Welcome
Nic Howell, deputy editor, NMA
When BT switched its affiliate business last year, ending a longstanding relationship with DGM, it was no snap decision. A sales director, finance director and contracts director were all involved. For many businesses, specialist areas of digital marketing are no longer peripheral but critical. Hence the NMA Marketing Services Guide: a directory listing specialist service providers whose expertise can increasingly mean the difference between business success and failure.
Guide Sponsors
Michael James, UK MD, Adconion
There can be little doubt that online advertising has finally arrived. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), online ad spend rose by 38% last year to 2.8bn, taking onlines market share to 15.3% of all UK marketing spend. The IAB predicts yet more double-digit growth this year, with online advertising due to overtake TV by 2009.
Richard Sheppard, VP and general manager, Coremetrics EMEA
Faltering economic confidence has already hit corporate spend in the UK. According to latest IPA Bellwether internet advertising has bucked the downward trend the budget cuts that have affected the industry for quarters. In fact, spending online has seen a net increase Its no wonder that companies are questioning marketing online campaigns more than ever. And while marketers that online is the most reliable way to reach a large target every penny of spend must be focused on the most effective order to deliver maximum return on investment.
Julian Walker, co-founder, Steak Media
For both the digital industry and everyone at Steak, 2007 has been a hectic year. We've grown from one office in London to three spanning the US, UK and Australia and launched Steak Creative. It has been a year of industry growth, record online ad spend and a bumper Christmas for many retailers' websites' even if most of their high street presences fared less well.
Jim Brigden, group MD, TradeDoubler
The internet is a great enabler, bringing together a billion mers with hundreds of thousands of companies to interact do business. Its growing influence shows no signs of abating, nor will it as a recessionary period looms. Whether or much-debated recession becomes reality, the self-perpetuating economic slowdown is very real, and this is where the internet marketing channel is well placed to continue to prosper.
Michael Hilts, president and general manager, Yesmail
Over the past decade, email has become the dominant method of business communication. The sheer volume and diversity of email has drastically changed how we interact with our inboxes, especially as we digest information via a multitude of sources: home computer, mobile, RSS feeds and social networks. Delivering only relevant, targeted information is key to garnering attention, and becoming an expert in email messaging and analytics is more than most businesses care to handle today.
