Even the marketing fraternity are talking about the Brand/Ross debacle and, although we may be accused of ‘jumping on the bandwagon’, we would like to have our say before the media frenzy dies down.

Russell Brand isn’t the only brand being talked about here. There is undoubtedly a lesson to be learnt from what is happening to Brand BBC. For a start, all good marketers know that when a crisis hits, you should deal with it quickly and efficiently for maximum damage limitation. So that was a big mistake on the part of the Beeb. A swift response could well have prevented BBC Radio 2’s chief Lesley Douglas resigning.

But there’s quite a list of those profiting from the whole fiasco - newspapers, magazines, TV and radio programmes - who’ve had nearly a week’s worth of headlines to drawn in more listeners/viewers and sell more copies.

Also profiting, more specifically is, reportedly, Channel 4 which is seeing show ratings up for Russell Brand’s show Ponderland, and sales of Fawlty Towers DVDs have also increased. And Brand himself seems to be coming out of the whole thing very much intact as sales of any DVDs he stars in are also on the rise, implying that ‘no publicity is bad publicity’.

With the US presidential campaign moving towards its endgame, campaign organisers are reaching for big-hitting tactics.

Overflowing American mailboxes can testify that, among the razzmatazz of crowd-pleasing rallies and opponent-knocking TV ads, they are turning to more traditional means of engaging with the voters – direct mail.

As US journalist Jim Kuhnhenn notes, direct mail is part of the US political message playbook.

Does direct mail have a role in these TV-obsessed days when a fetching pair of specs or a Hollywood endorsement gets you as much attention as a speech on the global financial squeeze? Barack Obama and John McCain, not to mention their running mates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, evidently think so.

Royal Mail research shows that almost 70 per cent of consumers use an Internet address provided in direct mail when looking to buy goods online, according to Precision Marketing.

This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to advertisers in today’s digital age. In fact, anyone not using a web address on every piece of company or brand literature shouldn’t be in the marketing business at all!

Increasing numbers of people are representing themselves online, utilising websites to promote their own businesses, one essential way to becoming an affiliate marketer.

One primary benefit of representing yourself online is that you can promote your own products and services that are only accessible from your site. 

Mikesblog suggests offering your visitors a unique service providing them with access to free information, technology or software; and goes on to mention semantic technology which can enhance your business by adding value and building your brand. This can be one of the best ways to set yourself apart from the competition.

Brands are being increasingly lobbied by consumers to reinstate confectionary products.

With the demand for the return of original Monster Munch and Wispa bars, following campaigns on social networking sites, confectionary giants were forced to bring them back. Paying more attention to what customers want.

Marketing Week reports that The Natural Confectionary Company is going a step further, inviting its consumers to have more of a say by creating their own digital advertising campaigns.