Q&As

Most advertising, marketing and public relations professionals know a blog—short for Weblog—when they see one. But many are skeptical about actually using this relatively new self-publishing platform.

Fisher-Price celebrates the Hispanic holiday El Dia de los Reyes Magos (“Three Kings Day”) with a limited-edition toy set and promotions throughout the Southwest. Fisher-Price marks the Jan. 6 holiday— Latino tradition that celebrates the arrival of the …

The Federal Trade Commission has banned A. Glenn Braswell from using direct marketing to sell food, unapproved drugs and dietary supplements.

When do people read your e-mail newsletter? It depends. They can read it either at home or at work. And the time of day doesn’t matter.

Here’s something that always bears repeating: Continually request feedback from your subscribers by using short, interactive surveys. This is the best way to learn whether or not your newsletter is relevant.

Many marketers see e-mail as a means of driving traffic to their Web sites. But that’s wrong, says Maria Veloso, the author of “Web Copy that Sells” (Amacom).

Linens ‘n Things has set a Jan. 30 special shareholder meeting to vote on the $1.3 billion sale of the company. Shareholders will be asked to approve the retailer chain’s sale to a new, unnamed company controlled by Apollo Management, for $28 a share. …

Bissell is kicking off 2006 with a new sweepstakes giving consumers to a chance to win a wine lovers’ getaway in Napa Valley.

Emboldened by the recent New York City Transit Workers’ strike, I am setting aside this year’s wistful resolutions for the direct marketing industry in favor of issuing a manifesto DMers can present to society in 2006. Happy solidarity, my brothers and sisters! To the barricades!

In 1932, the grandfather of country music, Jimmie Rogers, mournfully sang in Gambling Polka Dot Blues of taking on the big rollers in town and losing it all. His musical descendants, however