Q&As

McDonald’s CMO was in New York City yesterday, dressed in running pants and T-shirt, spreading the message that the company plans to do a better job telling its story—that it offers choices for consumers, not just burgers and fries.

DRM Labs has developed Voupon iTV, an interactive system that lets TV watchers use and redeem coupons—almost—from their couches.

Melitta USA is bringing a taste of Europe to Philadelphia for the next six weeks, and may tour a slate of U.S. cities in 2007.

Technophiles can now get their dining and entertainment discounts via GPS. Coupon-book publisher Entertainment Publications has launched SaversGuide, a GPS subscription service offering 45,000 discounts from restaurants, hotels, retailers and entertainment venues. GPS users plug into the geo-coded service to find local deals across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Visa USA is lending its debit card to strengthen the bond between retailers and shoppers.

(Direct Newsline)—Experian will close most of its incentive and loyalty programs, including Web-based incentive marketing, and will lay off two-thirds of the staff in its MetaReward subsidiary or about 50 people, according to a report in ClickZ.

VESDIA CORP.: and school-fundraiser Schoolpop have bought…THE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL: has debuted its new…

Numbers abound in customer service centers. Without breaking too much of a sweat, marketers are able to track the number of calls received during an hour or a shift; whether representatives are able to resolve queries without needing to consult with a manager; and if calls are handled within a certain period of time. But are these metrics necessarily the most beneficial ones?

Confused about how to attribute credit for sales and brand-building success? You’re not alone. It’s a hot topic given the level of media spending in digital formats and continued media fragmentation. But there’s a way to do it called media mix modeling. And it should be at the head of every marketer’s priority list.

Measurability has made search engine marketing. In large part, its success as an online medium was built on two factors: One, everybody searches the Internet, and more and more they’re doing it before making a purchase. But what does that mean to brand advertisers?