Why we need to go beyond measuring impressions.

As local online ads boom, national players get in on the act.

Cartoon Network's Tickle U Web site is taking a leading role in offline programming.

Search engines are getting into the behavioral targeting game. We're all used to patting down Google, Yahoo!, or MSN for relevant information, but what if they started frisking us first? What if the search engines we've all come to rely on started analyzing our online activity, or frequently searched terms, and used that information to determine, let's say, how close we were to making a purchase, and which brands we were considering? Would marketers pay for such information? If so, how much? Would consumers accept this degree of targeting, or would they resist it as an invasion of privacy? …

Online media pundits are probably looking back on the old data monopolies like Nielsen and Arbitron with some nostalgia: They offered a clear picture of success or failure. No more.

A guide to surviving online measurement dilemmas. We all know the adage: That which can be measured is that which can be bought. But what happens if that which can be measured can't be measured exactly? Online media and marketing professionals are asking themselves that very question as conflicting metrics and evolving standards and tools blur what should be a crisp bit-by-bit Internet vision of the market. Cloudy data isn't fatal online. The Internet ad market still posted a 26 percent increase in revenues in the first half of 2005 compared to the same period last year. …

Which method is best depends on your needs -- and the customer's Before spam, double opt-in and confirmed opt-in were used mainly by a handful of best-practice leaders. Today, their use is growing among companies that are realizing more stringent opt-in policies can help improve both e-mail deliverability and list performance. There are six levels of opt-in being used today, according to Jeanniey Mullen, director of e-mail marketing for OgilvyOne World-wide. Choosing the right one for your communications strategy and goals is as critical as choosing the message itself. >Double opt-in: Sends an e-mail explaining what the …

How to sell yourself as well as you sell your product.

Word of mouth is the ultimate engagement metric.

Is behavioral targeting right for you? Here are some ways to decide.