B2B-MARKETING | RETENTION

A new study from the CMO Council reports both marketing and IT execs think big data is a key advantage in developing a more customer-centric business.

All by itself, big data doesn’t matter. What matters is the application of big data to accomplish business objectives.

To showcase the brand’s fuel efficiency, Volvo Trucks has launched an iPad game and an accompanying online scavenger hunt for U.S. participants.

"If you don't apply the right processes behind [a marketing automation system], then you've bought a very expensive email system," says Debbie Qaqish, chief revenue marketing officer, Pedowitz Group.

A variety of ecommerce sites are helping Mattel boost retail partner sales and build bonds with collectors of brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels.

P&G brand Prilosec OTC and MSL New York tied heartburn prevention to football with an integrated campaign that asked fans to send in recipes and photos showng why they are "parking lot pros" at tailgate parties, supporting the effort with customized local NFL events and a contest judged by comedian Larry the Cable Guy.

Understanding cultural differences can help B2B marketers build relationships

In a relationship, "fine" is can mean anything from "things are wonderful" to "I don't really want to talk now, but my bags are packed and I'm on the next bus out of here."

Chief Marketer recently talked with John Coe, president of Sales & Marketing Institute, and Jim Wheaton, co-founder of Wheaton Group, about why it is essential for B-to-B marketers to have both a CRM system and a proper marketing database.

For marketers, using data to determine which marketing communications contributed to generating a purchase helps guide media decisions. But capturing and incorporating these influences is difficult for marketers of all stripes—those focusing on consumers as well as industrial targets. And within the business-to-business arena, there are additional complexities. It is easy—and therefore tempting—to attribute a…