Marketers Will Spend More on Digital Than Print in 2010
We in the B-to-B world realize that digital is fast becoming a very acceptable vehicle which none of us a few years ago would have thought that it would have grown at such a fast pace. In our space, digital will have a role but I don’t believe it will catch up to the consumer side of things. While the enclosed study is primarily focused at the B-to-C side of things, it should be a gauge for us as to things come.
Outsell, which provides research and advisory services to the publishing and information industries, surveyed more than 1,000 US advertisers in December 2009 for its annual “Marketing and Advertising Study 2010.”
This marketing and ad spending study forecasts spending, share, and growth for five media types—online, events, print, TV/radio, and PR/other—and methods used within each, from social networking to mobile/wireless marketing.
In what it calls “an industry milestone crossover event,” US companies will spend more this year on digital and online advertising and marketing than on print for the first time ever.
“Advertisers are directing dollars toward the channels which generate the most qualified leads and most effective branding. As they emerge from the recession, they need more accountability, and they’re spreading their spending over a widening set of options,” said Chuck Richard, Vice President and Lead Analyst, Outsell.
Some nuggets from this report:
- Companies will spend 119.6 billion dollars on online and digital strategies and 111.5 billion dollars on newspaper and magazine advertisements and other print campaigns
- US spending on advertising and marketing projected to increase by 1.2 percent in 2010 to 368 billion dollars
- Spending on newspaper advertising expected to drop 8.2 percent to 27 billion dollars
- Spending on direct mail marketing campaigns could rise 2.7 percent to 24.4 billion dollars and spending on custom print publications would be 3.0 percent higher at 19.3 billion dollars
- Spending on print directories would fall 8.3 percent to 11.6 billion dollars
- Spending on print newsletters would be flat at 11.4 billion dollars
- Spending on television advertising was forecast to drop 6.5 percent to 59.6 billion dollars
- Print magazine advertising could be up 1.9 percent to $9.4 billion
- Methods generating the highest B2B ROI are topped by advertisers’ own websites, followed by conferences, exhibitions and trade shows; direct mail; search engine keywords; and e-marketing/e-newsletters
- B2B advertisers see cross-media marketing as most effective; 78% combine three or more major marketing methods
- 51 percent of B2B marketers rate Facebook as extremely or somewhat effective, followed by LinkedIn (45 percent), Twitter (35 percent) and MySpace (25 percent)
“2010 will not suddenly erase the painful memory of crumbling ad spending in 2009, but it will provide much closer to a flat year for several of the traditional media types,” Outsell said.
The entire 33 page report is available for download for a fee by clicking here
Other posts that might be of interest:
Social Media: Will be Focus of B-to-B Marketers in 2010
B-to-B Marketers: Social Networks Top Priority for 2010
As the economy softens, all of us are looking for opportunities to expand or protect our position in the marketplace. Researchers and analysts all indicate that digital spending will increase or at least remain the same for 2009.