SOURCE: Eloqua

October 27, 2008 09:00 ET

Eloqua Unveils Green Marketing Survey Results; Demonstrates Best Practices at Eloqua Experience ‘08

VIENNA, VA--(Marketwire - October 27, 2008) - Eloqua, the leading supplier of automated demand generation applications and expertise for business-to-business (B2B) marketers, today announced results from a recent Eloqua-sponsored survey focused on key trends and industry perceptions of green marketing. As consumers and businesses alike become more involved in ecologically responsible activities, marketers are focusing on the role of sustainability in today’s business environment. From the move to digital mediums such as email to "green" messaging, today’s marketers are increasingly aware of the need to incorporate an ecologically responsible approach to their marketing programs and campaigns. In fact, in a survey conducted of 150 of today’s leading marketers, 90% of respondents stated that the marketing industry has a responsibility to become more environmentally friendly. And nearly 60% believe that green marketing can provide a competitive advantage. As companies look to bolster their green marketing efforts in 2009 and beyond, they can learn from the host of best practices demonstrated by Eloqua at its recent marketing conference, Eloqua Experience ’08.

Eloqua, known for its commitment to marketing excellence and innovation, provided the sell-out crowd of nearly 450 Eloqua Experience attendees with a world-class conference without compromising on the company’s dedication to the highest standards of eco-responsibility. Each element of the event -- from communications to food services -- demonstrated Eloqua’s commitment to energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, and recycling.

"As the leading provider of marketing automation solutions, we have been at the helm of the digital marketing revolution. At Eloqua, we know that what’s good for the environment can also be great for business. By leveraging our own products and technologies, as well as other recent technological innovations, we not only did our part in protecting the world’s natural resources, we provided Eloqua Experience attendees with a more valuable and robust user experience," said Brian Kardon, chief marketing officer, Eloqua.

Reducing paper waste is an easy and effective way to support the environment. It is also an activity that is supported by the vast majority of business. More than 60% of marketers cited plans to move away from off-line marketing efforts such as brochures and mailers during the next 12-18 months in favor of digital communications and activities. Featuring technology from iCentera and nTAG, Eloqua Experience ’08 was the first-of-its-kind paperless conference and provides a blueprint for success for other companies that wish to eliminate the use of paper at marketing events and tradeshows.

Notably absent from Eloqua Experience ’08 were the reams of brochures, agendas and promotional giveaways that litter nearby landfills at the close of an event. Instead of disposable name badges, Eloqua armed each conference attendee with a powerful nTAG electronic device. During the conference, the nTAGs provided each attendee with digital networking capabilities, and instant access to the full conference agenda, as well as real-time polling. At the end of the conference, attendees returned their nTAGs and received a personalized report, including all the electronic business cards they collected. Additionally, Eloqua and its event sponsors were provided with comprehensive reporting to measure the success of the event.

All Eloqua Experience conference-related collateral, including session presentations, white papers on industry best practices, as well as sponsor and exhibitor brochures were posted on the Eloqua Experience online portal. Hosted and built using the iCentera Portals for Mortals SaaS solution, the Eloqua Experience portal is accessible to every conference attendee before, during and after the event. The portal even includes private access to Eloqua’s online community, helping conference attendees easily maximize the value of the conference and extend their networking activities. By hosting the conference materials online using iCentera, Eloqua and its sponsors will be able to continue to track the dissemination and use of their materials, thereby gaining greater insight into the tools and collateral deemed most useful by the event participants.

For more information about Eloqua Experience ’08, visit: http://www.eloquaexperience.com/eloquaexperience08/

About Eloqua

Eloqua is the leading provider of demand generation applications and best-practice expertise for business marketers. Our mission is to make our customers the most effective marketers on Earth. Thousands of customers from businesses like Cognos, Dow Jones, Seagate and Sybase rely on Eloqua’s products and services to execute, automate and measure programs that generate revenue. By using Eloqua to integrate key marketing and lead management processes and read their buyers’ Digital Body Language™, these customers improve the quality and quantity of sales leads, increase efficiency and accelerate the selling process. Eloqua is headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, with offices in Toronto, London, Singapore and throughout North America. For more information, please call 866-327-8764 or email demand@eloqua.com.