While a recent study by Green Up Street, LLC focuses on product packaging, it confirms that cheaper still beats eco-friendly when it comes to consumer products. The study, conducted for a national cereal brand, presented consumers with two cereal boxes - the company’s current cereal box with no eco-friendly claims and a cereal box made with sugarcane bagasse that featured eco-friendly packaging claims.

The competition for online advertising spending is fierce.  With U.S. online spend forecasted to grow 23.3% this year, according to a February 2012 forecast from eMarketer, it comes as no surprise that two big online giants are doing whatever it takes to secure more ad dollars.

As we get ready for our Memorial Day cookouts, take a minute to reflect on those who have served our country, especially those who gave all.  Freedom has its price, and we are forever thankful for all the troops, families, friends, non-profits and companies who support our brave men and women.

Just months ago, Tide launched their new breakthrough laundry detergent – Tide Pods.  The pods are laundry detergent packaged in a dissolvable shell. The pods have two swirls of colorful liquid on one side and then powder detergent on the other.

Right now Facebook is under a microscope as it prepares for its IPO. One of the biggest questions is how will Facebook continue to increase profits when its profits rely on its advertising dollars.  A recent Associated Press article reported Facebook has 900 million users, but only makes a few dollars per year from each user.

What do media and bloggers know and think about your company, its products and its experts? What better way to find out than ask.  Listening to what media and bloggers have to say is the best way to start building a good relationship.

Selecting a non-profit to sponsor is only the first step to implementing a successful cause marketing campaign. Now that you have a mission to support, it is essential to develop a strategic marketing plan on how to help increase awareness for the cause while also connecting with your internal and external target audiences.

As we continue to move into the heat of the 2012 presidential election, marketing strategies and tactics continuing to unfold on both sides that fascinate me. For example, my husband received the “Stand Up for America Survey” in the mail. It’s a survey for the Republican Party and the results will eventually provide ammunition for the Republican campaign.

We all know that smartphones - from constant Internet and social media connection to apps - are changing the way we operate as a society. The change is happening so rapidly and almost seamlessly that most of us probably don’t realize how much we use and rely on our smartphones.