Pamela Parker

Return Path Acquisition Furthers Expansion E-mail list hygiene company Return Path continued a string of acquisitions this week, picking up Assurance Systems, a company that helps clients get their e-mail delivered. “Deliverability of opt-in campaigns is the single biggest challenge faced by opt-in commercial e-mailers today,” said Return Path CEO Matt Blumberg. “While spam is […]

In an interactive marketing effort aimed at tapping the Web’s storied viral potential, consumer electronics maker Panasonic launched a tongue-in-cheek Web site this week that pits its products against the enemies of fun. The site, at peopleagainstfun.org, purports to be the Web presence of a non-profit advocacy organization, People Against Fun (PAF), representing “like-minded people […]

Search company LookSmart is looking for a new chief financial officer, as Dianne Dubois is leaving the firm due to family issues and a desire to pursue other interests, the company said. Executive recruiting firm Spencer Stuart will look for candidates while Dubois stays on during a three-month transition. Jason Kellerman, LookSmart’s chief executive officer, […]

If e-mail marketers claim to be sending messages with recipients’ permission, they’d better be able to prove it, said Federal Trade Commission attorney Brian Huseman, speaking at the ClickZ E-Mail Strategies conference in New York on Monday. Highlighting one of the next battles the FTC plans to take on in the increasingly high-profile battle against […]

Yahoo! launched a multi-media ad campaign Monday to tout its newly redesigned search function, tapping everything from television to an Internet-connected billboard to get its message across. The campaign, spending for which was not disclosed, debuts with two new TV spots, called “Subway” and “Anthem.” All elements were designed by Yahoo!’s agency of record, Black […]

Search engine upstart Google Wednesday said it has acquired Applied Semantics (formerly known as Oingo) for an undisclosed amount. The move gives it technology to improve its content-targeted ad programs, and takes away from rival Overture one of its affiliates. Santa Monica, Calif.-based Applied makes software applications for the online advertising, domain name and enterprise […]

Pay-for-performance search player Overture Services officially opened the doors to its South Korean office on Tuesday, having already sewn up 92 percent of the market. Overture suffered some setbacks in the United States caused by Google’s ascendance, and speculation over the future plans of partners Yahoo! and MSN. Pasadena, Calif.-based Overture has increasingly pegged its […]

Technology giants International Business Machines (IBM) and Microsoft this week roll out new efforts aimed at wooing executives by pushing the ability of their products and services to help out cash-strapped businesses. Armonk, NY-based IBM’s new ad campaign, which continues its “on-demand” initiative rolled out with great fanfare last year, is aimed at a global […]

Declaring its “money back guarantee” on interactive advertising a success, Forbes.com is launching an ad campaign to proclaim the positive branding results achieved by campaigns on its site. Forbes.com attracted industry attention when it instituted the guarantee last fall, in an effort to lure advertisers to the site and increase the industry’s emphasis on brand […]

Portal giant Yahoo! Wednesday reported a first quarter profit of $46.7 million, or $0.08 per share, helped by revenues that shot up by 47 percent from the same time last year, fueled partly by a jump in subscription fees. The results, which beat analysts’ expectations, continued a four-quarter profitability streak for the media company, which […]

Travel e-commerce player Orbitz.com Monday debuted a TV campaign featuring a cast of animated characters expected to become regulars in the company’s marketing efforts. Spending on the campaign, designed by Young & Rubicam/Chicago, will come in at between $30 and $40 million. TV spots will appear on news, lifestyle, and entertainment channels on cable television, […]

Officials in the United Kingdom have laid out plans that would severely limit unsolicited electronic communications, part of an effort to fight spam and unwanted SMS marketing. “Just as the Internet and mobile technology have become a firm feature of our lives, spam is threatening that status. It is in danger of becoming a real […]