ChoiceStream

The first half of 2009 saw drops in ad spending across all media—even online—but advertisers are more optimistic about the latter part of the year and for 2010, according to JPMorgan. The company’s “Advertising Outlook 2H’09 and 2010” survey found that more than one-half of US media buyers and planners polled think second-half spending will be higher than first-half outlays. Only 10% predict spending declines. Read the full article

Gap will present investors with an update on its strategies to regain market share and invest further in its online and international businesses. Among specific announcements, Gap brand will return to television advertising in November, following a two-year absence. The company will also continue to invest internationally and plans to launch online businesses in Canada and the United Kingdom in 2010. Read the full article

Behavioral targeting firm/online ad company AudienceScience has raised $15 million in funding, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The money includes $10.7 million from promissory notes issued last year, with yesterday’s filing indicating that $4.9 million remains to be sold in the current $20 million financing round. AudienceScience’s previous backers include Mohr Davidow, Integral Capital Partners and Mayfield Fund, and as of four years ago it had raised more than $70 million in venture funding. The company was started in 2000. Read the full article

A recent piece on 1to1Media claims that, “Marketers who use personalization intelligently and responsibly will keep customers engaged and loyal.” The story underscores this argument pointing to the opinions of such respected business commentators like Seth Godin, Don Peppers and Martha Roberts who all argue that when personalization is lost, it becomes much easier to treat customers as “an amorphous mass:” which is precisely what the use of technology in marketing was meant to avoid. The story notes there is serious concern that businesses are allowing technologies, such as the mass personalization of emails or automated outbound calling, to depersonalize the customer relationship. Read the full article at 1to1Media

The retail giant will support its recent addition of thousands of personal care products to its online offerings via e-mail marketing and other direct initiatives. The retailer will support the launch via promotions on the Walmart.com home page and by using e-mails to its opt-in database of customers. “Marketing support will also be driven through Wal-Mart advertising, including circulars,” noted a Wal-Mart spokesperson. The company has recently taken steps to significantly expand its selection at Walmart.com. Read the full article

Software company Barilliance – which bills itself as “the Zero Integration Personalization Company” - has announced the availability of its special holiday package for qualified e-commerce sites. The underlying recommendation engine reportedly is capable of delivering over 20 different types of personalized recommendations across different pages and cross-sell, up-sell and top selling products can be recommended based on keyword search and similar items. “With our unique zero integration technology, personalized product recommendations can be automatically injected into the entire site without any resources from the IT/Design team. Customers who implement our service often tell us we do magic” said Ido Ariel, Barilliance’s Co-Founder. Read the full article

Aggregate Knowledge has named David Jakubowski as its new chief revenue officer and general manager. Jakubowski, who was most recently SVP of Specific Media will be responsible for strategic planning, direction, growth, and profitability of Aggregate Knowledge. Jakubowski will also lead the company`s new release of its patent-pending data management and display optimization platform, “Discovery.” Before joining Microsoft, Jakubowski was senior vice president of Quigo Technologies Inc., where he was responsible for building out the business units, expanding the client base, and increasing revenue growth. Read the full article

Typically Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has been the biggest shopping day of the year. However, Cyber Monday, appeals to online shoppers who seek out great deals without leaving their home. Cyber Monday has evolved into a significant marketing event, sponsored by the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org division. Many retailers will be putting forth a valiant effort this season to lure shoppers to their sites. However, in light of the down economy, retailers are going to have to work harder for their money this holiday season – whether online or offline. Read the full article

According to ClickZ’s Brian Massey – who is also a Conversion Scientist - marketers knowingly and unknowingly use personas in their marketing every day. Every marketer has an image “in [their] head of the person [they] are marketing to.” They think of this image when reviewing strategy, reviewing designs, and writing ad copy. According to Massey, the most important persona to market to are “touch-point personas,” which are profiles of the most important visitors to a Web site, the “touch point.” Best Buy uses touch-point personas for its stores. Maybe most importantly, “these personas allow us, our agencies, and marketing teams to consistently create messages and experiences that encourage our best visitors to take action, growing our brands and adding revenue to our bottom lines.” Read the full article

Multichannel campaigns will find greater success when marketers are aware of consumer preferences and behaviors. According to a new survey, choice and permission are key. Just 32% of marketing decision-makers surveyed in July 2009 said they knew how their customers behaved across channels, and only 37% were aware of consumers’ channel preferences. In June, ExactTarget found in its “2009 Channel Preferences Survey” that Americans’ opinions about permission marketing were changing. Respondents’ preference for e-mail and text messaging was greater than the year before, and direct mail was losing ground fast. Read the full article