The New York Times
Seeing Stars
by Louise Story - October 12, 2006
About 20 percent of ads in the United States currently feature celebrities, up from closer to 10 percent only a decade ago. In this article, MMA's Chief Operating Officer Ed See discusses the challenges of using a celebrity as part of an advertising campaign, and the ways that MMA evaluates the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements.
www.nytimes.com

The Seattle Times
Starbucks takes unique approach to marketing
By Melissa Allison - October 12, 2006
While McDonald's was lovin' it, Coca-Cola was the real thing and Nike wanted us to just do it, Starbucks was throwing parties instead. The coffee giant has often been regarded as one of the most innovative marketers today. MMA's Ed See discusses why Starbucks is so different, and evaluates their recipe for success.
www.seattletimes.com

B-to-B Magazine Online
Marketing accountability is top goal, but measurement,
analytics remain a tough nut to crack
by Carol Krol - October 2, 2006
Justifying budgets to senior management by quantifying the effectiveness of marketing campaigns is of the utmost importance to B-to-B marketers today. In this article, Ed See explains some of the results of the 2006 Marketing Accountability Study, and the challenge for direct marketers interested in moving down the path towards marketing accountability.
www.btobonline.com

Advertising Age
ANA Outlines Keys to ROI Measurement
by Lisa Sanders - July 14, 2006
In preparation for the ANA Marketing Accountability Forum, this article interviews MMA Chief Operating Officer Ed See and Chief Client Officer John Nardone to discuss findings from the 2006 Marketing Accountability Study. The article addresses how marketers have made progress towards marketing accountability, the barriers that remain, and emerging trends and "best practices."
www.adage.com

Gartner
Cool Vendors in CRM Marketing and Analytics
MMA is one of the few innovative vendors that's filling a void in analytics within current marketing applications to help companies improve marketing ROI. Avista by MMA Decision Support Service, launched in 2005, provides marketing managers with dashboards, key performance indicators, reporting, "what if" scenario planning and optimization (budgeting, pricing, marketing mix, forecasting and portfolio allocation).
www.gartner.com

Advertising Age
Star Power: MMA featured in Special Report on Celebrity Marketing
“A message amplified by a celebrity can yield results two to three times better than standard campaigns running within the same time and against the same brand.” Ed See, COO, MMA “The nature of celebrity endorsement, sponsorship and product placement has really blurred. You get into these situations where it’s not clear if it’s product placement or sponsorship or what.” John Nardone, CCO, MMA
www.adadge.com