Chief Marketer Staff

• Agencies

  InfoUSA to Reorganize Opinion Research

  InfoUSA, which acquired Opinion Research Corp. for $134.3 million in August, will reorganized the company’s operations into two groups.

• Digital

  Online Searches for “Gift Card” Increase as Holiday Shoppers Panic

  Internet searches for the term “gift cards” more than doubled as online shoppers, faced with the imminence of several December gift-giving holidays, turned to the Internet for one-size-fits-all gifts.

• Agencies

  SonoSite Retains MarketBridge for MultiChannel Sales Effort

  SonoSite, Inc., a distributor of hand-carried ultrasound technology based in Seattle, has retained MarketBridge, to bolster SonoSite’s physician office channel sales.

• Email

  E-zines Are E-Z

  (Promo) Yule Flip Peppermint Chip. What’s that? It’s the new Blizzard flavor from Dairy Queen. Granted, some of us missed it. But a million Dairy Queen fans were tipped off this month about the beverage.

• Subaru Shifts Gears With Roadshow Sponsorship

  Subaru has signed on to become the national sponsor of the PBS hit Antique Roadshow.

• Valassis, Advo Drop Lawsuits, Finalize $1.2B Merger

  Valassis and Advo have dismissed their lawsuits against each other and will complete their $1.2 billion merger.

• Agencies

  PCH Kicks Off Prize Patrol $10 Million Sweeps

  Publishers Clearing House has restarted its Prize Patrol sweepstakes that surprises an unsuspecting winner at his or her home.

• Unilever Names Polk to Replace Rice

  Unilever has tapped Mike Polk to succeed John Rice as its top executive for North and South America early next year.

• News Briefs

  24 HOUR FITNESS WORLDWIDE: signed a deal with Elite Sampling & Promotion to distribute samples in 24 Hour’s 370 fitness clubs, with a total of 3 million members.

• Email

  Promising Start: Five Must-Have New Year’s Resolutions for E-mail Marketers

  When it comes to e-mail marketing, there are a few clear areas where many marketers have room for improvement. As you develop your 2007 strategy, now is the time to commit to a few important e-mail marketing principles.