There's little doubt that senior management is pressing marketing executives more than ever on the issue of accountability. C-level bosses in management and finance want to know where each marketing dollar is going and whether the company is getting its money's worth. These demands have led to a proliferation of new marketing data and systems to measure the value and impact of marketing activities such as ad campaigns. A new white paper by online marketing technology firm ConnectusDirect examines the benefits and pitfalls of this increased focus on metrics and describes how a comprehensive strategy can be used to report …

Everyone knows that online advertising spending is not only up, but is expected to grow substantially next year. However, that doesn't mean that the people paying for it believe it's working. A surprising new study by the American Advertising Federation reveals that ad industry leaders view new media outlets like blogs, podcasts and cell phones as relatively weak advertising vehicles. Respondents said the most effective nontraditional ad strategy was the single-sponsor deal, such as the recent one between Target and The New Yorker. The survey also showed that 58 percent of marketing execs have already changed or expect to change …

E-mail ads are growing up, reaching new levels of sophistication and achieving more results than ever. The trend is especially true among high-end retailers, whose customers view such ads as a quick shopping trip or a guilty pleasure they take during the course of an average workday. "What we're seeing is that retailers are getting smarter about how they use e-mail, not just using it more often, but using it more effectively," says Bart Sichel, an associate principal with consulting firm McKinsey & Co. "There's no doubt that promotional offers work, but at the same time, especially for the higher-end …

McDonald's Corp. is reaching out to Southwest Airlines and American Express for a new promotion that includes $22 million in free giveaway cards dubbed the "Arch Card." The goal of the effort is to spur gift sales and expedite transactions at the fast-food marketer's outlets. Starting tomorrow, 5 million $1 cards will be given to Southwest Airlines' customers at 61 airports nationwide. Nine million more cards will be given to McDonald's customers who purchase specific items at participating outlets, and the remaining 8 million cards will be distributed through an American Express consumer card mailing. "McDonald's recognizes our customers are …

Kraft Foods' efforts to market to kids are coming under the scrutiny of the Children's Advertising Review Unit. CARU, the children's unit of the advertising industry's self-regulation program, is concerned about a Kraft TV spot for one of its lunch products that it fears delivers the wrong message. The spot focuses on the chicken pieces in Kraft's Lunchables Chicken Shake-Ups, which let kids shake BBQ or nacho cheese flavors on chicken nuggets, and does not feature other food items that would show a balanced diet. CARU said it was concerned that kids watching might think that chicken alone constitutes a …

Marketers of products for young males have decided to stay out late to reach their potential customers. In what appears to be a new trend, TV spots for products like energy drinks and deodorant body sprays contain sometimes suggestive themes and visuals focusing on young men engaged in late-night or early-morning social activities. At the same time, other marketers are focusing their television advertising efforts on late-night hours, hoping to reach younger men who stay up past midnight. Products being pitched in such nocturnal marketing efforts include Mountain Dew, After Hours body spray from Old Spice, and McDonald's. One print …

When it comes to holiday shopping, times certainly have changed, but not entirely. Research shows that over the past 20 years, consumers have dramatically altered how and where they shop--but surprisingly little has changed in terms of when people shop and how much they spend. In the early 1970s, department stores ruled the roost in retail sales, but today they have been replaced by superstores like Wal-Mart and online behemoths like Amazon.com. However, November and December, the traditional late-year holiday period, are still the top months for sales. In 1970, those months accounted for 19.8 percent of retail sales (excluding …

All marketers expect their sales representatives to be cheerleaders for their brands, but pharmaceutical companies are taking that concept quite literally. It seems a growing number of drug companies are recruiting their sales forces directly from the ranks of college cheerleading squads. The feeling is that a squad of good-looking, energetic, healthy young people with contagious smiles and charisma will translate into big sales among the physicians they call on. And drug companies are looking for any edge they can get in a crowded, ultra-competitive marketplace. Cynics say the cheerleading tactic is just a variation on traditional inducements like dinners, …

Paul Dunay has seen the future of marketing and says it is podcasting and RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Dunay, director of global field marketing with BearingPoint, a management consultancy and IT systems integrator, says these new technologies help fulfill the axiom that in order to create a strong bond with customers, marketers must provide something of value in order to get something of value in return. These high-tech marketing tools are more effective than e-mail campaigns and finally offer a way for marketers to break through the media clutter. He notes that industries already employing RSS and podcasting include travel, …

In a continuing effort to transform itself into a marketer of healthy snacks, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay unit has acquired a small company called Stacy's Pita Chip, which makes baked pita chips. "Stacy's enables Frito-Lay to be a leader in the pita chip category while supporting our plans to expand our snack offerings to meet consumers' changing needs and lifestyles," said Irene Rosenfeld, chairman/CEO of Frito-Lay. Stacy's was founded in 1997 by a social worker and psychologist who began serving pita bread roll-up sandwiches from a pushcart in Boston's financial district. Last year, Stacy's posted sales of $28 million and is projected …