Continental Airlines forged a marketing partnership with United Airlines , the carrier it rejected as a merger partner this year, and plans to seek immunity from US antitrust laws to co-operate with its former rival on transcontinental ventures.

Customer reviews are fast becoming a mainstay of Internet retailing and are a popular Web 2.0 feature among online shoppers. Many shoppers seek out and rely on the opinions of their peers when making a buying decision, eschewing marketing copy for what they perceive to be more objective information.

Despite competition from a variety of online marketing channels, consumers are most receptive to marketing messages delivered via e-mail, according to a new study from ExactTarget, a provider of on-demand e-mail and one-to-one marketing solutions.

Blue Sky Factory Inc., an e-mail services provider focused on the travel and hospitality industries, has acquired e-mail marketing firm nTarget whose customer list includes online retailers. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Global interactive marketing services company Acxiom(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) today announced it has been named Best Marketing Organization in the 2008 American Business Awards. The prestigious recognition was presented during the Sixth annual Awards gala in New York City last week.

Marketing students at the University of Northern Colorado's Monfort College of Business have finished first, second and third in the student category at the annual Peak Awards.

Fuse has bolstered its marketing department, adding two vice presidents. The national music television network has named Bob Mitchell vice president of consumer and affiliate marketing, while appointing Marcelle Karp its vice president/creative director of creative services.

Charter Communications Inc. named Eloise Schmitz executive vice president and chief financial officer and appointed Ted Schremp as the company's chief marketing officer replacing Robert Quigley who is retiring, the company announced Thursday. The moves are effective July 1.

Clinical software company Etrials has announced a new marketing campaign to change the perception of its software in the face of mounting losses and executive-suite shakeups.

E-mail marketing campaigns are common; effective ones are not. You can do better.