Chief Marketer Staff

• Agencies

  Tony Baldus, Marsh US Consumer Garner DMA Financial Services Award

  Tony Baldus, senior VP of marketing and analytics for Marsh US Consumer, has been named direct marketer of the year by the Direct Marketing Association

• Internet Display, FSIs Only Growth Channels In Media Study

  Internet display advertising and freestanding inserts were the only channels to record revenue growth between the first half of 2008 and the first half of 2009, according to a new study.

• Adobe Systems To Acquire Omniture

  Adobe Systems Inc. will acquire Omniture, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $1.8 billion.

• Email

  Six E-mail pointers to Lift Results

  Right now is THE best time to step up your e-mail testing. Why? Because many of your competitors are pulling back – both on their marketing budgets in aggregate and on testing specifically. You can gain the advantage and determine what’s working and what is not post haste today because your competition has likely buried their test plans and are afraid to spend.

  Yes, testing takes an investment in time and resources, often including additional funds. However, the outcome is often worth the risk, especially now.

• Agencies

  Choice Hotels Names Edward J. Valle Chief Marketing Strategist

  Choice Hotels International, Inc. has tapped Edward J. Valle to serve as chief marketing strategist.

• Agencies

  Gander Mountain Trumpets Direct Operations In Second Quarter

  Outdoor supply and apparel firm Gander Mountain is bullish on its direct channels, and why not? They turned a profit during second-quarter 2009, unlike its retail operations. More, along with The Hair-Splitter’s Take, follows.

• Email

  ExactTarget Debuts ‘List Growth Advisor’

  E-mail service provider ExactTarget unveiled a List Growth Advisor tool today that automatically offers personalized recommendations on how to grow an e-mail list after users answer a series of questions.

• Email

  Social-Media Links Get Half-Percent Clicks: Silverpop

  Social-media-share links generate on average 0.5% click rates according to a just released study by e-mail service provider Silverpop.

  And while social-media-share links

• Email

  Stupid ESP Watch: The Big Lie

  I received a cold-call voicemail yesterday from a representative of an e-mail service provider looking to do a barter deal.

  Never mind I’m not the person to approach for barter deals—or any other type of non-editorial issue, for that matter—the sales rep made one statement that made me cringe.

  “Our delivery rates are very high,” she said.

  That statement has no place in a pitch from an e-mail service provider.

• Email

  New EmailAppenders-Related Firm Surfaces

  Yet another e-mail list-sales firm has surfaced that appears to be related to EmailAppenders, an India-based company that evidence suggests has no physical presence in the U.S. and has been accused by multiple marketers of ripping them off.