"Helping to end world hunger."

It's a tall order. Many of us have poured pennies into those little UNICEF collection boxes, or collected soda can tabs, or sponsored friends in walk events. All with the goal of ending world hunger.

But how much does that actually cost? Is it even achievable?

According to United Nations' estimates, "the cost to end world hunger completely, along with diseases related to hunger and poverty, is about $195 billion a year."

Outdoor media is perhaps the most original grassroots promotional tool.

Think about it: traditional outdoor media includes everything from the old Burma Shave signs to the signs for your front-yard lemonade stand or yard sale. You see outdoor advertising every day but perhaps you've thought it's not the best way to market your product or service.

Online social networking may be a foreign concept to you, but trust me: it's not foreign to the new group of Gen Y adults who will be your clients tomorrow. Succeeding in the coming years will mean embracing (or at least, accepting) this technology and understanding how it can work for you.

And rest assured: it can work for you.  Let me tell you how:

If we ever thought there was one way to campaign for the presidency, the 2008 primary season has changed that opinion forever.

Gone are the days of stumping, baby-kissing and whistle stops. Welcome to the virtual world of in-your-face, on-your-airwaves, everywhere-you-look politicking.

Marketing today isn’t what it once was. In fact, it’s more than it’s ever been.

As you can imagine, the way we market today is dramatically different from the way we marketed 50 years ago when there was no internet, no fax machine and limited television access.

A common inquiry we hear from our clients is, "We want to make sure our customers think of us when they have a need, but how can we guarantee that? Short of camping out in their office or calling them every day, how can we make sure they keep us in mind later?"

One simple way we recommend is to use direct email, also known as email "blasts."

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

• According to the Marketing to Moms Coalition (MMC), American mothers are responsible for purchasing power to the tune of $2.1 trillion/year.
• Mothers typically have the last word in deciding what products their families consume.
• In a recent MMC survey, three-quarters of mothers feel that Super Bowl ads don't target their needs at all.

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?

Have you decided to take the plunge and claim your corner of the world wide web? Or do you think your current site doesn't make the grade?

If so, hang on to your hard drive. Here are eight simple ways to make sure your web investment doesn't end up gathering dust.

It’s inevitable. No matter how much you plan in this holiday season, there’s always one last gift you forgot to buy…one last-minute add-on to a loved one’s wish list…one last person for whom you feel a sudden rush of generosity.

What is there to do? Where do you start? Where can you go for a great, fun, absolutely perfect gift?

Seek no more in vain! We’ve polled our staff for the best sites and have come up with a list of their favorites. Some of these sites also have brick-n-mortar stores (if you’re really in a rush), but all are well worth a visit.