It has become a familiar and comforting rite after each of the biggest disasters of the past decade, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami

Let's face it: consumers are jaded. Me-too products have proliferated, rapidly becoming commoditized in the process. Consumer trust has been repeatedly violated, often by long-standing companies. And in this economy, there are too many brands chasing too few dollars.

According to a recent GetResponse survey, small and medium business (SMB) marketers are increasing their use of video e-mail, social media and personalization or targeting.

Kobie Marketing, a loyalty marketing and technology agency, has hired Patrick Venker to serve as director of strategic services.

On the surface, it seems easier for consumers just to go out and buy a product at a discounted rate than to fill out a rebate form. But there are several advantages to offering rebates instead of store discounts, for both your business and your customers

Carlson Marketing, the loyalty company, has hired two industry veterans and former employees: Rick Boubelik as vice president of loyalty strategy and Tom Madden as vice president of loyalty marketing

BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL: has begun a program called, "Status Match, No Catch" that allows its reward members to match their elite status to that of any other hotel loyalty program

The use of coupons increased in 2009, thanks partly to the surge of digital coupons, according to Coupons.com.

By 2015, consumers will have morphed their media use into four scenarios that align with their attention spans, personal tastes, information needs and technological savvy

Understanding the elusive "why" behind customer behavior is only the first step. The most important step is what you do once you learn why, and how you engage and respond with your customers in real-time.