Affiliate Programs and Affiliate Reviews
Once again, rumors that Apple has cracked the China market for the iPhone have set the news media buzzing. However, the talk apparently did little for Apple’s share prices Tuesday. If true, though, those rumors mean Apple is set to grow like gangbusters. Meanwhile, Cupertino has locked up chip supplies and is launching attacks on other fronts.
Prior to the mid-1990s, the prospect of launching a globally minded company in rural America was, in a word, remote. However, times have changed. The Web now makes it possible for anyone to do business anywhere in the world. Small towns in America’s heartland that have long been dependent on agribusiness, pine for tech-savvy companies that bring youth, energy and new economy revenue.
It’s easy to get lost in the cacophony of marketing and media hype surrounding Palm Pres, iPhones, app stores and the mobile Web. However, the low-cost, no-hassle prepaid phone market made some noise of its own Tuesday when Sprint announced it was buying Virgin Mobile USA for $483 million.
IBM has agreed to acquire SPSS, a Chicago-based company that makes software to help businesses spot future trends as well as shifts in consumer patterns and behavior, for $1.2 billion. Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM said the acquisition of SPSS for $50 per share will boost its business-analytics technology, which can also be used to help reduce credit risk and increase customer loyalty.
In the past, businesses typically used lists of leads in a type of marketing strategy that Michael Port, author of “Book Yourself Solid,” refers to as “interruption marketing.” The goal was to get in front of a potential customer, book an appointment, and sell the product. However, that model is changing into “permission marketing.”