Viewpoint

My nine-year-old daughter never asked any questions about the existence of Santa Claus last year. That made me certain she already knew the answers, and simply skirted the issue so as not to jeopardize the volume of presents that got under the tree.

To recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I wanted to write a column with an inspirational message for the industry. Instead, I ended up with a few short rants much more reminiscent of Larry King (which, I guess, is at least a little better than sounding like Don King. But you be the judge.)

The astute reader will notice a subtle difference in the list of names that occupies the space below this column.

Fremont, Calif. -- While the idea of a "hero mouse" may conjure memories of cartoons, for Logitech, it has anchored the rollout of a research-driven, in-store imagery program that was coordinated around specific shopper profiles of its major national accounts.

My nine-year-old daughter hasn't asked any questions about the existence of Santa Claus this year. That makes me certain she already knows the answer, and is skirting the issue so as not to jeopardize the volume of presents that she'll find under the tree.

I'm a bit of a Tweep, and like millions of other Tweeple, my morning routine includes checking out what's trending on Twitter.

A new report on shopper marketing from Booz & Co. and the GMA that we highlight this month is a must-read for two primary reasons.

Once again, we're calling for nominations to the Shopper Marketing/In-Store Marketing Institute Hall of Fame. This time, we'll be inducting the Class of 2011.

For me, one of the consistently remarkable aspects of shopper marketing is how seemingly simple the end result can be. No matter how complicated the process behind it, an effective shopper marketing program can often inspire more reactions of "Well, duh," than it does "aha" moments.

"Featured Exhibitor" MARS Advertising will present live (and taped) audio interviews with brand management executives, retailers, agency leaders and marketing vendors throughout the 2010 Shopper Marketing Expo (via BlogTalkRadio.com).