The Ad-ology Insights video briefing is designed for strategic marketers:  ad agencies, in-house marketers, media buyers+sellers, business owners. Features include industry trends, consumer insights+exclusive data from Ad-ology Research and other top sources.

The May 2010 Ad-ology Insights features:

• Mirren New Business Conference wrap-up
• CMO Council State of Marketing report
• Industry Marketing Insights: Landscaping & Lawn Services

Link to the podcast through ad-ology.com and the Ad-ology Research channel on YouTube. Or, subscribe on iTunes. It’s free, and the podcast will automatically update on your iPod or iPhone when new editions are published.

New Version Also Released for iPhone and iPod Touch

Ad-ology Research announced their popular Marketing Forecast app is now available for Android-powered mobile devices. Marketing Forecast provides industry research, news and trends for advertisers and marketers. The latest version for iPhone and Android includes a new small business section, social media sharing functions and more content for all marketers.

“Being available on the Android platform means marketing and advertising pros on other mobile networks – Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile – have access to the industry news, projections and insights that more than 15,000 iPhone users already use,” said C. Lee Smith, president/CEO of Ad-ology Research. “The number of Android devices is growing quickly, and we’re excited to be the first marketing news and consumer insights app on that platform,” Smith said.

Marketing Forecast keeps strategic advertisers and marketers up-to-speed on the industry and provides a continuous stream of marketing and consumer insights from Ad-ology Research and other top research firms. Marketing Forecast originally launched in September 2009 and quickly became a top resource for the advertising and marketing industry.

The new version includes a small business section – with forecasts, news and marketing trends of interest to entrepreneurs – and an improved user interface overall. New sharing functions make it possible to share content via e-mail, texting, Twitter or Facebook.

The free Marketing Forecast app is available for Motorola’s Droid and other smartphones running the Google Android system and can be found in the Finance section of the Android Market. The iPhone, iPod touch and iPad version is available in the Business section of Apple’s App Store.

About Ad-ology Research

Ad-ology Research (www.ad-ology.com) 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 and product marketing departments across the United States. Ad-ology is also a research partner for the 2010 American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition. Ad-ology Research is a division of Sales Development Services (SDS), Inc. – a Westerville, Ohio firm founded in 1989.

Editor’s Note: The Ad-ology trade name should be hyphenated in all printed references. All other trade names are property of their respective owners and do not constitute nor imply an endorsement.

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

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.