Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Marketing decision makers say they are most frustrated by advertising and Web design agencies that are not proactive, don’t communicate well, and fail to understand their clients’ businesses and their customers.

According to the 2010 Ad-ology Research Attitudes on Agencies report released today at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Transformation 2010 conference, after cost, marketers tend to choose agencies based on creative capability and quality of previous work.

Nearly one in 5 U.S consumers aged 18 to 24 cited online video as an influence on their choice of banks. More Consumer Spending logothan one-third was influenced by social media such as positive and negative product reviews, blogs, and social networks according to a recent Ad-ology Research study.

More than 40% of recently surveyed 18 to 24 year olds said a college or university Web site was the most influential media when choosing a college. Social networks were also influential, cited by a quarter of that demographic in the Summer 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey.

Nearly one in eight higher income consumers said social media influenced their choice of real estate services, the highest of all media types, according to the Summer 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey.

Traditional media influenced more than 30 percent of recently surveyed pizza consumers, while online media like restaurant Web sites were the most influential for restaurant-goers. The Ad-ology Research study also found 61 percent of U.S. consumers surveyed said they had visited “a restaurant they had not visited before” in the last year.

Thirty eight percent of U.S. auto buyers are willing to drive more than an hour for their best deal, highlighting the importance of aggressive advertising by dealers. The Fall 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey also found online media is now more influential than social or traditional media on auto purchasing/leasing decisions.