Job seekers in the marketing industry have reason to hope based on the February 2010 survey results released by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. While hiring in the industry have been virtually stalled for some time, nearly half Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) expect to bring on new employees within the next 6 months. CMO optimism is based on their belief that consumer spending will continue to increase. Fuqua professor Christine Moorman says “marketers are beginning to see the signs of a rebound within their own companies.”

Marketing professionals with specific skill sets will be in the highest demand. For example, the business-to-business (b-to-b) arena will see growth on several fronts. First, these companies often outsource their marketing projects. Second, business services companies will need help on the social media front. This group of businesses plans to increase social media as a percentage of total marketing spending.

• Business-to-business services: 11%
• Business-to-consumer services: 7%

In addition, businesses will be looking for employees with experience in Internet marketing. By industry, here are the percentage of firms who expect to use new employees to handle Internet marketing:

• Consumer packaged goods 7.1%
• Communications/media 6.8%
• Mining/Construction 1.4%
• Transportation 1.4%
• Energy 4.6%
• Manufacturing 15.3%
• Retail/wholesale 5.7%
• Technology/Biotech 14.6%
• Banking 13.9%
• Consumer services 2.1%
• Service consulting 15.7%
• Healthcare/Pharma 8.2%

The news is even better in the long run. At least 60 percent of companies plan to increase staff in the next 12 months while about 90 percent will do the same in the next 2 years.

[Source: The CMO Survey, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, February 2010]

New analysis of chief marketers’ Attitudes on Agencies released at 4A’s Transformation 2010 Conference

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.

“There are three deadly account service sins for advertising agencies: Inadequate communication, relying on the clients for industry insights and not listening,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. “Committing or being perceived as committing any one of these three sins can quickly put an agency at risk for losing a client,” Smith said.

Fifty percent of those surveyed plan increased marketing budgets in 2010 versus 2009, with social media, online advertising and online video expected to see the greatest spending increases.

Other key findings from the study:

• 19% of companies with marketing budgets less than $1 million say they do not use social media, 34% say the same for online video.
• Companies with marketing budgets more than $1 million are more likely to have mandates to improve customer insight and retention.
• B2B companies are much more likely to increase budget on public relations than B2C and hybrid companies.

The study was conducted in January 2010 by Ad-ology Research to analyze marketers’ 2010 plans and attitudes. The Attitudes on Agencies Report is available for purchase for $195 through the Research Store at Ad-ology.com.

Many marketers now comfortable with social media and the power of online product reviews have also started to lose their timidity about approaching bloggers.  In fact, some women bloggers report marketers may be becoming overeager.  Ketchum, conducting a survey of registrants for July’s annual BlogHer conference found that nearly one-half of respondents were contacted by PR professionals weekly. A further 30% got such messages on a daily basis.

Some of that contact, however, appears to be unwanted. Respondents to the Ketchum study indicated that marketers were not doing the necessary research when looking to stir up online word-of-mouth about their products. Some bloggers reported hearing about offers that were not even available in their location.  According to the study, women would like marketers to read and understand their blogs before making contact, to make sure they are a good fit with the product or service being marketed.

March 2009 data from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners indicated that 8 million women in the US publish a blog.  The same study also found that 31% of women who read or posted to blogs did so to “provide advice and recommendations.”  Women bloggers are more than willing to help marketers out – when it makes sense to do so. About 40% of Ketchum respondents said they had provided marketers with information collected on their blogs, and 53% said they would consider doing so if asked.

“Our research at Ketchum shows that women want marketers to understand them, and the female blogger audience is saying the same thing, loud and clear,” said Kelley Skoloda of Ketchum in a statement. As with all social media, it is crucial for marketers’ blog outreach efforts to be a good fit for everyone involved: the brand, the blogger and the audience.

Source: Data compiled from Ketchum, BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, as cited on an August 13, 2009 online report by eMarketer.  Website: www.emarketer.com.

Small business owners are hoping to engage customers in new ways in 2010. According to Ad-ology Research, 28% of small business owners say they plan to spend more on online video in 2010, up 75% over last year’s plans. Twenty five percent say the same about social networking, while 21% plan to commit more resources to mobile advertising.

Facebook was ranked the most beneficial social network for small business, followed by LinkedIn and Twitter.  These owners say the top business benefits of social networking are lead generation, keeping up with the industry, and monitoring the online conversation about their business.

E-mail marketing continues to be the most popular online marketing method for small businesses, but these numbers show increased acceptance for emerging media since last year’s study.

“Small business owners understand that the marketing landscape is changing, and they need to connect with consumers in new ways,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. “They’re still using traditional media, but they’re embracing these emerging media types as a way to take their business to the next level,” Smith said.

Twenty-nine percent plan increased advertising spending overall, targeting increased resources to online, direct mail, and newspaper advertising.

The Ad-ology Small Business Marketing Forecast reveals small business owners are generally hopeful, with more predicting increased sales in 2010 versus 2009, and one in five expressing optimism about the economy.

Other key findings from the study:

• 31% say they don’t use social media because their customers don’t use social media.
• More than one-third of these business owners plan to spend more time writing white papers and e-articles.
• 52% of small business owners surveyed plan to devote more resources to cause marketing in 2010.
• 42% plan to participate in trade shows or conferences, and the percentage of these planning to spend on trade publications increased 18% from last year.

The study was conducted in November 2009 by Ad-ology Research to analyze the attitudes and marketing plans of small business owners. The Small Business Marketing Forecast report is available for purchase through the Research Store at Ad-ology.com.

ABOUT AD-OLOGY RESEARCH

Ad-ology Research analyzes key marketing and advertising trends in over 440 industries and what motivates end-customers. The company’s research is used by over 2,000 advertising agencies, media properties, local governments, and product marketing departments across the United States. Ad-ology Research is a division of Sales Development Services (SDS), Inc. – a Westerville, Ohio firm founded in 1989.
METHODOLOGY

Ad-ology Research surveyed an online panel of 1100 owners of U.S. businesses with less than 100 employees in November 2009. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 2.95 percentage points.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Ad-ology trade name should be hyphenated in all printed references.

PRESS CONTACT:
Michelle O’Brien
(614) 794-0500 ext. 100
pressrelations@ad-ology.net