Walk softly and carry a big checkbook

Forget Google. The real king of advertising is a mild-mannered 58-year-old media buyer.

FORTUNE, February 18, 2008 — It wasn't long ago that the ad biz was ruled by black-clad creative types who could charm an old lady into dropping her last $10 on a jar of get-younger cream. But those days are over. Now, with digital media at the center of the action - Google, Facebook, Microsoft's blockbuster bid for Yahoo - it's all about numbers. And one bookish media buyer is king. His name is Irwin Gotlieb. But we might just as well call him the $59 billion man.

Regarding Media, B2B Marketers and Business Decision-Makers Don’t See I2I

Marketing Charts, November 14, 2007 — The media that B2B marketers rely on to sell products and services aren’t necessarily those that business decision-makers use to help them do their jobs, according to (PPT slideshow) a Forrester Research study conducted for American Business Media, writes B-to-B Magazine.

Spending on Conversational Marketing

KenRadio, November 1, 2007 — Spending on social media and conversational marketing will outpace that of traditional marketing by 2012. Marketers must do to become a part of the dialogue and how to leverage conversations in ways that benefit businesses, brands and lives, according to a study by TWI Surveys. Nearly 57% of respondents report that in 5 years time, what they spend on conversational marketing will be greater than that of traditional marketing, while another 24% believed it would be the same as traditional marketing.

Toyota Goes Deep into Target Demo with Web, Gaming Push

MarketingVox, October 17, 2007 — Instead of buying ad space on big portals, is Toyota targeting local newspapers, TV station sites and even video games. The roadblock campaign for Toyota's 2008 Highlander was run on Monday, hitting the homepages of 130 local newspapers and TV stations.

Marketing Mix Push by Parade Ups Stakes for Media Owners†

Staid Sunday Magazine Boosts Sales 20% for P&G, Kraft, Campbell

Advertising Age, September 10, 2007 — It turns out that Parade, the venerable, some might say frumpy, Sunday magazine inextricably linked to the struggling newspaper industry, is a return-on-investment powerhouse.

At least that's what marketing-mix modeling the publication commissioned from Information Resources Inc. appears to show, in a move that increases the pressure on other media players to similarly prove their worth.

E-mail overtakes print for marketing offerings†

Financial Times, August 13, 2007 — The volume of marketing offers sent by e-mail has overtaken print direct mail in the UK for the first time as com-panies exploit the low cost and other benefits of electronic campaigns.

Internet Ad Spending Set To Overtake All Other Media By 2011: VSS

MediaPost Publications, August 7, 2007 — SPENDING ON INTERNET ADVERTISING WILL reach $61.98 billion, and will surpass newspapers to become the nation's leading ad medium in 2011, projects private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson in its 21st Communications Industry Forecast released today.

European Online Marketing to Reach 16 Billion Euros in 2012

Marketing Charts, July 13, 2007 — Spending on online marketing in Europe will double in the next five years, from around 7.5 billion euros in 2006 to more than 16 billion euros in 2012, according to a new Forrester report, “European Online Marketing Tops €16 Billion In 2012.” Online marketing - email, and search and display advertising - will account for 18% of total media budgets in Europe in five years, according to the projections.

Study: Internet 2nd Most Essential Medium, But #1 in Coolness

MediaPost Publications, June 27, 2007 — THE INTERNET HAS PASSED RADIO to become Americans' second "most essential" medium and swapped places with TV as the "most cool and exciting medium" since the subjects were last studied five years ago, reported Edison Media Research.

Leading National Advertisers Report: Spending Up 3.1% to $105 Billion†

Traditional Media Pinched as Largest Marketers Extend Reach Via Internet, Promotions

Advertising Age, June 25, 2007 — The top 100 U.S. advertisers last year increased ad spending by a modest 3.1% to a record $104.8 billion. But most of that growth came from "unmeasured" disciplines. In a troubling sign for traditional media, the marketing leaders increased measured media spending by just 0.6%, the smallest gain since the 2001 recession.