Princeton, NJ (PRWEB) February 9, 2011

Princeton, NJ PRWEB) February 9, 2011 — Caliper, an international management consulting firm based in Princeton that has advised over 25,000 companies since its inception in 1961, announced the recent addition of Wendy Parsons of Princeton, New Jersey, as Vice President of targeted response marketing. Parsons joins Caliper as it prepares to celebrate its 50th year in providing customized solutions for hiring, employee development, team building, and organizational development.

In this role, Parsons will collaborate with Chief Executive Officer Herb Greenberg and President Patrick Sweeney in developing and executing a targeted response marketing strategy that will build upon Caliper’s leadership role as a pioneer in employee hiring and development. She will also work with key executives to create branding programs and increase awareness of Caliper’s expanding capabilities.

Ms. Parsons was formerly Director of targeted response marketing Communications for the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She directed a team of writers, and worked closely with Wharton’s internal team of directors to develop and strengthen partnerships with clients and build greater awareness of executive education programs at Wharton. In addition, she served on the editorial board of Knowledge@Wharton, the School’s online business journal that is distributed worldwide.

Prior to joining the targeted response marketing team at Wharton, Parsons was a senior writer and account director at Coyne Communications, Basking Ridge, NJ. Her clients included Ferrari/Maserati and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Parsons earned her M.Phil. in English and Intellectual History at Drew University, where she was an instructor in the English department. She holds a BA from Stockton State College.

About Caliper

Chief Executive Officer Herb Greenberg, PhD, founded Caliper in 1961, when he developed a comprehensive personality test in response to market demand for an accurate predictor of employees’ success. The assessment has since been refined and used with over 25,000 companies to assess the potential of more than three million people in management, sales, customer service, and professional sports.

Caliper now employs more than 200 professionals in 12 offices around the world. It provides customized consulting services to assist organizations looking to hire for a key position, promote a key employee, reduce turnover, improve the effectiveness of a team or implement a more targeted performance management system,

For more information, see: http://www.calipercorp.com

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Social media experts, typically self-appointed, trumpet their belief that social media targeted response marketing (SMM) “throws out the rules” and is a “game-changer.”

However, the extent to which SMM can change the rules depends very much on how thoughtful its practitioners are, and how well they understand the connection between the various ways people associate things and ideas, even at a neurological level. One scientific approach involves mastery of a new approach to linguistics, called Prototype Theory.

Prototype Theory: The Basics

The generally accepted thesis about how we put things in category buckets and how we decide whether some object falls into a specific category involves a yes/no examination of characteristic attributes of the thing being described.

For example, we would identify some big animal as a cow by evaluating whether it meets the criteria that defines a cow, like “four legged,” “has hooves,” “does not have feathers,” “has a second stomach,” etc.

In recent years, this method of categorization has been criticized by philosophers on several technical grounds. Although several alternatives are now vying for primacy, a leading contender for a revised approach to categorization is Prototype Theory. In its simplest form, PT is a system of graded categorization that evaluates how well a given term coheres with a term under review.

Less rigidly logical than Aristotelian categorization, PT admits to regional and cultural variation and remains more sensitive to how functional synonyms affect how people associate different concepts.

For example, a sweetened carbonated beverage is called soda, pop or a coke, depending on the speaker’s region, and use of a regional term outside of the region can lead to delayed recognition of what that sweet, fizzy beverage may be.

True to its name, PT emphasizes a “prototype,” or a method of identifying the typical members of a category based on the most frequently associated terms associated with it.

For example, for the category of “domicile,” prototypical terms may include house, apartment, or condo – but other terms that lack prototype status may include houseboat, castle and thatch-roofed hovel.

Response Times, Priming & Exemplars

Because some members of a category enjoy a special privilege over others – just as more people think of house instead of houseboat as a leading example of a domicile – prototype theory carries several important implications, most significantly delineated by Eleanor Rosch, in her 1975 paper, Cognitive Representation of Semantic Categories.

• Response Times

Research conducted by Rosch and her colleagues revealed that prototypical terms are more quickly associated with a category than a non-prototypical term. Consider a game of Pictionary, for example. If the key word is “furniture,” a person will draw a table or a chair to prompt the right word – instead of drawing a “lesser known” piece of furniture, like chaise or an armoire.

• Priming

When comparing two potentially equivalent terms, people can more quickly identify if the terms are the same if the test subject is “primed” with a higher-ranking category. For example, if a person is given the category of fish, a person will more quickly identify the equivalence of trout=trout than microwave=microwave.

• Exemplars

Rosch found that when a person is asked to identify a few exemplars of a particular category, common items – the prototypical ones – occurred most frequently.

Prototype Theory & The Pepsi Paradox

So what’s the point of prototype theory? Why does an intellectual approach to classifying and associating things and ideas matter? For an answer, ask the folks at Pepsi.

Remember the Pepsi Challenge of the 1970s? Pepsi sponsored blind taste-tests between Pepsi and Coke, and then trumpeted the fact that more Americans preferred Pepsi to Coke. Yet, strangely, Coke continued to outsell Pepsi. Neurophysiologists with the Baylor College of Medicine even re-created a cola taste test, using an MRI to study the brains of people taking the test.

Turns out that Pepsi did a better job of stimulating the pleasure centers of the brain. When the test was repeated, this time with the labels on, the subjects professed that they preferred Coke more – and a different part of the brain kicked in, overriding the pleasure-sensing part. The subjects actually believed that the Coke tasted better only when they were aware of the brand they were drinking.

The lesson is clear: A person’s perception of a thing can color or even alter his sense perceptions of it. Coke did a better job of branding itself, so people thought they enjoyed Coke more, even though they preferred Pepsi in blind taste-tests.

The era of neurotargeted response marketing has begun.

Prototype Theory & Its Implications In Social Media

The major message of Rosch’s development of Prototype Theory and the Baylor MRI taste test is that it’s possible to affect a person’s sensory reaction to stimuli through a well-crafted branding program.

When a given product or service becomes so ingrained as a mindshare leader that it transforms into an exemplar of a category, like Coke for soft drinks or Kleenex for facial tissues or Xerox for photocopiers, then a person’s favorable abstract opinion of the company or product or service — her brand loyalty — will color her perception relative to the nearest competition.

Like the auto buyer who loved Ford cars because his dad worked the line in Dearborn, he finds ways to continue loving his Ford even though, absent the emotional connection, he may find more to like in a Mazda or a Chevrolet. The power of brand loyalty, reaching even into brain chemistry, proves surprisingly strong.

Hotel brand loyalty fell 20 percent in 2010, according to TripAdvisor. A spokesman for the company believes that the fall-off is related to customers having more options, although customers have always have had options—the Internet only made them more accessible in a shorter amount of time.

So what was the major hotel-related story of 2010 that may have caused the drop in hotel loyalty? Bedbugs. It didn’t matter what hotel, or what city, was under review; the traveling public became paranoid about the spread of bedbugs.

Which is more likely: that in 2010, customers magically found out that they could stay at different hotels, or that the bedbug story soured them on hotels in general, and thereby diminished the brand loyalty industry-wide that keeps travelers coming back?

The challenge for social media, then, isn’t just to pitch a product or service. That’s what advertising is for.

Instead, a savvy social-media platform will attempt to influence a person’s positive mindshare of the targeted company, product or service.

Comcast’s @ComcastCares Twitter account, for example, generated more positive coverage for the company than any advertising could have done and helped to deflect concerns about the cable giant’s customer-service deficiencies.

How Can Prototype Theory Be Used With Social Media?

Harness Rosch’s observations shrewdly. Use a social media platform to earn positive mindshare, and use techniques like priming to associate a brand identity with a core set of categories to reinforce the linkage.

Don’t waste the emotional capital of brand loyalty – take a page from Coca-Cola’s playbook and build a second-choice product into first-place market position.

STUDIO CITY, CA–(Marketwire – 02/08/11) – Danari Media, Inc. (formally known as Bullhorn targeted response marketing, LLC. / BullhornDIRECT) today announced its new brand, reflecting its focus on content and media distribution for advertisers and web publishers. The company, a premium advertising partner that connects publishers and advertising networks with relevant, high-value monetization of XML feeds, decided on the new brand to signify its position as a growing media company and a key player in the XML advertising space.

“XML advertising feeds are the fastest growing segment of the content market and we’ve rebranded to show our own evolution that has occurred in lock step with the category,” said Collin Kay, VP of Business Development for Danari Media. “We felt we needed a clear brand that tells partners that we’re firmly focused on connecting thousands of advertisers with millions of consumers and Danari Media is that brand.”

Danari connects advertisers with more than 12 million consumers each month across a platform of targeted partner networks that deliver high value and results. As campaigns grow and XML advertising continues to become a more important part of the advertising mix in the coming year, Danari is poised to maintain its leadership position as it grows its reach and internal staff. The goal is to maximize monetization of traffic for web publishers and provide the most value to advertisers and advertising networks in an end-to-end best of breed advertising solution.

“We have been working with Danari Media for approximately 2 years now and I can say for certain they are first class all the way. They have great response times and excellent traffic with industry knowledge that rivals anybody I have ever spoken with. We will continue to use their services for as long as they will allow us to,” said P.J., AdOn Network.

About Danari Media
Danari Media is a premium advertiser publisher network delivering over 12 million clicks monthly. The company’s diverse, sponsored XML feed marketplace is comprised of hundreds of advertiser feeds and is a premier destination for web publishers looking to monetize their traffic. Danari’s goal is to provide publishers and advertisers with the most intuitive ASP technology so they can monetize traffic to its maximum revenue potential in great detail. The Danari Team is headquartered in Studio City, CA, and is currently in growth mode looking for industry talent to help with expansion. For more information, please visit: www.danarimedia.com

tech talk

February 8

Manipulative targeted response marketing aside, DeadSpace 2 so good it’s scary Tech Talk Nick Delorenzo

I have to admit, it was a clever targeted response marketing scheme.

The targeted response marketing team for DeadSpace 2, in a stroke of cruel, evil genius, exposed a group of innocent, conservative women to images of gore, mayhem and destruction, and then took glee in rebroadcasting their exclamations of terror and dismay to millions of people, in the hopes that their game would be purchased.

Well, it worked— at least for me — not because of that targeted response marketing campaign, which was clearly targeted at rebellious teens, but because this is a computer game that evokes an emotional response of sheer terror.

Those of you born before 1970 may deride computer games of the horror genre as being responsible for the downfall of modern society. But I’ll refer you to “The Thing” and “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” cue a sound clip of a high-pitched woman’s shriek of pure terror, and continue with the article.

The problem with games these days is that they just aren’t all that immersive. Shoot, run, blow things up. Big deal. That, I argue, is the problem, and that’s where the desensitization to violence comes in.

Playing a game like DeadSpace 2 is something … different.

From the music, to the noir-esque dreary lighting (and lack thereof) to the soundtrack, the excellent graphics and voice acting, and even the subtle tremor of the control in your hands, it pulls you in.

This is a game that I don’t want to play … it scares me … but the deep story, the pathos of the central character, and the vivid, lifelike detail of the game keep me coming back.

One of the most interesting aspects of this game is the character. He’s not a superhero, he’s not anyone special — he’s very human — and he’s every bit as vulnerable as anyone else would be.

This generates a certain amount of empathy for the character and makes the game devilishly difficult.

This game doesn’t desensitize you to violence. Quite the contrary, it has the opposite effect. You come away feeling shaken. Personally, I can only take it in small doses. It’s a unique experience, and frankly refreshing after so many “clone” games that are virtual duplicates of one another.

Nick DeLorenzo is director of Interactive and New Media for The Times Leader. Write him at ndelorenzo@timesleader.com.

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CHICAGO, IL–(Marketwire – February 1, 2011) – Our targeted response marketing Works Ad Agency has named top branding creative expert Seth Guge to head up its expanding brand targeted response marketing division. Seth will be responsible for maximizing Our targeted response marketing Works ability to create and develop new and innovative branding campaigns that are top in their class.

“In this ever-expanding and competitive environment, it is essential to gain the public’s attention and a positive response to the client’s advertising message. To this end, we have committed Our targeted response marketing Works agency to have the best in class as part of our team. We can ensure that our clients will receive a far better and cost-effective advertising campaign with the talent we bring forward,” stated OMW partners Mike Haas and Brian Emmett.

Seth’s career has included design leadership roles at Arc Worldwide/Leo Burnett, Euro RSCG, and Burrell Communications where he has brought his creative talents to brands such as Target Stores, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Michael Jordan, Verizon, Citi, and Proctor & Gamble. Most notably, he helped McDonald’s Corporation spearhead the Asia roll out of its U.S. retail initiatives while working at Arc Worldwide in Chicago.

Recognition for Seth’s work spans both the print and digital worlds including being featured in Print Magazine for the design of Michael Jordan’s book, “For the Love of the Game” and best-in-class design accolades by Amazon.com for the Crest Whitestrips online storefront pages. He is also proud to have been one of forty design leaders selected by Harvard Business School for the 2007 Business Perspectives For Design Leaders program.

Our targeted response marketing Works has the unique ability to develop targeted campaigns to not only reinforce a product’s established clientele, but to enhance its brand name value vital to attracting new customers. To learn more about Our targeted response marketing Works, the multi-dimensional services it provides clients and some of their branding portfolio you can contact them at:

1-630-533-8161 or visit them on the Web at www.Rtargeted response marketingworks.com

Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq:DSCO) is providing an expanded update regarding ongoing efforts to file a Complete Response intended to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) targeted response marketing authorization for Surfaxin^® for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants.  On January 10, 2011, Discovery Labs issued a press release reporting that the FDA had recently provided detailed, written direction in response to an earlier submitted proposal by Discovery Labs relating to its ongoing comprehensive preclinical program intended to gain Surfaxin approval. Throughout the conduct of the program, Discovery Labs has been interacting with the FDA and incorporating the FDA’s guidance into its efforts to complete the program and file the Surfaxin Complete Response. The filing of the Complete Response is currently targeted for early third quarter 2011 and anticipated to lead to a potential approval early in the first quarter 2012. 

The Company will host a conference call this morning at 10:00 AM EST to provide an update regarding certain activities relating to the Surfaxin Complete Response. The call-in number is 866-332-5218.

If approved, Surfaxin would become the first synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant for commercial use in neonatal medicine.  The safety and efficacy of Surfaxin for neonatal RDS has previously been demonstrated in a large, multinational Phase 3 clinical program.  

Surfaxin^® for Neonatal RDS – Status of Comprehensive Preclinical Program for Filing Complete Response to Gain FDA targeted response marketing Authorization

The Wall Street Journal writes that Amazon.com is launching an email targeted response marketing service, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES).

The WSJ writes: “With Amazon SES, businesses no longer have to worry about the details of building and maintaining their own email-sending solution or negotiating and paying for expensive outside email services,” said Adam Selipsky, vice president of Amazon Web Services.

Constant Contact, Vertical Response and Mail Chimp have invested a lot of money into making great email targeted response marketing services and they KNOW what their customers want.

I’ve had a quick look at Amazon SES and it’s clearly NOT like the traditional email targeted response marketing services you and I would use – it’s for programmers who work for companies that have hundreds of thousands or millions of emails to send out.

So at this time, Amazon’s Simple Email Service is not for small businesses.

However, going forward, with all the server space, money, customer service experience and programming expertise Amazon.com has – it’s not impossible to see a more feature rich service start sooon.