For most men, choosing a pair of socks is a heads or tails proposition - black or brown. As long as the socks match the belt and shoes, it's go time. If this behavior sounds strangely familiar to you, Dwayne Wade would like a minute of your time. The NBA superstar turned style icon has recently donned yet another title: celebrity brand ambassador. Wade is entering the Men's Apparel marketplace with flair, panache - and designer socks.

According to NPD, 85% of men say that 'casual and comfortable' best describes their personal style. Socks fit the bill, but ... Read More >

This summer, Marketsmith welcomes three new interns! As we are always growing, we are continually reaching out to universities for students who are interested in completing summer internships here at Marketsmith.

Intern Profile: Renee Quartararo

Major: Business Administration Year: Senior Trend watching: We live in a very global business world that is always advancing - we are always trying to prepare for that. School Life: -Fundraising committee of sorority Zeta Tau Alpha - planning events that focus the philanthropy for Breast Can... Read More >

This week, CEO Monica C. Smith will be in Washington, D.C. to meet with Jeff Spitko of the Victory Fund and attend the ERA Government Affairs Fly-In.

The ERA Government Affairs Fly-In is a gathering during which industry leaders and advocates discuss current political issues relevant to marketing and direct response companies. This year's panel speakers and attendees of note include Lee Peeler from the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, Linda Goldstein from Manatt, Jeff Knowles from Venable, Lois Greisman from the Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC Com... Read More >

Last year, Monica C. Smith penned a chapter entitled "Numbers: the Secret Sauce to Consumer Marketing" for the book Big Bold Business Advice: Jersey Women Mean Business! The book, including chapters from 72 female business owners in New Jersey, has won an Axiom award in the Women/ Minorities in Business category. The Axiom Business Book Awards were formed with the goal of “Recognizing and promoting the world’s best business titles.”

Monica’s chapter includes valuable advice on how to maximize return on marketing spend. In the video below, she ... Read More >

This Monday, the Senate passed a bill to increase the ease with which states collect tax for online purchases. The Marketplace Fairness Act - which passed 69 to 27 - still must pass the Republican controlled House and receive President Obama's signature. Even so, it has already been cause forclamor amongst mid-tier online retailers who will likely be the hardest hit by its effects. If passed, the bill would require online retailers with sales at or above $1 million to collect sales taxes for the states to whichthey ship goods. According to the U.S. Department of Co... Read More >

Chris Conderino arrives at Horizon Media

"Today was the first Marketsmith Media Summit, bringing together agencies with whom we work closely and networks with which we spend tens of millions of dollars annually. The goal of the summit was to increase dialogue and collaboration with important and strategic partners who ensure we can deliver the most efficient and effective media for our clients. We believe networks are as crucial as agencies to our clients success. The networks at the table Scripps, Lifetime and NBC Universal represent more to Marketsmith ... Read More >

The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governers released a statement earlier today:

“Although disappointed with this Congressional action, the Board will follow the law and has directed the Postal Service to delay implementation of its new delivery schedule until legislation is passed that provides the Postal Service with the authority to implement a financially appropriate and responsible delivery schedule. The Board believes that Congress has left it with no choice but to delay this implementation at this time. The Board also wants to ensure that customers... Read More >

Peter, Dawn, Carina, Dmitri, and Keith attended Response Expo in San Diego last week- and Marketsmith treated everyone to delicious cafe-style beverages on the floor! And of course, the traditional shot: Dawn with Thill Logistics' new ride!
View more photos on our Facebook page!... Read More >

Peter Smith and Keith Muhlon teed off this morning at the Response Expo 2013 Golf Tournament while Dawn Smith and Carina Pologruto served bloody marys at hole 9.
Aashish and Jimmy from TMGTV with Peter and Keith
Tony Perez from Apex Media

Golfers from NFL, DirecTV, and A&E celebrate awesome tee shots Carina with Eric Stracener from West
James and Joe from Game Show NetworkFriendly faces from Lipozene and West Direct... Read More >

While reading Wayne Friedman's article Trad 30-Sec Spot Shines, Costs Up 5% I was struck by many key points that were not mentioned throughout the piece. These components are crucial when analyzing the value of television: rising costs can usually be accounted for – and can often be capitalized upon. It's important to remember that TV continues to be a major purchase influence for consumers, and new innovations in technology only serve to enhance it.

• Growth in TV costs in Q4 is no surprise, particularly in this last 4th Qtr: A Presidenti... Read More >

  
Tomorrow, Monica C. Smith and Peter Smith will be attending the Marketing Hall of Femme at Dream Downtown, Manhattan. Honorees include CMOs whose integrated marketing strategies have made a big impact: Lisa Arthur of Teradata Applications, Rebecca Baker of Alvarez & Marsal, Emma Carrasco of NPR, Lauren Crampsie of Ogilvy & Mather, Leontyne Green of IKEA, Mariann McDonagh of inContact, Trish Wheaton of Wunderman, and Vicky Free of BET Networks. The keynote speaker will be Christine Osekoski, publisher at Fast Company. As CEO of two businesses and a re... Read More >

Who can you find at Response?

Carina Pologruto

Dawn Smith

Peter Smith

Keith Muhlon

Dmitri Pestrikov

... Read More >

The postal environment continues to change at a rapid pace. Mailers are quite familiar with the continued increases in postage rates, but what is more difficult to navigate are changing regulations and requirements, along with unclear information about timelines. The first 60 days of 2013 have given us the Elimination of Saturday Delivery, New Clothing Lines, Potential Tech Credits, and most recent news shows that all mailers must begin using the intelligent barcodes by January 2014, or be squeezed out of automated discounts. Marketsmith has helped clients navigate... Read More >

CEO Monica C. Smith, EVP Client Services Carina Pologruto, VP Operations Dawn Smith, and VP Global Sales Peter Smith all attended ERA's Great Ideas Summit in Miami! Marketsmith touches down just as the sun is setting in MiamiArriving at the buzzing Fontainebleau... Read More >

Monica C. Smith and 16 other inspirational women were honored at this year's Shirley Chisholm Awards Ceremony on April 20 in Clifton, New Jersey. Awards were presented by Sheila Y. Oliver, Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly. A politician, educator, and author, Shirley Chisholm was the the first black woman elected to Congress and also the first woman considered for a Democratic presidential nomination. Chisholm's staff were all female because she believed in helping minorities, and during her career in politics she had faced discrimination as a woman.Read More >

A niche marketer with an innovative fitness offering is looking to grow through DRTV. The celebrity-owned company has selected Marketsmith to develop and execute a strategic roadmap to bring the groundbreaking fitness program developed by former sports personality and superstar directly to the consumer through a DRTV initiative. Marketsmith will provide a detailed competitive analysis along with a 12 month P&L and cash flow tied to a media plan which will optimize response and ROI. The new program should be on-air within two months.... Read More >

Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno announced today that after an 8 year absence, The Miss America pageant will be returning to Atlantic City in 2014. Supporters are hoping that this will bring an economic impact of 30 million dollars to the Garden State. This, along with the NFL Super Bowl coming to New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium, will factor heavily into how national brands position their 2014 advertising budgets in the tri-state area. All media channels should expect to see increased demand for inventory. Why?

• New Jersey represents 1/3 of each of t... Read More >

Marketsmith is thrilled to welcome three new interns. Recent university graduate Ryan O'Keefe has joined our team full-time; Darina Bout and Paula Krause are students at Rutgers working with our research department, studying trends and demographic data. Both graduating seniors, Darina studies Public Health with a chemistry concentration and Paula is pursuing a double major in Economics and Public Health.

A die-hard Yankees fan, Ryan O'Keefe recently graduated from Villanova where he studied communications with a public relations focus. He found Marketsmith ... Read More >

The annual NJ Chamber of Commerce “Walk to Washington” train ride, a unique event that brings together key business leaders from our great state and the legislators who represent them, occurred on January 31. I was fascinated enough to take the trip and see with my own eyes if the hype lived up to the reality and could produce some significant benefit to my company, Marketsmith Inc. As a new member to the NJ State Chamber, some current members had suggested it was a good place for a NJ-based company to showcase their brand in a very unique environment. Additionall... Read More >

Brand awareness for a major household products company soared as the result of Marketsmith’s short form media plan. Prior to executing the TV advertising strategy, Marketsmith conducted a per-awareness study to measure consumer awareness of the brand and its advertising. Eight weeks later when we conducted the post test, the brand had improved significantly across all metrics – brand awareness/recognition, advertising awareness, and brand feature and benefits perception. The advertiser wanted to increase its footprint with consumers. To realize that end, M... Read More >