In a major move, two database industry competitors are now teaming up, DMNews has learned. InfoGroup has acquired Experian's National Business database and announced the deal to clients on July 7. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the partnership will involve Experian reselling InfoGroup's data.

E-mail marketing services firm Responsys has opened a new office in Sydney, Australia. The new office comes in response to Responsys' growing client base in Australia and New Zealand. Clients include The Westfield Group, Jeans West, Flybuys New Zealand, Wego, Smart Salary, GE Money, Tabcorp, Symantec and Johnson & Johnson.

Deluxe Corporation, which provides customer loyalty and retention programs and other marketing services as well as promotional products and printed items to small businesses and financial institutions, has announced two acquisitions intended to expand its small business Web services customer base. Deluxe's Hostopia unit has signed a definitive agreement to purchase certain assets of Aplus.net and completed the purchase of search engine marketing firm MerchEngines. Deluxe will pay approximately $30 million for these companies.

A focus on margins, efficient data systems, solid analytics and customer service are among the essential components necessary for marketers to grow and profit during the economic recession, according to Donald Libey, president of Libey Inc., the keynote speaker on July 9 at the MeritDirect Co-op, an annual meeting for clients and members of the list world. Libey was optimistic about the future.

Lawn care products manufacturer The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company said it will cease operating its Smith & Hawken business by the end of the calendar year. Orders via the Web site, catalog and call center are being discontinued effective today and all stores are expected to close within six months. Scotts had initially pursued plans to sell the upscale garden products catalog and retail business.

You've paid for the click and now you need to make the most of it. We asked three experts to share their secrets on how to design the best landing page so that every pay-per-click lead from a search engine turns into a buyer.

Sometimes, snobbery sells. People don't buy a BMW 700 series automobile because they think it's a superior car. They buy it because it appeals to their inner snob. But, when BMW creates promotional materials, it makes sure to differentiate between the product and the promotion.

E-books still represent a small percentage of overall online book sales. But this could soon change, thanks to several recent and upcoming developments in this category. In a new report, How Big Is the Reader Opportunity, Forrester Research forecasts that the US market for e-readers will rise from 1 million to 2 million users in 2009.

The old saying "May you live in interesting times" has an unusually chilling ring to it these days. The end of 2008 through early 2009 has been one of the most challenging times marketers have faced in years.

Sending e-mail today automatically includes you in the mobile e-mail business. Some companies realize this and have taken steps to address the issues surrounding mobile e-mail; others realize it, but ignore the situation. Many simply don't realize that 20% of their e-mails are received and read on mobile devices.

I believe there is beauty in simplicity. I love the practical architecture of a Frank Lloyd Wright designed building, the precision engineering of a BMW automobile, and the technically brilliant functionality of the Apple iPhone. There is also a need right now for clear thinking and simplicity in marketing. So, in keeping with the philosophy of "Do Fewer Things Better," I recommend a three-point strategy for maximizing the effectiveness of your marketing programs by investing your marketing budget on those things that have been proven to deliver the best results, something I call the Triangle Offensive.