Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Quick-serve restaurants are gearing up menu changes and promotions to increase sales in 2012. This year isn’t expected to be easy in light of the continued economic challenges. But some analysts believe consumers will spend on meals out when they can get value in return. This attitude should prompt QSR operators to pump up their advertising.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Conference Centers and Exhibition Halls. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

Magazine publishers continue to roll out both traditional and digital versions of their publications. While some consumers may be reading their favorite glossy in both formats, others are devoted solely to the online channel. Advertisers need to know the size of this audience and for the first time, GfK MRI is making that data available.

As marketers look for ways to connect with their customers, companies in some sectors are moving back into sports sponsorship in a big way. In particular, the automotive and financial services industries are expected to invest more heavily in this area.

With the economic outlook improving, consumers may be in the mood to buy jewelry in 2012. Last year, consumers exhibited a clear preference for specific types of jewelry. This year, jewelers are sure to be promoting those items and they’ll be advertising other services to consumers as well.

Despite the hype about how U.S. consumers are getting all of their news online or via their smartphones, there’s one category of newspapers that is attracting plenty of attention. A significant percentage of consumers regularly read their community newspapers, in print. And this behavior means that marketers can reach a unique audience by advertising in these newspapers.