When you look at the most popular launching points for Internet uses, Yahoo ranks right at the top of the list. As an informational portal, the site has carved out a niche that puts it second only to MySpace in terms of how much time users spend perusing Yahoo’s various offerings.

For the second straight year, Google tops the list of worldwide brands in BrandChannel’s annual survey. The surprise, however, is the surging popularity of YouTube and Wikipedia, with both claiming spots in the top 5 rankings for the first time.

Everyone has brands that they are passionate about.

Brands love community. But do they know what it is? The growth of social networks has forced marketeers to view their consumers differently.

Day two of ad:tech Chicago rounded up with a sigh. With all the parties Monday night, I think some of the attendees were looking forward to the end of the day.

The first day here at ad:tech Chicago was pretty good. I covered 3 sessions over at Online Marketing Blog and at the ad:tech blog.

Speakers at a morning session at the Syndicate Conference discussed ways to use one form of syndication, the podcast, to build and enhance a brand name.

According to a new report from Jupiter, the growth of consumer created content has already had a wide influence and may seriously impact on brand communications in Europe.

You might think that the trick to good speaking is speaking well. Being confident. Having interesting content. And all that.

The Magazine DM News publishes a supplement called “Outlook” each year that collects interviews and articles from some of the leading direct marketers and their perspectives on the coming year in direct marketing.

Google, Oprah, hybrid cars are in; Britney, reality shows, and SUVs are out, according to the 2005 ImagePower Newsmaker Brands Survey that identifies which high-profile brands came out on top in consumers’ minds, which brands suffered this past year.

The dinner tonight was really fun. Renee and Paul Mooney put together quite a great group of more than 30 geeks.

Yesterday I moderated a panel at MediaPost’s Forecast 2006 conference. The challenge before the panel was to resolve this question …

How does this relate to the search marketer? Ah well that’s the story for our readers isn’t it. Well, we’ve got that too. They also ranked the top 10 web site by parent company and top 10 web sites by brand as well as the time spent per person combined in both home and work. This is where the tale really is told.

H.J. Heinz Company, of Heinz Ketchup fame, has agreed to buy Groupe Danone, which makes HP and Lea & Perrins sauces. The deal is for about $855 million in cash.

With higher expenses and lower revenue, retail chain operator Limited Brands Inc. reported its first-quarter results which include a 76% decline in profit from last year.

BBC News: “eBay is the top brand name on the net, according to calculations by net monitoring company Envisional.

Leading consumer brands company, Fortune Brands today reported record results for the first quarter of 2005.

Pernod Ricard and Fortune Brands have made an agreement to takeover Allied Domecq which makes Malibu Rum and Beefeater Gin.

Mattel reported 2005 first quarter financial results including net income of $6.5 million, or $0.02 per share, compared to last year’s first quarter net income of $9.0 million, or $0.02 per share.

Fortune Brands will spin off to shareholders its ACCO World Corporation office products unit.