Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Activity in the upfront market can indicate where TV advertising is heading for the year. In the past few years, advertisers cut significantly when they were buying inventory in advance. During the recession, the upfront market was so dismal that some experts thought the entire business model of TV advertising would be changed forever. What a difference a year makes. First quarter reports by major TV media firms indicate that 2011 will be one of the strongest growth years for TV advertising in recent history.

Consumers have been turning to both traditional and digital coupons in record numbers since the start of the Great Recession. Even as the economic stress eases, many consumers are likely to continue coupon use. But marketers need to determine how to allocate their investment in coupons between the traditional and digital format. New research from Knowledge Networks suggests that digital coupon use is closely linked to specific demographic groups.

Earlier this week, I highlighted some of the data from the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Survey data showed a clear trend among businesses of all sizes.  More businesses are using social media. And the longer businesses use the format, the more time they commit to maintaining these sites. In doing so, they areRead the Rest…

Revenue streams for radio station operators are beginning to strengthen. And the long term picture looks even better. Radio stations have a chance to sell advertising to more local and national clients as the economy recovers. But the sector doesn’t lack for competition from new media formats. The latest news from BIA/Kelsey contains both good news and a cautionary note for operators in this market.

Business pundits generally cautioned merchants not to cut back their marketing expenditures during the recession. But many did. Now that the Great Recession is fading, more marketers are feeling optimistic about the economy and this optimism should result in higher advertising spending. The latest survey results released by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) shows that many marketers will either increase or maintain their current promotional budgets this year.

With the huge focus on big search providers like Google and Yahoo!, marketers might wonder what role a traditional provider like print Yellow Pages should play in an optimal media mix. A significant new study on this topic had just been published. According to AT&T, print directories play a big role in the daily lives of consumers.