Response Magazine's 22nd Annual State of the Industry Report

"Innovation has been the touchstone of growth in our business," says Kevin Lyons, president and CEO of Opportunity Media. "We need increased innovation around product and service development in our industry to ensure continued growth."

Lyons and the other members of the Response Advisory Board recognize the importance of innovation and evolution in the continually changing performance-based marketing industry. As the confluence of media, technology, and commerce become an undeniable force in our everyday lives, we've once again gathered this group of leaders to respond to a series of questions for Response's 22nd annual State of the Industry report.

"Marketing is a complicated business - and it's becoming more labyrinthine every day," says Peter Koeppel, founder and president of Koeppel Direct. "But as with every challenge there is opportunity. The combination of intelligence and fortitude can overcome any obstacle, which is why I look forward to what the future brings."

Lyons, Koeppel, and nine other members of the board took the time to address a series of questions about the current status of the industry - and its future. According to these leaders, this is the state of our industry.

What was the most significant accomplishment in the past year for performance-based marketers?

Tony Besasie, Cannella Media: Given the performancebased segment has become a more diverse group of marketers, it's difficult to find that one common accomplishment. For the traditional product marketer that relies on directto-consumer sales supplemented with brick-and-mortar retail, the biggest accomplishment is managing the impact of Amazon. Many have successfully adapted their pricing and marketing strategies to effectively nurture the Amazon opportunity while concurrently managing their other sales channels - not an easy feat.

Doug Garnett, Atomic Direct: In the past year, performance marketers have made significant strides integrating the range of media types. This has resulted in campaigns that bridge multiple media, and we see an emerging understanding of how they relate.

That said, hard work remains. Each time a new widget is released in media (programmatic, social video, live video, etc.), it's backed by claims to solve all problems forever. That is, of course, not true. And it becomes the marketer's (along with their agency's) obligation to sort out where that widget is useful.

Peter Koeppel, Koeppel Direct: All of...