Affiliate Marketing Secrets

I work for a company who is launching a new product, and we can’t find any sort of basis for figuring out how much we need to spend… Like do we need to do 100 grand in advertising several times in different magazines, and 40k in radio advertising? Or should we just spend a few thousand dollars here and there on a few niche ads?
I know it depends a lot on the product, but it is a completely new product to market (something different than anything else out there).
How do we determine how much advertising we really need to do?
We just met with 3 ad firms who all said the same thing- “we don’t tell you how much, just what and where” is pretty much what I’ve gotten.That was my answer to our dillemma, which didn’t help.

I’m interested in advertising and selling certain clothing/accessories that could greatly appeal to Japanese youth, but am currently based in the United States. I was wondering if anyone might have some tips or sort of “how-to” advice on the steps I might take to attempt a business venture on the Japanese market.
What would be an absolute must?
Would it be advisable to have an affiliate actually in the nation of prospect?
Would a website be the best way to start off?
If online, any advice on how one might provide savings on shipping for customers in Japan (assuming I remain based in the U.S.)?
I would greatly appreciate being pointed in the right direction for more information if you are unable to explain yourself. Any help is appreciated, thank you.

Olbermann was the ring-leader of the disastrous,dead-last-in-the-ratings debacle (sort of like “The View” without an Elizabeth Hasselbeck to at least provide a beauty among the beasts) that virtually destroyed any remaining suspicions that MSNBC might be loosely affiliated with a legitimate news organization. Amidst the ongoing nervousness about the new “Lean Forward” punch-line at MSNBC (which NBC insiders have admitted is a risky admission that one’s brand identity no longer has anything to do with real journalism), it is obvious that Olbermann didn’t get fired because the minor donations suddenly jeopardized his “impartiality”. And the fact that the suspension-without-pay has no time limit on it leaves one to wonder if this is part of Comcast’s transition strategy. Or is it Phil Griffin’s way to remind Olbermann and others that he really is the President and calls the shots? WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT IS THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE SUSPENSION?

I am going on a Carnival Cruise out of Baltimore soon. I have been on two other Carnival cruises out of Florida (Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando/Port Canaveral) Anyways before you get on the ship they scan your luggage, sort of like an airport. Where can I find the dimensions of the biggest suitcase that can fit thru the scanner. In Fort Lauderdale our biggest suitcases were able to fit thru it. But in Port Canaveral we ended up having to put all the same suitcases in the bins, where the tenders put them on the ship. The thing about that is your suitcases can come as late as 9pm, which is a long wait, plus you have the risk of stolen items, since Carnival is not affiliated with them in anyway. Where can I find the dimensions of the biggest suitcase that can go thru the scanner…. That way it would be easier/nice to know, than having to wait and see if it fits in the metal crate? I might also get a smaller suitcase instead.

Well, it is a bit like this:
If all the people in your street moved out and left the houses empty, some homeless people, or squatters might see those homes and take the opportunity to move in. They would be ‘an invasive species moving into a new open niche’, although I mean no offence to squatters or homeless people. The homeless people would be quite hardy and would probably adapt quite quickly to their new home, having not had one before, whereas other people who have a home already might think long and hard before they might move in to the empty homes, if ever. These would be less invasive, not so hardy species.
I hope you get the picture with this analogy. I am not sure that it is 100% correct, but it is sort of the idea. Some things in science are explained in a very odd way, when in fact, they can be just common sense if explained a different way.

I am just wondering, because I know there must be some sort of self-marketing trick to it. Some “not-so-good” artists have millions of page views, and some phenomenal artists have virtually none, so I know that it must be at least PARTIALLY unrelated to quality.
I am an artist who began submitting my work on the site about three months ago, and I have hardly any page views at all.
I am not asking that people LIKE my work, only that they have the opportunity to actually see it and give me some feedback.
If there are any secret tips that have eluded me, could someone please share?
thank you!