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Choosing to exhibit at a trade show is a strategic decision. Perhaps now more than ever, the decision "to show, or not to show" is fraught with huge financial risk. Costs for services like labor and freight continue to rise, and travel expenses are becoming an even larger part of the pie.

That said, the trade show arena (the figurative one, not the literal one) offers some unbelievable bargains. The payoff in terms of face-time opportunities with clients and prospects is still one of the most cost-effective and time-efficient ways to connect with your audience.

In some form or other, guerilla marketing has been with us for a long time. Theater posters plastered on construction barriers... companies paying people to have logos tattooed on their bodies... messages scrolling on the Good Year blimp... all are powerful examples of how it can work well.

Guerilla marketing is defined as "an unconventional system of promotions on a very low budget ... relying on time, energy and imagination instead of big marketing budgets." And these low-key, grassroots ideas are often some of the most effective marketing tools around.

Every day, we're surrounded by these subtle, "here I am" promotions:

To begin this story, let's start with some basic stats:

You’ll notice that we’ve deliberately refrained from posting a “best of” list for 2007. And for good reason.

We believe in using the past as a learning tool, but it doesn’t pay to get too overwhelmed or to drift into morbid reflection. Because today—as every day—we’re moving forward…ever forward.

What do we look forward to in 2008?

Remember the good old days of using a favorite catalog to write your Christmas list? My companion was a classic behemoth that became my toy-shopping bible, happily lugged from place to place while I daydreamed about the Barbie Dream House and EasyBake Oven that Santa had, no doubt, set aside for me.

It was a sad day when, due to changing lifestyles and so-called “advances” in technology, these Christmas catalogs became just a fond memory. Since the Sears Wish Book—one of the last to succumb to the advent of the web—was discontinued in 1993, a whole generation of children has missed out on this cherished holiday pastime.

In recognition that yesterday was America Recycles Day, it’s worth noting that we everyday consumers create a shocking amount of e-waste. According to the EPA’s stats for 2005, “between 1.5 million and 1.9 million tons of used or unwanted electronics were discarded in US landfills, including as many as 130 million cell phones {{our italics}}. Only a little more than 350,000 tons were recycled.”

The good news is that this trend is changing, albeit slowly. Industry giants like Dell and Nokia are pioneering recycling efforts aimed at minimizing our footprint on the planet…

Sodexho, the food service giant known for supplying hotel chains around the world, has recently gone native. Sodexho—which supplies breakfast and lunch for more than a dozen school districts in Rhode Island—will now purchase a larger percentage of its produce from local farms.

In conjunction with nonprofit group Kids First, Sodexho worked on this project for three years—making sure local farms met their certification needs and negotiating fair prices for produce.

Still full from lunch? Not hungry for dinner yet? Then go grab a free taco from Taco Bell during the inconvenient hours of 2-5pm on October 30th. While you’re there, feel free to drink a soda, or order a gordita…or six. Taco Bell found a PR goldmine in its advertising “gamble” to give away free tacos to America if any player stole a base in any game of the World Series. In Game 2 on October 25th, everyone’s wishes came true when Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury stole second, and consequently Taco Bell stole the stage.

The Ventura County Star is reporting that their local congresswoman is taking aim at women's mags. Capp's wrote an editorial on Friday, denouncing a number of women's magazines with young female readership for carrying ads (pictured here) for Camel No.

This week marks the fourth annual celebration of Advertising Week in New York City, and judging by the thorough media coverage, many a reporter walked away with a free bag of conference schwag.