It remains to be seen what happens next for consumers and businesses.  None of us have a crystal ball.  We do know that 7 years ago corporate spending slowed significantly.  For marketing professionals, that meant budget accountability.  More than ever.  The right-brained marketers were searching for their left-brained muses to establish marketing return on investment accountability.

The events of 2001 changed the way marketers had to act (for the better without a doubt).  At very least, 2008 will probably reinforce those requirements.  It also spawned a new set of marketing tools to facilitate budget management and marketing measurement.  Here are a few of my favorites – Marketo, Omniture Closed Loop Marketing for Salesforce, Vertical Response.