Travel firms 'should make internet marketing more flexible'

Travel firms 'should make internet marketing more flexible': "Companies operating in the travel sector may be able to combat the current economic climate by adopting a more flexible internet marketing strategy.

This is according to Roamfree.com chief executive Chris Dodd, who told the Eye for Travel Sales and Marketing in Asia Pacific Conference for 2008 that flexibility could be key in the present downturn - along with sound campaigns that combine offline and online channels.

Mr Dodd recommended search engine optimisation as the best way for travel firms to get to grips with the internet medium to boost revenues and urged companies to consider tactics such as personalised bookings, e-Travel Blackboard reported.

However, those looking into social media as a marketing platform should only utilise it where relevant, he warned, calling on firms to note that 'the internet is an evolution, not a revolution'."

Internet Advertising Firm, ReachLocal, Opens Offices in St. Louis Market

Internet Advertising Firm, ReachLocal, Opens Offices in St. Louis Market: "ReachLocal provides Internet advertising services through Google, Yahoo! and MSN, to thousands of local businesses in top U.S. and international markets. ReachLocal's St. Louis direct sales force is located at 701 Emerson Rd., Creve Coeur, and operated by its regional manager, David Simpson.

'With top rankings for quality of life and affordability, the greater St. Louis region remains a stable and favorable environment for local businesses. These businesses increasingly require a means to connect with consumers who now turn to the Internet instead of offline media to search for local products and services,' said Eli Apollo, ReachLocal's Area Director, Midwestern U.S. 'ReachLocal connects businesses with consumers efficiently and affordably by providing a turnkey solution to paid search.'

Utilizing a national and proprietary network of Internet Marketing Consultants (IMCs), ReachLocal allows SMBs to drive customer leads from major search engines to their telephone with a simple, scalable, automated and inexpensive Internet advertising solution. ReachLocal creates search campaigns through a single platform and one budget that links businesses' online advertising spend to their offline sales activities, providing true advertising ROI transparency."

Online Advertising Effectiveness Gets Significant Boost from Branded Content

Online Advertising Effectiveness Gets Significant Boost from Branded Content: "Across a wide range of advertising metrics, branded content sites outscored Internet industry norms for the Internet 41 out of 43 times according to a new research report released today by the Online Publishers Association (OPA). Additionally, 'beyond-the-banner' forms of online advertising such as video, sponsorships and rich media also outpaced industry norms when placed on branded content sites.
The OPA report, 'Improving Ad Performance Online: The Impact of Advertising on Branded Content Sites,' leverages Dynamic Logic's MarketNorms(R) database, an industry standard for measuring online advertising's effectiveness and branding impact. The OPA study provides an extensive analysis of ad effectiveness scores for branded content sites, as represented by OPA members, compared with those for overall MarketNorms, portals and ad networks."

Kids get a taste of food-related advertising online | Technology | Los Angeles Times

Kids get a taste of food-related advertising online | Technology | Los Angeles Times: "A new report out today revealed some unsurprising information: Marketers spend a lot of money trying to get kids hooked on foods such as Shrek cereal and Pirates of the Caribbean waffles. What's a little more surprising is that they don't spend much money marketing food to kids where so many of them hang out -- on the Internet. In 2006, the time period that the online-spending portion of the report covered, food companies only allocated 5% of their youth marketing dollars online. (Of course, the online advertising market is growing by double digits every year, much faster than overall ad spending, so the percentage has probably increased since 2006.)

The marketing-to-kids report (PDF download) released this morning by the Federal Trade Commission, with the pithy title 'Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities and Self Regulation,' says that the relatively low price tag for marketing to kids on the Web doesn't mean that companies aren't reaching kids there, however."

PR-USA.net

PR-USA.net: "Internet Marketing: Search Engine Optimization And Seo The biggest drawback in utilizing real estate marketing online nationally is the issue of budget. If you are an independent contractor (and most real estate agents are), chances are that you will pay for the marketing of your own profession, and most online publications will charge a handsome fee to include your real estate business online nationally.

Enter Search Google Adsense Googleadsensense Com
On their own, small and local business, company websites cannot get higher rankings, since they might only have 5-10 pages. Thus, online business directory advertising websites are really helpful and significant for them. Online marketing is a great opportunity for most businesses. Internet marketing online is one of the paramount techniques for you to optimize your website."

Websites should 'start with SEO' :: Business Feet

Websites should 'start with SEO' :: Business Feet: "SEO should become a part of developing the web design frame work of a site, claims Julie Blatten, e-marketing manager at Click Communications.

She notes that otherwise, SEO experts are confined to working within an existing framework, which can be 'frustratingly difficult' to improve results.

'Some practices simply can't be applied, or would require a significant undertaking, within an existing environment,' Ms Blatten observes.

'Undertaking SEO at the outset - either when a new site is being built or an existing site is being rebuilt - is the best way to increase your chances of success.'"

SEM Expert Launches Online Marketing Training Services Designed for New Hires to Executives

SEM Expert Launches Online Marketing Training Services Designed for New Hires to Executives: "Search engine marketing has become a staple of most companies marketing budgets, but is still largely a misunderstood advertising medium. There is a severe lack of experienced marketers in the online arena; all the way from entry level staff to the executive level of management. This has caused unfavorable scenarios for most marketing departments, as you often find experienced functional staff being led by management unfamiliar with online marketing, or you find an experienced manager who cannot find enough experienced entry-level people to hire. You also find companies who have outsourced all or most of their interactive endeavors, and have such a limited understanding of the online market they cannot truly evaluate an agency’s performance."

Microsoft 'Done' With Yahoo, Ballmer Says -- Search -- InformationWeek

Microsoft 'Done' With Yahoo, Ballmer Says -- Search -- InformationWeek: "Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s on-again, off-again pursuit of Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) is off again -- sort of, maybe. Speaking to investment analysts Thursday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that his company is no longer interested in acquiring the Internet portal. 'We're done, we can move on,' said Ballmer.

Ballmer, however, qualified the statement in his next breath. 'Does that mean that nobody will ever talk to anybody again? I suspect that the answer to that question is also no,' said Ballmer. 'It's a long time and a big world,' he added."

newsobserver.com | Hungry for a piece of the Apple

newsobserver.com | Hungry for a piece of the Apple: "Anyone can hand over $199 for the newest iPhone and see what the buzz is about. But if you really want attention, tell people you wrote a little game or other some other program that runs on the gadget. That's the part that makes the phone so darn fun to use.

Several developers with local ties have software programs available for the iPhone. They're for sale at the iTunes App Store, the only place to buy such applications.

From a part-time developer who already has a day job to an entire company in Durham, they're are all attracted by the same thing -- a chance to cash in on the newest flavor of cool.

'Some people are developing for the bragging rights,' said Keith Shepherd, an Athens Drive High School graduate who moved to Washington after college and recently developed a game called Imangi with his father, who lives in Cary.

'It is cool to be a part of the store,' Shepherd said. 'But for us it is also a business decision. We see the iPhone as a potential market where we might be able as a small developer to actually make some money. It's an extremely large audience.'

'Extremely large' is one way to put it. Apple sold more than a million iPhones in the first three days when they went on sale earlier this month. The company said this week that it expects to sell 10 mi"

Will iPhone Give Native Apps a New Life? - The Chart - IT Channel News And Views by CRN and VARBusiness

Will iPhone Give Native Apps a New Life? - The Chart - IT Channel News And Views by CRN and VARBusiness: "Smokescreen or not, Apple's iTunes App Store has captured a lot of imagination - - not to mention clicks and purchases. While there have been many complaints about the iPhone 2.0 rollout, and even the performance of the updated platform, so far there have been no major kvetches about the app store. And, while it's still early in the game, no game-breaking security meltdowns have resulted from all the new software going onto several million devices all at once.

Gertner suggests that tools for native application development, such as Microsoft's Visual Studio, continue to outpace tools for development of web-based applications. 'As computing's center of gravity shifts away from general-purpose desktop machines to mobile devices, set-top boxes, game consoles and the like, are native apps poised to stage a comeback?,' he asks.

One way to find an answer to that question is to keep eyes focused on Apple's next earnings announcement, a few months down the road."

Intel unveils embedded chip set

Intel unveils embedded chip set: "The integrated offering is based on Intel's Pentium M processor and combines the functionality of four chips into a single circuit, according to Seth Bobroff, general manager of Intel's storage group. The devices will boost the performance of smaller consumer electronics and mobile Internet devices, which require longer-lasting life and tighter processor integration than traditional computing machines, he added.

The EP8579 product line is currently available at prices ranging from $40 to $95. The devices offer power output between 11 to 21 watts. In addition, four of the eight new SoC EP8579 products feature Intel QuickAssist Technology, which accelerates cryptographic and packet processing for security appliances.

Bobroff said Intel's smarter SoC devices provide companies with greater flexibility to construct their embedded products more cheaply and quickly for a particular customer audience. 'Instead of one size fits all, we can customize the [new] system on chip to best address a specific market or segment's needs,' he noted.

In total, the world's largest chip maker has more than 15 SoC projects in development, most based on the Atom processor. For example, the company expects to roll out SoC products code-named Moorestown and Lincroft for Web-enabled devices within two years."

PC World - Business Center: Gateway to Stop Selling PCs Through Web Site

PC World - Business Center: Gateway to Stop Selling PCs Through Web Site: "Gateway has been selling PCs through partner retail stores since 2004, but it is now cutting direct online sales to consumers in order to cut costs and align its business model with parent company Acer, the company said. Acer last year acquired Gateway for US$710 million in an effort to boost its consumer presence in North America.

The change has resulted in some staff cuts, said Lisa Emard, a Gateway spokeswoman. 'These reductions have been happening in small waves as the company has methodically evaluated each department and function,' she said.

The transition away from direct sales is happening over the upcoming weekend, Emard said. Consumers will be able to purchase products off Gateway's Web site until Saturday evening.

The change could help Gateway better compete with rivals Hewlett-Packard and Dell, said David Daoud, research manager at IDC. Also, since the indirect model has worked well for Acer, it may be hoping that focusing on the same model can help boost Gateway sales.

Daoud suggested that the decision to kill off Gateway's online sales could mean that Acer may replace some Gateway brands with its own.

Some of Gateway's brands, like eMachines, which has a strong consumer presence, may conflict with Acer's offerings, Daoud said. By getting"

AOL Cuts More Products Developed in Dulles - washingtonpost.com

AOL Cuts More Products Developed in Dulles - washingtonpost.com: "'There was a time at AOL when the strength of our aggregate portfolio of products more than compensated for the weakness of an underperforming product,' Conroy wrote. 'The realities of the industry and market shifts in online advertising no longer make that possible. Simply put, every product makes a direct impact on our bottom line.'

Lost among the news of cuts have been a number of positive developments for AOL -- a fact that has frustrated top AOL executives. AOL has experienced strong growth in several areas: Its e-mail products have overcome Microsoft's Hotmail as the No. 2 online e-mail service, after Yahoo Mail. Truveo, its new online video search, is getting tens of millions of visits per month. And AOL's radio application and instant messenger have rocketed to near the top of most-downloaded lists for Apple's new iPhone."

Microsoft: Stodgy or Innovative? It's All About Perception

PC World - Business Center: Microsoft: Stodgy or Innovative? It's All About Perception: "When many people think of Microsoft, they think of a stodgy old corporation churning out boring PC software.

But is that image accurate?

Some analysts say no, and at Thursday's annual Microsoft analyst get-together they urged executives to do more to improve the company's image and to let the wider world know that it is developing great new products and services.

At the meeting, Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer, showed off a futuristic application for Surface, Microsoft's multitouch tabletop computer. He virtually entered an art gallery on a downtown Seattle street, browsing through items that he could pick up and spin around to look at them from all directions.

In another demonstration, he took a photograph of a street and his handheld computer identified it in real time and began displaying information about shops on the street, including information about table availability in a restaurant."