BtoB - January 16, 2012 - (Page 6)
OPINION
Reasons to feel upbeat about 2012
ONLINE
READER COMMENTS
HEADLINE
D
By John Obrecht
ESPITE THE SPREADING economic crisis in Europe and continued sluggishness
Email trends: Spotlight on strengths, challenges
Email Marketer Insight,Dec.15
COMMENT: It’s interesting to see that your 2012 trends survey indicates email marketers want to increase subscriber engagement (48%), improve segmentation and targeting (44%) and grow opt-in email lists (32%). We are seeing that as well, across our base of b-to-b and b-to-c customers. As a result, they are engaging users inside emails with interactive polls, minisurveys, tell-a-friend social promotions, as well as interactive banners leading to opt-in lead forms on landing pages. The polls/surveys turn out to be great ways to segment the email audience, learn more about a prospect and augment available profile information, and then to also route users from emails to relevant Web content. … Our customers are also collecting lead information across channels (email, website, social, display) and dropping them back into their marketing automation and email systems for ongoing nurturing. —Mani
HEADLINE
in some U.S. markets, I see several reasons for optimism about the prospects this year for marketers and the media that serve them. ¶ Let’s start with the findings of BtoB’s own “2012 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans” survey. Four out of 10 respondents to the survey, conducted in November and December, said they plan to boost their marketing budgets this year. While that was down from 51.9% in the previous year’s survey, it’s still robust, especially with memories of 2009 remaining strong. (For more survey results, see story, page 1.)
public relations. After a rough few years, there’s also encouraging news on the media front. B-to-b media companies posted revenue gains across the board in the third quarter—in digital, print and trade shows—compared with the year-earlier period, according to data from American Business Media’s Business Information Network. The magazine sector overall saw 239 launches in 2011, up from 193 the previous year, according to MediaFinder.com, an online database of U.S. and Canadian publications. Meanwhile, 152 magazines folded last year, down from 176 in 2010. I’ve even found a reason to feel good about the beleaguered newspaper industry, despite its wracking up 21 consecutive quarters of declining revenue, and that’s last month’s announcement that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway investment company had made a deal to buy Omaha World Herald Co. While sentiment may have driven Buffett’s decision to purchase his hometown daily, I can’t help but hope the “Oracle of Omaha” sees something that the naysayers are missing.
Several advertising forecasters have downgraded their growth projections in recent months because of the growing unease about Europe. But, again, considered in light of the conditions of three years ago, these forecasts look good. IPG Mediabrands’ Magna Global, for example, pegs this year’s global ad spending growth at 5.0%. While down from an earlier, more optimistic forecast of 6.5%, that’s still healthy. There’s good news on the employment front. Last month the U.S. jobless rate fell to 8.5%, down 0.2 percentage point from November, and the lowest reading since February 2009. And a pair of recently released reports showed positive hiring conditions in the marketing and advertising sectors. First, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s “Quarterly Business Review” for the third quarter, 38.7% of direct marketers surveyed reported staffing increases for the period, compared with just 11.8% that made cuts. And second, The Creative Group Hiring Index for Marketing and Advertising Professionals released last month showed that 18% of agency executives expected to increase full-time staff in the following three months, compared with just 4% who planned to make cuts. The report showed especially strong demand for specialists in account services, brand/product management and
Even downgraded advertising growth forecasts look good in light of the conditions that existed just three years ago.
Android leads market share, but Apple tops engagement
Daily News Alert,Jan.6
COMMENT: These stories are getting to be a bad joke. You can’t really compare market share because Apple is not competing for the market that Android is grabbing. The average price of an iPhone is $299. Android phones are being given away free and buy one get one free. I received a flyer from Staples that offered three different Android handsets for one cent each. —Eric
WEBCAST POLL RESULTS
As we enter 2012, what does your event marketing budget look like? Increasing Not sure yet 18.2% Remaining the same
John Obrecht is editor of BtoB and Media Business. He can be reached at jobrecht@crain.com.
16.4%
47.2%
VP-Publisher Robert Felsenthal (bfelsenthal@crain.com) (212) 210-0262
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18.2% Decreasing
Source: “State of B-to-b Event Marketing,” 12/15/11
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EDITORIAL (312) 649-5281 FAX (312) 649-5462 Editor John Obrecht (jobrecht@crain.com) Executive Editor Kate Maddox (kmaddox@crain.com) Executive Editor-Media Sean Callahan (scallahan@crain.com) Design Director, Print and Digital Martin Musker (mmusker@crain.com) News Editor Tequia Burt (tburt@crain.com) East Coast Bureau Chief Christopher Hosford (chosford@crain.com) Associate Editor Tanya Meyer (tmeyer@crain.com) Copy Editor Richard K. Skews (rskews@crain.com) Editorial Intern James Podolny (jpodolny@crain.com)
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Associate Publisher David Bernstein (dbernstein@crain.com) (212) 210-0782 Senior Account Executive Eric Gordon (egordon@crain.com) (212) 210-0737 Account Executive Claudia Fern (cfern@crain.com) (212) 210-0788 Marketing and Events Manager Michele Langer (mlanger@crain.com) (212) 210-0197 Research Director John DiStefano (jdistefano@crain.com) (212) 210-0706 Website Director Jeff Buddle (jbuddle@crain.com) (212) 210-0743
Internet Marketing Manager Megan Lee (malee@crain.com) (212) 210-0467 Digital Marketing Specialist Marissa Pick (mpick@crain.com) (212) 210-0206 Marketing Intern Dianna Disanto (ddisanto@crain.com) (212) 210-0402 Production Manager Nicole Dionne (ndionne@crain.com) (312) 649-5337 Senior Audience Development Manager Nicole Chantharaj (nchantharaj@crain.com) (212) 210-0254
How far along are you in implementing an e-commerce solution? We haven’t even tried We’ve been running successfully for a while 18.8% 31.2%
We’ve got it going but could stand to improve
31.2% 18.8% We’re in the planning stages
We’re doing so well, I’m here to point out your errors 0%
Source: “Emerging Opportunities: How to Capitalize on B-to-b Commerce,” 11/10/11
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB - January 16, 2012
BtoB - January 16, 2012
B-to-b learns from b-to-c e-commerce experience
Large share of marketers boosting spending, especially online
Mobile apps, social integration, content are key trends
ANA ramps up I CANN domain name protest
B-to-b marketers still in Super Bowl lineup
'BtoB' to host Digital Edge Live conference
Social media matures with added players, new metrics
Quick Hits
Reader Comments/Polls
Opinion
Positive outlook for online ad spending
Advertising
Media companies flock to mobile Web
Business Media
Email remains a strong marketing tool
Direct & Database
Tools & Metrics
BtoB - January 16, 2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/crain/btob_011612
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