Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

If a company wants to market effectively to a younger audience, tweeting the message via Twitter might just do the trick. It seems like the buzz about Twitter is increasing but media industry analysts can’t agree on whether this service has already had its 15 minutes of fame or whether it will become a major tool in the online marketing arsenal. The continuing debate prompted LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll to survey advertisers and consumers on the topic.

Internet advertising in the United States should decline at a slower rate in the months ahead with “real growth” not expected again until mid-2010, according to IDC’s yet-to-be-released Worldwide and U.S. Internet Ad Spend Report 2Q09.

Participants at the Chicago-based B-to-B Marketing in the New World conference will doubtless be discussing the findings of BtoBOnline’s latest survey of b-to-b marketers. In the two years since the last survey, the number of b-to-b marketers who use social media has skyrocketed from 15% to 57%. The survey also reveals that another 18% of b-to-b marketers will increase their use of blogs in the next twelve months.

To ensure that a new drug does well in the marketplace, pharmaceutical firms have long relied on direct-to-consumer advertising and detail reps who make personal calls to deliver sample medications to physician offices. As the soaring cost of health care comes under federal scrutiny, pharmaceutical firms may find that alternate forms of physician marketing are effective. Research concern, SDI, finds that physician interest in electronic promotional efforts is increasing.

It’s logical to suppose that an ad campaign for a mobile smart phone would launch, in large part, online. Palm, in generating pre-launch buzz for its latest offering, the Palm Pre, and partner Sprint, with its Now Network, effectively used this strategy earlier this summer to increase interest. According to comScore, YouTube ads were seen by at least 13 million consumers in one day. Did this viewership translate into higher sales?

Online ad revenue continues to increase north of the U.S. border. The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada reports that the country closed out 2008 with a whopping 29% rise over the previous year. Surveyed publishers are looking for a 9% growth rate in 2009 which would bring spending levels to $1.75 billion.