A perennial heavy-hitter at the annual awards gala, R2C Group (formerly known as Respond2 Communications), cashed in three of their seven nominations for hardware at the 2008 Electronic Retailer Association (ERA) Awards.

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R2C's big wins include "Best Short Form Intellectual Property" (Chase -- Graduation Day), "Best Short Form Variety" (Vonage -- Shell Game), and "Best Corporate Production" (Vonage - Shell Game).

The awards were handed out at the ERA Awards Gala on September 23rd in Las Vegas, Nevada's Paris Hotel.
R2C Group has been one of the most prominent multi-category winners at the ERA's annual awards celebration for the past several years, flexing its creative muscle and confirming its demonstrated success in producing the advertising world's best direct response television commercials. The Electronic Retailing Association is the trade association for companies who use the power of direct response to sell goods and services to the public on television, online, and on radio.

"We are really pleased to have so many nominations and winners," said R2C CEO Tim O'Leary. "We've experienced some wonderful accomplishments and significant growth over the past year. Clearly, this is the result of our talented team working with some exceptional clients, enabling the quality and success that is reflected in awards such as these."

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President of Respond2 San Francisco, Chris Peterson, to present, "Conversational Marketing: Interrupt Less and Interact More," a web conference focusing on the importance of utilizing Web 2.0 technologies in marketing.

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The web seminar, or "webinar," will also be hosted by the American Marketing Association and will also feature Eric Vidal, of Cisco WebEx eMarketing Consulting.

The purpose of the webinar is to explore the impact, effects, and possible uses of web 2.0 technologies in the field of marketing. With the advent of web 2.0 technologies, such as wikis, blogs, and social networking sites, consumers have adopted new means of gaining and dispersing information about services, companies, and products.

"Instead of trying to fight against social platform sites and changing technology, marketers need to find ways of making these web technologies work for them," says Peterson. "Marketers who do leverage web 2.0 technologies will definitely come out ahead."

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Despite Gloomy Economy, R2C Group's Hybrid Approach Explodes Among Blue Chip Brands

With a gloomy national economic season looming, reinforced by exploding fuel prices and rising unemployment reports, it's no surprise that the advertising industry is also anticipating a season of uncertainty.

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Marketing professionals are experiencing increasing challenges daily, virtually unable to discern tangible results, while simultaneously paying growing media rates that aren't justified. Ad Age's top story in the June 23rd issue confirms "Big marketers, facing a weakening economy...clamped down on spending (in 2007)." As evidenced by recent shifts of many Fortune 500 marketing budgets, it's clear the advertising industry is on the verge of a major overhaul.

86% of marketers claim pressure is mounting for tangible results

According to the 2008 "State of the Marketer" survey report from Eloqua, accountability pressure is growing: 86 percent of marketers say pressure has increased on them to account for results. Moreover, 68 percent of organizations are measuring the quantifiable contribution of marketing to the bottom line.

Tim O'Leary, co-founder and CEO of Portland, Oregon-based R2C Group, has some thoughts on what's got to give. "A recession can be good for marketers and agencies that are equipped to take advantage of opportunities," claims O'Leary, who has led the nation's largest independently-owned direct response advertising agency to rapid growth and more than $420 million in annual billings.

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Television (DRTV)

Content needed from Ryan Wines.