May 2010

CDC Software Invests in MarketBright Lead Management

May 28th 2010

CDC Software makes the Pivotal CRM.  It has been badly disadvantaged by not being able to integrate easily with digital marketing systems, as competitors Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and even SugarCRM increasingly can. So CDC is making a strategic investment in MarketBright, a good mid-market lead-management system.  CDC will start reselling MarketBright.  And MarketBright will […]

Oracle Purchase of Market2Lead Intellectual Property is “Less Than Meets the Eye”

May 28th 2010

Back in December I advised to be on the watch for digital marketing IPOs and acquisitions.  It’s been two years since Eloqua took funding, ExactTarget seems always to be 90 minutes from an IPO, and Neolane and Marketo just keep on boarding venture capital. This week, Market2Lead, a niche player in marketing automation, was rolled-up by […]

You Want a Bigger Logo? You Can’t Handle a Bigger Logo!: A Few Good Creative Men

May 27th 2010

Creative Director Jack Nicholson dresses down Account Manager Tom Cruise. “I write ads, or people die.”

Make the Logo Bigger: The Four Most Feared Words in Advertising

May 27th 2010

The most (or perhaps least) popular words in the creative business: “Could you make the logo bigger?” For anyone who has had a client suggest that you “try putting the copy in comic sans, or helvetica oblique, ” I submit to you this anthem.

Update on Internet Law: Domain Name Law & Social Media at INTA

May 25th 2010

J. Scott Evans is hands down the person to turn to on emerging domain and online IP law issues. He’s moderating a panel discussion with David Taylor of Hogan Lovells International, and Scot Minden of  Symantec. Is a gTLD expensive compared to dot.com? Taylor offered that generic terms as regular doamins have recently sold for […]

Digital Marketing in a Regulated Industry: Playboy’s Compliance Playbook

May 25th 2010

I’m at the International Trademark Asosciastion’s annual meeting, where about 100 IP lawyers are listening to Anamaria Cashman, Assistant Counsel for Playboy Enterprises. If your firm pushes business models and ethical tradition, it’s likely a high-incident target for compliance action. That compels firms like Playboy to be attentive to compliance strategy, as they expect to […]

Twtter Hashtags Stopped Working? Tweets Not Appearing in Search?

May 25th 2010

Help, I’m a Twitter Fail Whale! I’m one of the few live bloggers at the International Trademark Association’s annual meeting, but you wouldn’t know that if you were an attendee.  My posts haven’t been entering the show’s tweet stream, and it turns out that my account doesn’t appear in Twitter search.  This is a drag, […]

The Tools of Trademark Law Also Serve Competitive Intelligence

May 24th 2010

I’m attending what is reasonably considered the largest collection of copyright and trademark lawyers in the world.  They are fantastically international; I’ve visited w/counsel from Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan, several African nations, and Ukraine.  But you know what I don’t see?  Marketers. We like marketers. They are the people with the budget that has made Google […]

Peter Guber on Public Relations, Branding, and Owning and Controlling the Story

May 24th 2010

I’m writing this as Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, delivers the keynote at the Annual Meeting of INTA, the International  Trademark Association.  Here are some of the ideas he’s presenting. Be Active in Your Own Rescue The presentation’s repeating theme is to be active in your own rescue. As a veteran film and recording […]

INTA Boston Receptions, Celebrations, & Parties

May 23rd 2010

This is UsefulArt’s 500th post! As it happens, we’re already on our way out to celebrate the arrival of IP law and online friends to Boston. Its a happy coincidence. Three years ago I decided to start this blog based on encouragement these  same people who were at INTA’s Chicago Annual Meeting.  Hat tips to […]