Unica

This year will be a transitional year for marketing as we move toward an era that is "more immediate, more personal, more social, and more engaging," according to recently released survey data from marketing software developer Unica.

Really what this means is that marketers have to be much more vigilant about managing their various presences, online and off, in order to stay on top of their brand.

While there are more tools and channels for marketers than ever before, marketing budgets haven't risen dramatically. This means that marketers will need to use technology to leverage fast, cheap marketing channels.

However, the survey data shows that marketers believe that IT support of their efforts is the No. 1 bottleneck and hindrance to success. Personally, I think it's a weak argument to suggest that IT can hold your marketing back considering all of the SaaS and cloud-based marketing services available, but we'll take this data (as we do all other statistics) with a grain of salt. … Read more

If retro is indeed the future, at least where design is concerned, then this item may be destined for immortality. The "Phonofone II" amplifier--excuse us, "sculptural audio console"--is a ceramic rendition of the gramophone done in iPod white, GeekSugar says. That's no coincidence, as it's been designed specifically for use with said media player (though we suspect it'll work with other MP3 devices as well).

What's even more unusual, however, is that it works by way of "passive amplification" through the player's earphones and therefore requires no external … Read more