Bad Times Call For Better Marketing, Not Less

If it seems like some companies are trimming fat just in anticipation of hard times, you may be right. In fact, that seems like the conventional wisdom. Among the most tightened budgets is marketing, but when consumer dollars are fewer and farther between, it’s probably not a good idea to let them forget about you altogether.

2 min read Archive

Verizon Taps Microsoft For Mobile Search

Verizon has tapped Microsoft to provide search services for its mobile phones.Verizon Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg said on Wednesday that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer would formally announce the deal later today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Reuters reported.

1 min read Archive

Rumor Puts Anonymous Group In Line To Buy Yahoo

Fair warning: this is an unsubstantiated, nonspecific, and not entirely easy to swallow rumor.  Today isn't April 1st, however, and the rumor seems to have gotten the attention of a leading tech reporter and at least a few stock traders.  So (for the umpteenth time) consider the possibility that Yahoo is on the path to getting acquired.

1 min read Archive

Do Your Customers Trust You?

Making a purchase online, especially a substantial one, can be a nerve-wracking process for a consumer. The primary problem, aside from price, is trust. Shoppers negotiate their relationship with the vendor in much the same way they negotiate relationships with any stranger: by seeking information. What an online vendor lacks (and what becomes a disadvantage) is one-on-one interaction with the customer. As such, the customer…

2 min read Archive

Retailers Increase Paid Search Spend

Multi-channel retailers increased their U.S. paid search spend in Q4 08 by 12 percent compared to Q4 07.Consumers continued to convert online at a steady rate, although they spent 10 percent less on average per transaction compared with the prior year, according to a report from SearchIgnite.

1 min read Archive