**Note: This was first published by The Strip, an alternative, Internet-ish 'zine out of Tuscaloosa, AL. Also distributed in Florida.

~ Bev

BevP: Give readers an idea of who Sam Alfstad is, and a brief rundown of your online/'Net experience.

SA: Here is my bio: http://www.emarketer.com/eservices/bios.html

<text below:>

Sam Alfstad came to online from offline marketing. He began in the classic way, in the mailroom of a advertising agency on the 64th floor of the Chrysler Building in New York City, and became creative director at D'Arcy, McManus & Masius; Esty and Laurence, Charles and Free. Working for Bristol-Myers, American Homes, Colgate-Palmolive, M&M/Mars, Air France and the U.S. Air Force on national print and television assignments, he directed campaigns for Irish Spring, Milky Way and Anacin.

In the late '80s, Sam founded The Alfstad Blank Group (TA_G). It's a marketing agency committed to creating strategies and services for the '90s. It's motto is "You can't play by the old rules and win," and its philosophy is image management -- one voice, one look, one message everywhere.

CARE, the worldwide relief organization, and Advertising Age were among TA_G's first clients. High-tech assignments from COMSAT and Ziff-Davis followed. TA_G's biggest assignment was welding a coordinated image for Olsten Health Services, North America's largest home health care provider and Olsten Staffing Services, the second-largest staffing service in the world. Projecting the images of these companies across all media soon brought the internet to Sam's attention.

What was this new means of communication? How could it be used for marketing? Where did advertising fit in? Looking for answers to these questions, Sam saw a gap in the market and set out to fill it. eMarketer was formed.

BevP: So ... how has the 'Net changed your life?

SA: I got out of a business that I was in for 25 years and into to something new. It's like being a kid again -- and I love it.

BevP: eMarketer is one of the hottest e-commerce and marketing sites on the Web.

SA: Nice of you to say.

BevP: What do you think was the biggest factor in pushing your site to the top of a very competitive e-commerce online market?

SA: Luck. But like James Carville -- and many others -- said, "The harder you work, the luckier you get."

BevP: What are some upcoming Web trends you foresee, not only for online marketing and e-commerce, but in general?

SA: While a lot of people talk "convergence," I tend to see the really profound changes coming from "divergence." The internet will soon be everywhere -- in our PCs, phones, cars, refrigerators and alarm clocks -at home, in business and at school.

BevP: Women and the 'Net: more, less, about the same? Do you think women will eventually dominate the 'Net? Don't recent stats show that women and teens are wielding more buying power on the 'Net?

SA: Things will normalize. The Internet -- or cyberspace -- won't be seen as a different place. It will conform to roughly the same demographics and trends as the rest of the world. (Women dominate everything, don't they?)

BevP: You're considered a top-notch professional with name recognition on the 'Net - what's it take to be a mover/shaker in e-commerce on the 'Net today?

SA: I wish that were true, but it's not. I feel as green as the grass in May. There is so much to learn -- we are all running to catch up. The biggest "movers" in the business are just trying not to be left behind!

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