The Nielsen Co. and WPP have agreed to trade some research and data assets in response to regulatory requirements.

Amid the uncertainty of today's economic turmoil, one thing is clear: Consumers aren't spending the way they used to. But, while retailers expect this holiday season to be the most difficult in years, there are ways to make sure they are getting the most impact from their marketing investments.

CRM Manager, a software as a service (SaaS) consulting firm, will complete its acquisition of CRM consulting and training firm Redxlerant in January 2009.

Datamark, a marketing agency serving the education industry, has expanded its use of the Alterian Integrated Marketing Platform.

Salesforce.com has partnered with Amazon and Facebook for a new Web site management service this week. The company said its Force.com hosted applications platform would be linked with services from Facebook and Amazon Web Services.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has signed a five-year renewal contract with longtime database marketing services provider Epsilon.

The ongoing revolution in customer-focused analytics has sparked a shift in the retail landscape. Faced with increasing competitive pressures, forward-looking organizations are moving from the days of traditional market-driven strategies to a new era of data-driven customer-centric retailing.

Starbucks has launched a new customer loyalty program, Starbucks Gold Rewards, on the heels of a rewards program that started in April. The new Gold program, which goes into wide release on November 4, offers a 10% discount on most in-store purchases.

InfoGroup Inc., formerly known as InfoUSA Inc., reported an operating loss for the third quarter of $1.7 million, or 7 cents per share; compared to net income of $17 million, or 31 cents per share, for the same quarter last year. The company said the loss was partially due to litigation costs and severance payments made in connection with lawsuits against former CEO Vinod Gupta, who resigned in August.

Red Hawk Casino has begun a push to sign members to its Red Hawk Rewards Club before the Casino's grand opening in December. The rewards club is being promoted by mail to a list of consumers who live within 50 miles of the Placerville, CA, casino that have been identified as potential gamers.