Mark Rentschler, marketing manager, Makino Inc.

“We do not plan to increase any expenditures over our current 2011 fiscal plan. We are closely monitoring the economic conditions and manufacturing activity to determine if a small, 10% reduction in expenses might be prudent. We are considering shifting some funding from one area to another, specifically to increase direct email communications via third-party sources. The other area we are considering would be the creation of new electronic materials in support of our direct and distribution sales forces. These would include materials for use on tablets.”

Asim Zaheer, VP-head of corporate and product marketing, Hitachi Data Systems

“Hitachi Data Systems [HDS] will be focusing on promoting customers' successes for the remainder of the year. HDS customers around the globe are saving millions of dollars by transforming their data centers using virtualization, automation and new cloud delivery models. Our marketing efforts will highlight the stories of a shared data center vision and the trust and confidence that HDS customers put in the partnership.”

Jeremy J. Ahto, head of brand marketing-North America, Zurich Insurance

“The remainder of this year for Zurich is all about targeting refinement—moving away from mass, national exposure vehicles and toward industry-specific and personalized tactics. Research tells us customers value Zurich's ability to minimize their total cost of risk. We're injecting this into all our communications now, using industry-specific verticals and trade press to target our media spend more effectively on the areas in which we want to grow. We're also investing more in regional events—aligning with media partners to produce intimate gatherings that facilitate ‘face time' with key audiences and showcase our individual thought leaders. For the money, these tactics are offering us superior targeting capabilities.”