Chief Marketer Staff

• InfoUSA Buys List Firm Mokrynskidirect

  InfoUSA has signed a deal to purchase list and brokerage firm Mokrynskidirect. The company will become part of InfoUSA

• Washington Settles State’s First Can-Spam Suit

  The state of Washington has settled with representatives of two California businesses it accused of spamming the Seattle school district in violation of the federal Can-Spam Act, the state

• Email

  Anti-Spam Group Tries to Resurrect Blue Frog

  A group of anonymous anti-spam activists is attempting to pick up in the war against e-mail spam where now-defunct start-up Blue Security left off after it went down in flames last week.

• Coupons Inc. Buys 50% of Cashstar International

  Coupons Inc., a provider of printable coupon marketing and technology, has acquired a 50% interest in Cashstar International, the Australian parent of Couponstar Ltd (UK) and Couponstar Pty Limited (Australia).

• Agencies

  Williams-Sonoma Earnings Fall Nearly 12%

  Williams-Sonoma Inc. reported net earnings of $23.1 million for the first quarter, down 11.7% from $26.2 million last year.

• Influent to Open Call Center in Philippines

  Influent plans to open its second customer contact center in the Philippines, a facility it anticipates will employ more than 1,000 by the end of he year.

• Digital

  Are You Ready for the New Yahoo?

  Earlier this month, Yahoo! announced the largest revamp of its pay-per-click (PPC) ad platform since it bought the technology from Overture back in 2003. New interfaces, new analytical tools and new targeting capabilities will be rolled out to marketers, apparently during the third quarter of 2006. After that, at a yet-unannounced point in time, will come a whole new algorithm for delivering ads that factors in not just bid price but a

• Digital

  Bigdaddy Lays Down the Law at Google

  The news of Yahoo!’s impending changes to its pay-per-click (PPC) platform has tended to overshadow similarly sizable news at rival Google. The Bigdaddy update is fully operational, and Daddy’s kicking some inferior-link ass and booting some low-grade duplicate content. And Web operators need to take note of those facts and optimize their sites to avoid his size 13 EEE shoe.

• Digital

  Tacoda Goes to the Video

  Behavioral targeting of online ads is coming on strong. Advertisers will spend $1.2 billion on behavioral targeting this year, up from $925 million in 2005, and will increase that spending to $2.1 billion by 2008, according to a report from marketing research firm eMarketer. And Dave Morgan, CEO of Tacoda, says his company is poised to take advantage of that interest.

• InfoUSA to Acquire Mokrynskidirect

  InfoUSA has signed a deal to purchase Morksynkidirect,
  a 28 year-old list management and brokerage firm based in Hackensack, NJ. The sale is expected to close on May 31.