want World Peace and Blogs: Top 10 Web Sites

A look at the younger crowd's shifting Web preferences: Facebook still rules, LiveJournal and CNN are on the rise -- but PerezHilton.com and CollegeHumor.com fall off the list.

Trigger Marketing Hits the Bull's-Eye

A new report from Aberdeen suggests that the best time for marketers is when customers are communicating through their actions.

A Site Stops Feeling Overtaxed

The voice of the customer helps Intuit in an online revamp.

Make ’Em Laugh—Personally

GigglePrint knows personalization, but Coremetrics helps teach the printing company how to finish the transaction.

Spiff Up Your Site!

Your company's Web site doesn't have to be the prettiest one out there, but it has to be useful. Here's how to make sure it is.

Financial Frenzy

Banks are dropping like flies—or mating like bunnies.

Required Reading: It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. It’s You.

Reinvent your revenue stream to help people, communities, and the planet.

Power to the SMB

PowerReviews unveils an affordable -- and "frictionless" -- solution for small retailers.

What Do Manufacturers Know about Manufacturing Customer Satisfaction?

Quite a bit, apparently: In a new report, food manufacturing improves its standing among consumers, while soft drinks and apparel fare less well.

Sign Here, Click Send

New product release from electronic-signature provider EchoSign offers reporting and analytics to optimize the sales cycle.

Voice of the Manufacturer

A new solution by Bazaarvoice aims to bring manufacturers into the conversation.

Former Oracle Executive to Join SAP

A year out of the spotlight, John Wookey is back on the scene, except now he's playing on a different side.

Transactional Emails Add to the Action

An often-overlooked technique can add significant value to your marketing spend.

Are Social Networks More Than Social?

Analytical tools help marketers derive intelligence from what customers are already making publicly available.

FreshAddress and Return Path's ECOA Join Forces

The acquisition aims to consolidate the market for email hygiene and correction services.

Working with the Years

In a multigenerational workforce, knowledge transfer becomes an ever-more-complicated challenge.

Required Reading: In Demography, Size Does Matter

Demographics is all about numbers, and numbers determine the size of your potential market.

Who, What, Where, When, Y

The members of Generation Y are young, they're smart, and they're paving (if not paying) their own way. So who's following whom?

Budgets Hold Steady (So Far), But Online Marketing Actually Expands

A focus on Web analytics and the ability to measure online marketing combine to counter the stress of a down economy.

E-Gov Keeps Swimming Upstream

For the second consecutive quarter, government Web sites get high marks -- but providing citizens with high-quality service remains a struggle.

Survey Tools Step Up

Even if customer surveys don't interest you, real-time alert capabilities might.

Are You Ready for MDM?

MDM Summit '08: Master data management isn't easy, but experts believe there's never been a better time to get started.

Text Links May Make the Best Marketing

Overall, 25 percent of online visitors will click a text link first; younger consumers, however, may be more graphically inclined.

Infor Tries to Unite Old and New

Inforum '08: Built on acquisitions, Infor unveils plans to increase investment in integration.

Don't Pull Back on Push Marketing

Direct Marketing Association '08: In a down economy, marketers and advertisers have no choice but to look up.

Social Media Wants You

Eloqua Experience '08: Charlene Li, the co-author of "Groundswell" and former Forrester Research analyst, offers simple advice for taking on social media: Just do it.

You Have No Idea What Data You Have, Do You?

DataFlux Ideas '08: Business needs to join technology to put the "management" back in "data management."

Unica Unveils Next Generation of Affinium Suite

One Unica executive (a former industry analyst) is calling the new Interactive Marketing product -- powered by Affinium 7.5 -- "the most significant release the company has made since its inception."

How Much Marketing Is Too Much?

Whether marketers send messages across multiple channels or just one, every customer has a limit. The trick is knowing where that limit is.

SAP Retains Market-Share Lead in CRM

Gartner report shows the Wonder of Walldorf still on top—but a lawsuit and other troubles loom.

Market Focus: Sports & Entertainment -- Build a Good Event and They Will Come

A loyal fan base is the best defense against a declining economy.

Required Reading: United We Stand

One author says it's time the marketing department gets with the program—or else.

Some Stories Never Get Old

A cosmetics company relies on its customers to share the beauty of its brand.

Women Taking Charge in ‘Female Economy'

Advertising Week NY '08: It might take government intervention to save the country, but it's women who are making the personal financial decisions to protect themselves and their families.

10 Lessons NBC Learned from Beijing

Advertising Week NY '08: While television attracted the most viewers during the Olympics, the CEO of NBC Universal gives online media medals of its own.

Marketbright Offers to Automate Your Event Planning

A new Event Manager module aims to take the 'manual' out of manual labor.

MarketSight Delivers On-Demand Data Analysis

Analytics delivered via software-as-a-service continues to expand the business-user-friendliness of statistical analysis.

Better Business Deserves Better Images

With an improved graphics functionality, SPSS strives to make its solution more user-friendly.

Crossing Generational Lines at Work

2008 Office 2.0 Conference: As young meets old, and new meets traditional, business needs to keep an open mind.

Google Exec Talks Business in the Cloud

2008 Office 2.0 Conference: In just one year, the Internet has completely changed the way we do business.

Oracle Integrates CRM On Demand with Siebel

In an effort to unite on-demand and on-premises CRM, Oracle takes responsibility for product integration -- a move that looks particularly appealing for partner channel management.

Locating Intelligence

By knowing the "where" in anywhere, business intelligence just got a whole lot smarter.

Required Reading: Shhh…It’s a Secret

Why the "business" component of your business needs to be much more than just what you sell.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Influential Leaders -- Josh Bernoff + Charlene Li

The Swells: Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li -- industry analysts and co-authors of Groundswell.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Influential Leaders -- Seth Godin

The Big Thinker: Seth Godin -- marketing guru, author, blogger.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Rising Stars -- Marketo

Merging marketing and sales.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Rising Stars -- Twitter

Getting customers all a-twitter.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Elite -- Ice Energy

Email marketing Turns a typically cold season warm with JangoMail.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Market Leaders -- Marketing Automation

Penetration remains a challenge for all players, but Unica leads yet again.

The 2008 CRM Market Awards: Market Leaders -- Business Intelligence

SAS Institute takes the crown for the fourth year running as business intelligence evolves from reporting, analytics, and dashboards into a wealth of complexity.

Eloqua Opens Up With Web Services

New application programming interfaces aim to increase flexibility and ease integration with CRM systems -- particularly sales and marketing solutions.

Unica Wants Its Partners in the Marketing Market

Providing technical and consulting services to partners, the marketing software provider aims to extend its own worldwide presence.

Cashing In Without the Cash

Xactly launches Rewards on Salesforce.com's platform to "close the loop."

Getting On Track with Marketers

destinationCRM 2008: A snapshot of the conference's marketing track in the last two days.

CRM 2.0 and "The Customer Module"

destinationCRM 2008: The customer module is based on the idea that united we stand, divided we fall -- and it's what CRM has been missing.

Return Path and Habeas Deliver on a Merger

Former competitors aim to strengthen their collective market presence to promote the importance of email reputation management and deliverability -- in short, the "mission of saving email."

Your Web Site Is Your Oyster: 10 Pearls of Wisdom

Affiliate Summit East '08: The head of Internet marketing company Ten Golden Rules shares the top 10 online trends -- and how to make them work for you.

10 Ways to Attract Affiliates

Affiliate Summit East '08: And 7 mistakes to avoid.

Consumers to Marketers: Get Real

eTail East '08: Consumers just want to buy from someone they can relate to.

Making (More) Money in Online Stores

eTail East '08: Provide your customers with relevant cross-sells and upsells -- it's a win-win situation.

SAP's TomorrowNow to Shut Down but the Jury's Still Out

As Oracle extends the allegations over the SAP subsidiary's illegal downloading, the German juggernaut faces an uprising over its plan to increase maintenance costs.

Forrester Acquires JupiterResearch

A $23 million dollar deal joins the two technology and market research firms.

Maximum Security

You're nothing without your data -- so what are you doing to protect it?

Money Lying Around?

Targeted sales calls connect better with clients who invest more.

Can Email Marketers Learn 2 <3 SMS?

As email service providers extend their expertise to SMS and text messaging, consumers may have to be induced to respond.

Let Me Tell You a Story

A new product from Bazaarvoice elevates the engagement of user-generated content through customer storytelling.

Omniture Extends Web Analytics to Mobile

With Web-enabled mobile devices on the rise, the company's mobile analytics will enhance its latest SiteCatalyst release.

Longwood Software's Access to Hot Assets

The vendor launches a new bookmarking solution for sales and marketing materials.

Statistics For Everyone!

SPSS's latest release of statistics software aims to suit the novice, the expert -- and everyone in between.

¡Viva la Revolucion!

It's been a long and wasteful battle, but are we nearing the end of the war between marketing and sales?

U.S. Advertising Will Reach $43.4 Billion in 2013

The economic downturn pushes spending away from traditional advertising to more accountable online media.

No Leaders Yet in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Marketing Management

Magic Quadrant for EMM '08: Until buyers are using EMM solutions as platforms, vendors can't be marked for their ability to deliver.

Enterprise IT Goes Green

Forrester sees nearly six times more respondents in this year's survey, a sign that green initiatives are increasingly top-of-mind for technology departments.

Something for a Rainy Day

Better landing pages increase adoption of relevant weather-alert services.

CRM to the Max

Mobile WiMax will transform the way consumers interact with technology -- but only if it's widely available.

Required Reading: What's in a Tagline?

A change in your brand's tagline may end up damaging the brand itself.

Sales and Marketing: One Big Happy Family?

Maybe someday. In the meantime, Genius.com has unveiled a solution that strives to bridge the departmental divide.

LucidEra's Lead Conversions Are BI in the Sky

On-demand business intelligence may make it easier to get insight whether you're big or small.

Single Marketing Headquarters with Lyris HQ

New suite of marketing solutions aims to "Simplify, Unify, [for] ROI."

Baynote Brings Multichannel Wisdom to the Web

Using customers to benefit customers brings marketing intelligence to a whole new level.

Better Web Pages with Google

A new partnership between the search-engine giant and content management systems gives end users a tool for Web-page testing.

9 Deadly Sins in Marketing

DMDays '08: A database is more than just a list of names—it's where marketers go wrong and how to get back on course.

Infor’s New Marketing Solution

The company's MRM solution integrates marketing and delivers results.

“The Internet Is Still the Wild, Wild West”

AOTA '08: Security is nascent and consumers are still hesitant to make an online transaction. What will it take for the Internet to be a place where everybody knows your name—and it's OK?

Looking for Trust, Security, and Good Times

AOTA '08: Woeful romantics may cry out over their Missed Connections, but craigslist aims never to let the integrity of its site—or the trust of its millions of users—slip away.

Roar of the Market

Attensity's new Market Voice solution strives to harvest customer insight from both direct and indirect channels.

Making Mashup Masterpieces

Business just got a little more hands on -- and a lot more interesting.

Required Reading: Let's Hear It for the Customers!

Consumers are talking to the world -- and the world is listening.

Lollipop Loyalty

As rewards programs proliferate, your best customers want -- and deserve -- more consideration.

So Hot It's Cool

Ice Energy pumps up sales with the heat of email marketing.

Integrated Marketing Remains Elusive

A new study confirms that integrated marketing is important, but remains difficult to achieve.

Bigger, Faster, More Affordable Marketing

Alterian's latest upgrade aims to integrate marketing operations to decrease costs, improve performance and increase scalability.

By the People, For the People

Deloitte gives the government advice on how to appeal to the masses.

Unica Tops Gartner Magic Quadrant for MCM

Magic Quadrant for MCM '08: As consumers move online, so should marketers -- and standalone best-of-breed marketing vendors continue to lead the way in the multichannel campaign management.

Bazaarvoice Brings Partners Together

Integration of partner technologies aims to enhance all marketing operations with user generated content.

SAP + RIM = CRM2Go

Introducing a rebuilt version of its CRM application to run natively on Research In Motion's BlackBerry mobile devices, SAP aims to give companies universal access.

Are You Ready to Party?

When friends have fun, brands get a big benefit.

The Moving Target

Mobile phones have been around for decades -- but the ability to market to mobile-phone users is relatively new. No wonder marketers are still struggling to get it right.

Sense-sational Marketing

On The Scene: DMA B2B Marketing -- Advertising is movin' on up--and in, out, and around all the human senses.

Market Focus:
Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods -- Price Check, Aisle 5

Everyone's talking about "the R word" -- Recession! -- and for the first time in a long time, price is competing head-to-head with service.

Required Reading: Show Me the Talent

What do you think your talent needs are and do you have a plan to meet them?

It's Just a Matter of Trust

Unica's Marketing Innovation Summit '08: The only kind of customer relationship that matters is one built on trust.

Finely Tuned Marketing

Unica's Marketing Innovation Summit '08: As customers take the stage, marketers have to stop singing and start listening.

Zoho CRM Goes Enterprise

Zoho moves up in functionality but continues to keep prices down.

Long Live the Brand

When a company believes in its brand, customers will believe in it, too.

Salesforce.com Comes to Town

Just a quarter of the way through the year, the company's 'SaaS' tank is full and ready to go.

One in a Billion: China's Youth Yearn for Individuality

A rapidly developing nation, China has a rapidly changing youth population and marketers need to keep up.

Mobile Messaging Keeps Moving Up

With market leaders like Amazon.com leading the way, the emerging medium is making waves.

Cool Vendors Make Marketing Look Hot

Gartner puts four companies -- and their innovative technologies -- onto the map of the marketing and analytics industries.

Unica Says You're Unique

Enhanced optimization in Affinium 7.3 -- the latest release of the vendor's flagship suite -- aims to make the campaign fit the customer, not the other way around.

The Rebirth of Taxes

Online- and catalogue-only merchants are being called out for getting a head start, but a new bill hopes to even the score

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Elite -- iRobot

Automation is second nature to robotics supplier iRobot, making automated customer service from RightNow Technologies a solid match.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Web Self-Service

While the technology to establish Web self-service is readily available, maximizing the benefits remains a challenge; RightNow Technologies wins by a healthy margin.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Spoken Communications

Spoken Communications keeps callers from waiting aimlessly on the line, but it's waiting for a big customer to keep it in the limelight.

Join the Club With Your Own Card

Collecting rewards made easy with a single swipe.

JupiterResearch Sends a Message to Email Service Providers

A new survey unveils what buyers want -- and what vendors need to deliver: Deliverability and cost supplant vendor reputation as the number-one priority.

Portrait Software Acquires a More Colorful Marketing Picture

The customer interaction vendor aims to complete its marketing suite with the acquisition of Million Handshakes, a provider of outbound campaign management software.

Optimizing for Innovation

SAS Global Forum '08: The times, they are a-changin' -- and companies need to change, too, says one presenter.

SAS Gets Structured for the Unstructured

SAS Global Forum '08: At its annual users conference, SAS unveils a new acquisition, once code-named "Apollo."

Omniture Gets Visual

The Web-analytics vendor introduces a new video-measurement function and a renewed focus on user-friendliness.

Online Retail's Continued Growth

Economic concerns haven't had much effect on results, but it's going to take something "monumental" to push e-commerce to the next level.

10 Ways to Meet the CIO

DMA B-to-B Marketing '08: The chance to get face time with the CIO is rare -- and even more difficult to sustain.

Direct Marketing Meets the Web

DMA B-to-B Marketing Conference '08: The Internet will forever change the marketing landscape -- in fact, the change may have already happened.

SaaS Is As Easy As 1-2-3, A-B-C

Small and midsize companies are slowly but surely turning their heads -- and business -- to software-as-a-service.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Web Interaction Management

A new category covers multiple channels of customer support: email, instant messaging, click-to-call, click-to-chat, online forums, etc.; RightNow Technologies is the inaugural winner.

Online Exclusive: The Making of a Multicultural Campaign

A destinationCRM.com supplement to the March 2008 CRM magazine cover story.

The Markets Within the Masses

When marketers try to reach a particular demographic, the successes -- and failures -- reflect on all of us.

NetSuite's Sweet Ride Takes Another Turn

After what one analyst called a "painfully long" anticipation, the on-demand CRM vendor finally goes public

Market Focus: Automotive -- Detroit: Driven to Distraction

Facing fierce competition from imports and a weakening economy, the automotive industry targets long-term customer satisfaction.

On The Scene: Retailers Dream Big

In the face of new challenges, design and creativity are seen as key factors

Tech Solution: Master Data Management

Business Problem: Companies need to integrate disparate information.

Governing Better Marketing

Varonis excels beyond Excel and into marketing automation.

Mining for the Gold Within Text

As if companies weren't already drowning in data, technology has opened up a whole new can of worms -- unstructured data.

Coremetrics Connects Marketing

A platform divided cannot stand -- at least not for long -- prompting vendors to strive for the Holy Grail of marketing integration.

On Premise Gets Back On Target

In spite of on-demand's increasing popularity, on-premise solutions are still high in demand.

E for Excellence

Other industries could stand to learn a few things as e-commerce continues to deliver outstanding customer satisfaction.

Marketing When Money Gets Tight

With talk of a recession forcing businesses to trim budgets, one expert advises a focus on "quick, inexpensive successes."

At Your Service: Where SaaS Goes from Here

The "software-as-a-service" industry takes yet another big step toward the mainstream with a new release from Web-content management vendor Clickability that relies on a series of technologies delivered "as a service."

Entellium Simplifies with Simplicity

An upgrade to the company's suite of CRM and sales force automation software aims to extend the relationship between sales and technology.

Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo!

After repeatedly failing to come to terms on a friendly merger in 2006 and 2007, Microsoft's hostile advances for the No. 2 search company won't be spurned as easily this time. What does the proposed deal mean for CRM?

No More Bumps for BlueRoads

Marketo smooths out pay-per-click campaigns that were costing more (and producing less) than they should.

Tech Solution: Marketing Resource Management Software

Business Problem: Marketing needs to manage the back end to free up time better spent delivering relevant creative material and addressing individual customer needs.

Out of the Gate: Marketers Rate '08 Traits

Though marketing seems committed to its customer-centric approach, opinion is divided on which specific trends will dominate this year.

Required Reading: Strategic Minds Think Alike

But why?

The Smallest Slice

A pristine customer database -- names, addresses, phone numbers, all neat and clean -- is only the first step. Now you have to market to certain parts of that group: How do you carve out just the right piece of the pie?

ACT! Enacts an Online Community

Riding the Web 2.0 wave, the Sage Software unit provides a place for users and experts to interact.

Experience the Benefits of Experiential Marketing

Study shows that it's not just seeing, but experiencing, that will get customers believing.

Can Sales and Marketing Ever Get Along?

A new survey by the Aberdeen Group reveals the benefits of -- and secret to -- bringing together the feuding departments.

ATG Gets Personal with CleverSet

The e-commerce solutions provider strives to further its commitment to personalization with a new acquisition.

7 Qualities of a Customer-Centric Business

National Retail Federation Convention '08: According to the 97th annual NRF confab, what really matters in today's economy goes far beyond price.

With Clementine 12.0, SPSS Goes Deep

New data mining release offers improved functionality for a broader base of users.

Service Is the Shot Heard 'Round the World

Customer expectations are getting higher and higher and companies that don't respond "risk becoming irrelevant and, ultimately, obsolete," according to Accenture.

Email Marketing to Reach $2.1 Billion by 2012

Email is still -- and will continue to be -- a favorite channel for marketers, according to a new report.

e-Gov and Federal Government Satisfaction Scores Are a Crime

Declining scores in citizen satisfaction mean the government still has plenty of work to do.

Oh, Behave!

It's never easy to know precisely what your customers are feeling -- but you can certainly pay attention to what they're doing, and behavioral targeting can lead to actionable insight.

Market Focus: Manufacturing -- Customers, Meet Your Makers

Thanks to increased adoption of CRM, manufacturing is putting things together.

Facebook's About-Face

The social networking company introduced a marketing plan many of its members hated -- and changed course accordingly.

Let's Get Digital

Ciena Corp. discovered that 3-D can be A-OK.

Holiday Season Rings in Less Cheer

Online retail satisfaction goes down, but economy and price aren't the only ones to blame.

Forrester Evaluates Top Email Vendors

Email continues to play a strong role in marketing campaigns, but improvements are still in high demand.

Cognos Performs For Businesses

With a new acquisition and fresh features, Cognos aims to improve its performance management platform.

Customer Affinity Is in the Hands of the Marketer

Marketers can help change the way products are developed, designed, distributed, and -- on a grander level -- ensure that a given company is customer-centric.

Reviewing the Reviewers

Contrary to popular belief, consumers would rather make love, not war.

IDC Eyes Technology's Future

An interesting year ahead: new technologies to be harvested, new markets to be explored, and new ideas hovering on the brink of reality.

Salesforce.com Connects Me to You

The on-demand vendor celebrates a new social networking feature -- and its millionth subscriber.

Business Objects Gives SMBs an Edge

New feature to the company's Edge series promises to address the financial concerns of midmarket companies.

Document Management That's a Breeze

An international provider of air compressors gets Longwood Software to pump up its extensive library.

Prime Time for Streaming TV

National networks are distributing TV online to increase consumer touch points, but what does that mean for network affiliates?

Power to the People

Now that consumers can create content of their own, marketers no longer control the message. If you can't lead the conversation, you'd better learn how to be part of it.

RightNow Embraces Web 2.0

The Montana-based CRM software provider unveils the November '07 edition of its flagship product, replete with trendy new features.

Will the Sun Come Out for TomorrowNow?

Employees gone, lawsuit still unresolved, but despite SAP and TomorrowNow's predicament, third party maintenance seems to be on the rise.

Customer Satisfaction's Durability in Question

Though holding its place as the highest-scoring market, many in the manufacturing/nondurable goods industry will unlikely see scores as high in the next quarter.

Maximizer Tries to Score a Perfect 10 with SMBs

With Maximizer CRM 10, the vendor hopes to provide SMBs with the tools to compete.

5 Stages to Mastering the the Multicultural Marketplace

ANA Multicultural Marketing Conference '07: One presenter proposes the notion that diversity can enhance work productivity -- and drive innovation.

Marketers Make the World Their Multicultural Oyster

Producing pearls, however, is often another matter entirely. Just ask the A-list presenters at the 2007 ANA Multicultural Marketing Conference.

Cast a Narrow Net

Marketers can't afford to target every fish in the sea. With better aim and finely honed tools, they can take more time to invest in their customer relationships to create highly compatible lists.

Have You Caught It?

Disappointing numbers have convinced many marketers to decrease their viral marketing by 55 percent next year, but viral isn't to blame.

RDS Delivery Delivers on Service

Maximizer Enterprise helps optimize shipments and company trust.

Analytics Proponents Are Often All Alone

SPSS Directions '07: Panelists advocating statistical solutions at the company's North American conference seem to be mavericks of the business industry.

Predictive Analytics Foresees Change in the Future

The keynote presenter at SPSS's Directions 2007 North American Conference speaks about gaining a competitive edge by doing the math.

Ready, Set, e-Commerce!

A new award recognizing innovative e-commerce solutions hopes to motivate "fresh and unusual" ideas.

SoundBite Bites Back

The initial public offering for on-demand voice messaging provider SoundBite Communications continues to be delayed due to accusations of patent infringement.

''Everything Will Be Digital,'' Says Microsoft CEO

The Association of National Advertisers' "Masters of Marketing" Conference reveals insights about how to handle the industry's future: brand focus and maverick creativity will light the way.

13 Reasons People Will Open Your Direct Mail

DMA07: At the Direct Marketing Association's annual conference, the secrets to reaching consumers in the real world.

Marketing to the Ad-Averse Consumer

One-third of 17-to-35-year-olds admits to avoiding ads altogether. How can marketers reach the unreachable?

Mobile Makes an Impact

A new study shows how much influence mobile-phone advertisements have on consumers.

Unified Communication: Connected Anywhere, Anytime

In an increasingly global economy, unified communications should be on the top of the to-do list for small and midsize businesses (SMBs), according to a new report.

The National Hockey League Sued Over Web-Site Plan

The corporate parent of the New York Rangers says the league is skating on thin ice.

Aspen Marketing Services Acquires Newgen Results Corp.

The Midwest agency beefs up its automotive CRM by uniting with another industry player.

Coupons Without the Clipping

Mobile coupons are revolutionizing how advertisers market and customers buy.

Are We There Yet?

After years of false starts, wrong turns, and disruptive detours, SMBs can now steer themselves in the right direction: Marketing can finally get them where they want to go.

No Consumer Left Behind

An online consumer education provider and an EFM vendor team up to help companies help their clients.

E-Gov: Continued Vote of No Confidence

Spoiled by customer-centric Web sites in the private sector, visitors of e-government sites are expecting more, according to latest from ForeSee and ACSI.

The 5 Pain Points of E-Commerce

At Shop.org's Annual Summit, one speaker rebuts the conventional wisdom that e-commerce has peaked, and reveals the "truths" about online marketing and how to fix them.

Exact Software to Acquire Longview Solutions

Corporate performance management union will accelerate Exact's expansion into the higher end of the midmarket.

Omniture and Salesforce.com Take a Meeting

Integration of Web analytics and CRM targets improvement of B2B marketing and sales.

The Reality of Virtual Events

Virtual trade shows and other online events are gaining traction, and best practices are emerging to support them.

Yahoo! Acquires BlueLithium for $300 Million

The search engine stalwart aims to improve its behavioral-targeting capabilities -- and catch up to its peers.

SAP-Oracle Dispute Heats Up

Two months after the amended lawsuit, the leaders in enterprise software applications continue to battle it out.

Market Focus: Education -- Learning the Recruitment Ropes

Business tactics are helping higher education institutions tackle imminent challenges in recruitment and retention.

Gartner Navigates 'The Client-Driven World'

Relationship roles are changing as customers take control of how they want to do business.

This Landing Is Your Landing -- So Make It Count

A Web-site testing firm targets landing pages as a key factor in conversion rates.

CRM Moves to the Mobility Phase

Focusing on technology, experts at destinationCRM2007 are all about the mobility effect.

CRM at the Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell, the renowned author of The Tipping Point and Blink speaks at destinationCRM2007 about how CRM can break the barrier and make its way to success.

Come In and Take a Glance

By increasing the number of guests, Glance Networks aims to expand the use of its screen-sharing capabilities.

Who Influences the Influencers?

Online adults are doing their homework before making a commitment--and they prefer professional content over the user-generated variety.

SaaS Will Outpace the Rest of the Market

A recent forecast predicts software-as-a-service will be the dominant source of the market's revenue growth.

Flying the Unfriendly Skies

A recent report reveals that passengers are dissatisfied. Airlines--and all industries--need to take note and plan accordingly.

iPhone: Friend or Foe?

The June 29 release of Apple's new iPhone could be a marketer's dream come true.

WebTrends Engages Marketing Lab 2

Analytics vendor aims to give marketers deeper and more specific insight about customers, with new scoring, reporting, and integration technology.

'Green Teens' Give Marketers Green Ideas

A new study shows that online teens who are actively concerned with trendy issues are more responsive to online advertising.

Lyris Introduces Consulting Services

Shortly after upgrading its EmailAdvisor product, Lyris announces consulting services to help clients with the increasing demands of email marketing.

ServiceBench Releases Extended-Warranty Solution

The new offering marks service-management-solution vendor's attempt to improve internal organization and customer relationships.

Salesforce.com Introduces Platform-as-a-Service

With its Summer '07 release, the on-demand specialist expands from on-demand applications to on-demand platforms.

Coremetrics Launches LIVEmail 2.0

Four years after the original debuted, Coremetrics aims to improve the strategies behind e-mail marketing.

Unica Announces Acquisition of MarketingCentral

Unica expects the merger of its Affinium Plan with MarketingCentral will contribute to the growth of its on-demand MRM solutions; meanwhile, the vendor lowers revenue projections, to Wall Street's dismay.

Telecom Companies Need to Call Out Service Over Technology

In a hyper-competitive market, a study suggests trumpeting consumer benefits rather than promoting technology.

SAP Admits 'Inappropriate' Downloading of Oracle Documents

In response to a competitor's suit, German software giant acknowledges its subsidiary crossed the line.

BI Tools Market Shows Continued Growth

A study by IDC reveals that BI software is both popular and necessary; Business Objects and SAS continue to lead the field.

New Voice-Recognition Technology to Improve Quality of Call Centers

With the release of Language Assessor, Nexidia aims to improve the interaction between customers and offshore agents.

TechTracker Media Creates a New Channel for a Rising Market

With the increasing use of open-source software, the ad network has created a venue for companies to market to a targeted audience.

Surveys in the Contact Center Are Becoming More Prevalent

A study reports that contact center surveys are becoming an essential tool in understanding the customer relationship--and the company operations.