Last week I broached the subject of being able to target advertising at the kinds of behaviors and states of mind that advertisers have always actually been after, rather than the continued and insufficient use of demographics as a proxy for those behaviors and states of mind. As promised, this week, we are continuing that conversation.

There are definitely a number of agencies looking to hire these days (yours truly being one of them), which is a very good sign, but I’ve noticed that there is a much lower supply of candidates to choose from than in years past.

One of the best things about my job is being in an environment with full service creative (online and offline) being under one roof. One of the worst things about my job is dealing with other people's creative. I'd like to offer tips on how I deal with it then throw a question or two your way.

In a rather quiet announcement last week, Interep Interactive announced that they are beginning new billing procedures introducing “all electronic invoicing and electronic tearsheets for all invoices.” It has always been amazing to me that the media and marketing business is so antiquated when it come to computerization. We need more of what Interep is doing from the industry.

Why not try our best to target messages for products and services based on behavior rather than demographics?

I was feeling a little nostalgic after sitting on a plane the other day and was reminiscing about how much things have changed over the last few years, so I thought a little light-heartedness in the middle of your week would be acceptable.

If there’s one positive thing you can say about the evolution of direct response advertising on the web, it’s that we’ve stopped throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks.

So what’s up with search? The market is getting more and more competitive. Here are some tips to help you out.

On Monday of this week, the first meeting of the ARF Online Media Council was held. I am privileged to be chair of this council. The mission of this group is “to promote the establishment of accurate, reliable and acceptable measurements in the areas of planning, buying and assessing the efficacy of online media as marketing tools.” What, you say?

I think changing the way the upfront marketplace works is an excellent idea. And if doing so would accommodate the inclusion of online media, which would also be of interest. The real problem is, however, that the entire idea of the upfront marketplace is an antiquated one that needs to be not only changed, but likely dispensed with all together.