Today's business news & commentary: Susanna's Online Magazine: copywriting, Internet marketing, direct response.

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Monday, November 14th

Mondays Not Blue for Holiday Marketers: Report

Online marketers should welcome Mondays during the holiday shopping season, according to new research from online marketing analyst Atlas, because that is the day of the week when they will see the heaviest Web traffic.

Susanna on 11.14.05 @ 07:11 PM CDT [link]

DM News' Essential Guide to E-Mail Marketing: Consumers Want Picture Perfect E-Mail

It began allegedly as a security and privacy measure. To protect customers from unsavory images in e-mail, AOL began suppressing all images — a policy that was adopted by heavy hitters such as Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail. Each now suppresses external images by default and requires individual users to take proactive steps, such as clicking on a link, to see the full visual content of a message.
Susanna on 11.14.05 @ 07:03 PM CDT [link]

Monday, November 7th

Newspaper Circulation Slides 2.6 Percent

We've discussed the seemingly downward path being taken by newspapers. Today we discovered some interesting news that leads us to believe the spiral will continue downward . . . much to the dismay of journalists.

Go here for full details.

As a former journalist, I certainly hate to see this. But as we've stated before, the trend is for fast, real-time news. This will, of course, effect advertising greatly.

Susanna on 11.07.05 @ 04:40 PM CDT [link]

Sunday, November 6th

Glory Days Pass Quickly on Internet Time.

The best days of personal computer maker Dell Inc. may be behind it, financial weekly newspaper Barron's Inc. wrote in its November 7 edition.

And so it goes on the net.

Right now it appears that Google owns the net. Once Microsoft did. Google will fall, fast and hard at some point and the fear it once instilled in people will only be a memory.

There is always someone ready to whip butt on the net. And the thing is, they can do it. No one is immune. A year is an eternity in Internet time. And those of us who work on Internet time need to remember that someone we least expect is sniffing behind us.

That's one very good reason to have the very best marketing, advertising and branding money can buy. It's great to be flying high in the 767 but it's hell to be looking at it from the vantage point of a has-been and also-ran. Don't let it happen to you. Don't rest. Don't let your guard down. Go full blast and go with the best. You only have one shot.

Susanna on 11.06.05 @ 04:39 PM CDT [link]

Friday, November 4th

USPS to Use More Direct Mail Next Year.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Postal Service wants to practice what it preaches next year: It’s increasing the amount of direct mail it uses, an official said at this week’s Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee meeting.

For the full story, go here.
Susanna on 11.04.05 @ 07:53 PM CDT [link]

Girls Boycot Fab Abercrombie t-shirts for Being Sexist.

A group of female high school students have a message for A&F: Stop degrading us.

Susanna on 11.04.05 @ 05:39 PM CDT [link]

Wednesday, November 2nd

Style: No Longer Abbreviate Hawaii - AP Stylebook.

November 2, 2005
Memo from AP StyleBook Online

Hawaii

Do not abbreviate the state name. Hawaiians are members of an ethnic group indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands, also called Native Hawaiians. Use Hawaii resident or islander for anyone living in the state.

The state comprises 132 islands about 2,400 miles southwest of San Francisco. Collectively, they are the Hawaiian Islands.

The largest island in land area is Hawaii. Honolulu and Pearl Harbor are on Oahu, where more than 80 percent of the state’s residents live.

Honolulu stands alone in datelines. Use Hawaii after all other cities in datelines, specifying the island in the text, if needed.

See datelines and state names.

Susanna on 11.02.05 @ 06:11 PM CDT [link]

Aaron Brown Out at CNN in Major Shakeup.

AARON BROWN OUT AT CNN
Wed Nov 02 2005 15:43:11 ET

To: All CNN Staff

From: Jon Klein

We have made some programming decisions which will impact our prime time schedule as well as our colleague Aaron Brown. Aaron will be leaving CNN and is very much looking forward to some well-deserved time off with his family.

Aaron has made enormous contributions to CNN since his groundbreaking anchoring of Sept. 11th through the war in Iraq to the Tsunami to the recent hurricanes. Outside of the big stories, on a nightly basis, Aaron has provided our audiences with insight into the events of the United States and the world with eloquence and the highest journalist integrity.

Besides his stellar work as an anchor, Aaron stands as an absolutely brilliant writer, evident by the thoughtful perspective he injects into every story he touches.

Personally, I will miss Aaron and his wicked sense of humor. We cannot thank Aaron enough for the skills and professionalism he brought to CNN. Given his respect throughout the industry, there is no question that he will be missed.

Susanna on 11.02.05 @ 05:34 PM CDT [link]

Tuesday, November 1st

Forrester: Holiday E-Commerce to Grow 25% to $18B

According to DM News, Forrester Research expects U.S. online retail sales for this holiday season to touch $18 billion, up 25 percent from a year ago.

The Cambridge, MA, market researcher said an influx of 2.5 million new households this year to online shopping will offset economic concerns over consumer spending.

A lot has been said lately about the consumer cutting down on spending. And Dell reported lower than expected earnings and too much inventory. So some areas do seem down. But according to this report and others, online buying should be very good indeed.

Also, retailers this year again will offer free shipping to entice consumers to spend more, with a minimum-spend requirement to avoid making this ploy a loss leader. Twenty-five percent of online holiday shoppers surveyed last year said they would buy more online to avoid shipping fees.

Retailers also will use the full might of their Web sites to drive online consumers to shop in stores. This multichannel shopping capability might generate more spend from consumers.

Consumer electronics and toys will see strong e-commerce growth this holiday season. So will apparel, driven by a growing number of women shopping online and retailers that offer better tools to show style and fit.

Susanna on 11.01.05 @ 04:23 PM CDT [link]