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If not exactly in a literal sense, then certainly in a branding one, it's never been a better time to clip on your red-satin cape, pull a mask over your [...]

ECO-CONSCIOUS CONSUMERS are conscientious, but are they loyal? Green-tinged brands like Seventh Generation are testing the waters with loyalty programs. The company, which offers chlorine-free diapers and recycled trash bags [...]

This article presents information about some marketing strategies. As certain industries enjoy impressive growth in a strengthening economy, salespeople are discovering a slew of new job possibilities and career options. In five years he's moved from selling pharmaceuticals for women for St. Paul, Minnesota-based manufacturing and technology giant 3M, to specializing in neurology and epilepsy drug sales at Elan Corp., a biotechnology and pharmaceutical firm based in San Francisco, to selling neurological devices worth thousands for Medtronic Inc., based in Minneapolis. Plenty of industries are still at the mercy of a slow-to-end slump, yet many more are seeing fest growth and earnings potential. What's more, that age-old impression that salespeople can hope for career growth only in their current industries does not seem to hold up in today's selling world. Following the technology boom and bust of recent years, salespeople might be wary of the tech industry as a place to get a job. INSETS: Moving on Up: How to Climb the Career Ladder;Making the Switch: Finding a Job in an Unrelated Field;Follow the Money Trail: Salary Ranges for the Top Jobs;What's Not Hot: Don't Expect Job Growth in These Industries

Focuses on the marketing tactics of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Why the marketing approach works; Retail giants affected by the marketing move; Anti-milk campaign of PETA in 1999. INSET: PETA: WHY IT WORKS.

The article presents information on several consumer research strategies that restaurants can adopt. A survey--in person or online--can generate fast and inexpensive feedback. Keith Bailey, president of Sterling Consulting Group, said that, ideally, one should query 5 to 10 percent of their customer base. The best way to tap that 10 percent is to offer them an incentive--a free meal, a rebate on a food item or a gift thanking them for their participation. When asking respondents to provide answers on a scaled system one should make sure to use an even listing of numbers. Conducting focus groups can also generate vital information for one's business. It is, however, important for the focus group moderators to be always a neutral party, not affiliated with the restaurant. They should also be supportive and constructive. While it is not wise to cut answers short, as it would discourage opinion, it is also important not to let tangential discussions meander. It would be advantageous to form focused, easily understood questions that elicit thoughtful answers.

The article profiles Sara Tervo, a marketing executive at Victoria's Secret who developed a successful marketing campaign for Pink, the company's line of sleepwear designed for teenage girls. A discussion of success which was seen with the campaign and a $1 billion profit that the company saw as a result of the campaign is presented.

This article reports that advertising agencies are trying to strike while pop-culture fads and trends are hot. By tying into those two series finales and generally looking to capitalize on the hip status of sitcoms like The Office, the BK work is hardly unusual. Much advertising aims to harness and exploit pop culture's latest fads, trends and shared experiences. These days, mass media and the Internet can pump fads through a life span of hours, rather than weeks or months, says the Web site Trendwatching.com's founder Reinier Evers.

Discusses the benefits of consumer incentives for banks and credit card companies. Significance of consumer loyalty programs in the marketing strategies of banks and credit card companies; Discussion on the growth and success of credit card incentives programs; Use of smart card technology in credit cards in the United States.

Explains sales managers' views with regard to letting go of some clients. Example of the types of clients to let go; Financial aspects of terminating relations with clients; Tips on how to let go of clients.

The article discusses how to make e-mail pitches that will be opened. Rob Scanlon uses a "rifle shot." Far less ominous than it sounds, the blast Scanlon, chief sales scientist for health care software management company Sentillion Inc., in Andover, Massachusetts, is actually talking about is a pinpointed electronic sales pitch--a technique more and more small to midsize firms are using to stand out among competitors. Video and audio e-mail messages, blast voice mail messages, and outsourced electronic libraries of presentations that can be customized on a dime to cater to any prospect or customer are all part of this sales arsenal. The success of such tools is remarkable, says Scanlon, who uses Avitage, a video management firm in Watertown, Massachusetts, that works with sales teams to support various electronic pitches. The key to using such sales tactics, says Dave Lakhani, president of Bold Approach, a sales consultancy based in Boise, Idaho, is to keep electronic pitches short and infrequent.

This article discusses the honesty factor in salespeople. When its competitors' reps lie, executive Steve Trerotola's company, Alfa Color Imaging Inc., a photography company based in Gardena, California, actually benefits by gaining competitors' disillusioned clients. But Trerotola, who heads up Alfa's sixmember sales force as vice president of marketing, knows his reps could also lie and wind up costing him business. To ensure that they don't, he regularly puts salespeople in situations with clients where he knows customers might need services the company ca not offer, then he says nothing during the sales pitch and waits to see if a rep will overpromise or lie about the company's capabilities. And while some of that selling behavior is adopted from executives with a "whatever-it-takes-to-win" attitude, experts insist that most corporate cultures aim to operate from a position of integrity, suggesting that salespeople in the field sometimes lie of their own accord. Tony Wyatt, vice president of sales for Indyme Electronics Inc., a communications systems developer for retailers based in San Diego, knows that.

The article presents views of several managers on how to implement a year end sales push. Gary Burkhart, director of sales and marketing for CMI, a Tacoma, Washington based marketing services firm, is all too familiar with the drudgery of the fourth quarter sales push. At Aaxis Technologies Inc., a Washington based electronic information search firm for attorneys, fourth quarter incentives are based on very specific monthly goals in which representatives score points for 10 criteria, including the number of phone calls, presentations and client visits they execute. A point system dictates winners along the way and at the end of the quarter, representatives are eligible for anything from an Apple iPod to a trip to Mexico. The motivational program's structure is intricate but simple in theory and highly effective, says Brian Ansley, director of sales and marketing. The key, consultants say, it is to make sure that the motivation fits the sales team. Jim Kennedy, director of sales and marketing for PureChoice Inc., a manufacturer of indoor air-quality monitors based in Lakeville, Minnesota, says his company offered sales incentives that gave its 130 channel partners the ability to offer deferred billing for four months and a 120 day, no-risk trial of PureChoice products.

As sales seminars go, one titled, "The New Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales and Marketing" may seem like a yawn. Unless that seminar is led by John Coe, who, unlike many seminar leaders, is unusually dynamic. Coe is founder and president of the Sales & Marketing Institute, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He sprinkles his day-long presentation, held in New York in May, with interesting anecdotes gleaned from his experiences in the marketing business. What helps Coe's audience is the accuracy and detail of his session.

Discusses how Tanya Spaulding, principal with marketing design firm Shea Incorporated in Minneapolis, Minnesota, closed a business deal. Factors that she considered in the business deal; Revenue gained by the company from the deal.

Reports on how the two companies used internal experts to prepare for sales calls. Customer solution integration team of Schneider Logistics; Remarks from Mitch Matheys of Schneider on using company specialist; Danger with internal experts according to Jeff Blackman of Blackman & Associates.

Comments on the impact of the economic downturn in the U.S. on salespeople. Sales production at Lightbulb Press; Move of several companies to get the services of public relations firms; Ways to deal with inexperienced salespeople.

Provides information on the television advertisement for Olivio, an olive oil-based butter substitute, involving former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca. Description of the advertisement; Information on the product; Performance of the product in the market.

Reports that the New York City Police Department will adopt a marketing plan designed to improve its image to the public. Details of the plan.

The article focuses on the growing trends in bartering. According to the International Reciprocal Trade Association in Rochester, New York, bartering is bigger than ever and has been rising 10 percent annually. Today's bartering systems are more like a virtual market. Members of a trade exchange pool their services, accruing one trade dollar for every dollar given away in goods or services. Shannon Hogg, marketing director for the Tavern Restaurant Group in Cincinnati, Ohio, says that magazines, TV and radio stations are often eager to trade air time for meals. Hogg works with Clear Channel Communications Inc. on a weeklong promotion every quarter, where her chain of six restaurants auctions off 50 gift cards worth $50 each to Clear Channel listeners in exchange for a heavy, weeklong promotion.

The article discusses online advertising. Marketing research company eMarketer stated that advertisers will spend over $1.3 billion in 2008 on online advertising. The article also discusses how certain websites are partnering with relevant companies, such as television program "The Dog Whisperer's" website containing advertising for pet supply company Petco. The author states that the cost per thousand (CPM) rate for online advertising ranges from $40 to $70.

This article focuses on the company Johnson & Johnson. The article explains that the company held a "Camp Baby" conference and invited 56 mothers/bloggers to attend the event all-expenses-paid. Johnson & Johnson's goal for the conference was to create a bond between the company and mothers for marketing purposes.

The article reports on an increase in the number of corporations worldwide, including Procter & Gamble, that have become involved with the use of an interactive advertising strategy called engagement marketing. A discussion of success which Procter & Gamble saw with an engagement marketing campaign, and of the advantages of using engagement marketing, is presented.