Online advertising during the downturn
Optimists and pessimists abound, but marketers will concentrate on ROI, analytics to justify spending.
The cup is half full or half empty, depending on whom you talk to. While some pundits say advertising isn’t immune to the world’s economic trials and are bearish about advertising and marketing growth in 2009 and beyond, others crow about online advertising’s growth and success year to date.
Case in point: This month, global media services agency ZenithOptimedia significantly downgraded its forecast for total worldwide ad spending (combined on- and offline) in 2009.
In June, the company forecast 6.6% growth in 2009. However on Oct. 7, it reduced that to 4.3% and said growth in the U.S. would be just 1.8% this year and a puny 0.9% in 2009. The October revisions override previous U.S. estimates of 3.5% and 2.7%, respectively.
