Hyundai -- "an automaker not historically known for fearless marketing" -- walked away with Ad Age's Marketer of the Year honors, garnering 40% of the vote in an online readers' poll and leaving the likes of Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Lego and Amazon in the dust. Hyundai's buyer's assurance program early in the year was one innovative reason for kudos, but it also successfully entered the luxury market with Genesis. The net result was not only an increase in sales and market share (to 4.3% from 3.1% for the first 10 months) but also an overhaul of its brand image. Before …

The "decade" of Steve Jobs actually began in 1997, when he returned to Apple after having been ousted from the company a dozen years earlier. There's not a lot of new material here, but Adam Lashinsky's look at how Apple's "imperious, brilliant CEO transformed American business" is an excellent round-up of Jobs' influence on the past decade in America -- not only in business but on the culture at large. "I cannot count the number of clients who have marched in and said, 'Give me the next iPod,'" writes product designer Tim Brown in his book "Change by …

Courtney Dentch visits McDonald's test kitchen in an unmarked Illinois warehouse 20 miles southwest of McDonald's Oak Brook headquarters and finds that speed is increasingly the focus as the company strives to improve customer satisfaction ratings and, concomitantly it hopes, market share. They're testing everything from new handheld devices to redesigned assembly areas. The new McCafe coffees, larger burgers and $1 chicken sandwiches have attracted customers recently and customer satisfaction ratings are on the upswing. McDonald's was last among the top 10 fast-food chains on the American Customer Satisfaction Index a decade ago; it's now ranked eighth, ahead …

The holiday price war moved to another front yesterday when Wal-Mart cut the online prices on 10 hot holiday DVDs and Amazon and Target quickly joined the battle. Like the book war that broke out between the online retailers last month, Miguel Bustillo and Ann Zimmerman report, the DVD battle guarantees that the retailers will lose money on the movies they're selling below wholesale prices. But they point out that retailers commonly price new movie releases close to or below cost to drive customer traffic. Meanwhile, Jaclyn Trop reports in the Detroit Newsthat Borders will …

Market research firm Verilogue listened to 12,500 conversations between patients and physicians and came to the conclusion that direct-to-consumer drug advertising, controversial as it may be, isn't all that effective. Bottom line: Those consumers who actually do ask their doctors about a drug, as the ads must suggest that they do, aren't asking by name or are likely to zero in on the side effects. Verilogue has some suggestions about how pharmaceutical companies can make their marketing to consumers more effective. There's product placement in TV shows and movies, for one; educating doctors on side effects for another. …

In an article titled "How To Take Your Business To The Next Level," Christopher Steiner suggests that entrepreneurs looking to acquire customers open a phone book and start dialing the numbers of other establishments in their field. "Disconnected numbers likely mean the outfit went belly up. When you find one, call the phone company and pay to have that number redirected to you. Just tell callers that the old business has shut its doors but, of course, you would be very happy to help them."

Video clips running 15-20 seconds on the Target Web site offer lighthearted takes on the holidays, commenting on the likes of crazy family traditions, Brian Morrissey reports. "It's snackable content," says the agency that created the spots, which Target also intends to integrate with its iPhone app.