Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Ever since marketers started paying for advertising, they’ve wanted to know if it’s working. Marketers who write the checks for digital campaigns want accountability from the media space providers, too. Defining and measuring ROI has been difficult until now but vendors are rolling out new tools designed to make a difference.

Consumers want information about the local businesses operating in their communities. These businesses are likely advertising in both traditional and digital channels. But the latest research shows that consumers exhibit ‘different pattern of information seeking’ when they are checking out some kinds of local businesses – a behavioral pattern that has broad implications for media mix.

At last month’s Consumer Electronics Show, manufacturers rolled out their latest line of Smart TVs. Analysts believe that unit sales of Internet-ready TVs will approach the sales of traditional TVs within 4 years. But marketers may be much slower to shift some of their ad budgets to this format.

Retailers are as mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore. For years, consumers have been going into bricks and mortar stores to size up the look and feel of a product and then head home to buy it online. Retailers call this trend ‘showrooming’ and they’re rapidly developing new strategies to better compete with online marketers.

Few industries are experiencing the kind of negative pushback that consumers reserve for banks. If they’re not looking over their shoulder in fear of a general economic collapse, consumers are concerned that their own personal financial situation is threatened. Executives at banks of all sizes understand they need to improve their image and communicate a message of stability and optimism this year.

The good news is that 4 in 10 BtoB operators plan to increase their marketing budgets in 2012. This figure is slightly lower than it was last year. However, the real story can be found in the shift that these businesses are making to employ less expensive marketing channels while they increase the effectiveness of their spending.