US ADVERTISING SPENDING TRENDS

By: Darren Seys, President, Peak 7 Advertising, Deerfield Beach, Florida

Gold Coast Builders Association - FOUNDATION Magazine

South Florida Has Felt The Recession More Than Anywhere In The Country Since The Fall Of The Real Estate Market. As Both An Advertising Executive And A Consumer, It Is My Responsibility To Spend Efficiently For Both My Clients And My Family.

Nowadays, Conventional Methods Of Advertising And Marketing Just Won't Do, But There Is Still A Demand, However Less Aggressive, For Housing, Automobiles And Retailers. So How Do You Conscientiously Cut Back Spending And Still Get The Same Return As In Previous Years? By Spending Smarter.

Although Statistics Show That Magazines Are Still The No. 1 Medium Of Advertising Nationally And Locally In The U.S., The Trends Have Altered Significantly In Recent Times. Overall, The U.S. Measured Media Spending Grew Just 0.2In 2007 To $149 Billion, (2008 Numbers Were Not In At The Time Of This Article) Showing The Weakest Growth Since The 2001 Recession. No Longer Do We Notice A Bulked Up Real Estate Section Splashed With Builder/Developer Advertisements In The Local Newspapers. This Is A Direct Result Of The Economy And More Specific, The Real Estate Market. For Those Builders Who Still Have A Marketing Budget To Work With, The Latest Trend Stretches The Dollar Farther Than Ever Before: The Internet.

A New Economy Brings A New Perspective To The Newspaper Industry. Newspaper Expenditures Declined 5.1In 2007 (And Continue To Decline) While Internet Advertising More Than Tripled Within The Same Time Period, According To TNS Media Intelligence.

Don't Be Na To The Growing Online Population When Thinking About Your 2009 Marketing Budget. Functional Websites Are A Must-Have, But Shouldn't Be Created, Then Forgotten About. Optimize Your Website By Using Search Engine Marketing And Pay-Per-Click Campaigns To Drive Interested Consumers To Your Site. By Now Everyone Has Heard The Popular Web Destinations; YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Craigs List, Linkedin And Even Blogs. These Social Media Outlets Are The Newest And Most Efficient Mainstream Advertising Forces, For Social And Professional Use.

More Consumers Are Shopping Online Out Of Convenience Among Other Things, And Receive Their News And Features In The Same Way. So Take Advantage Of Technology Trends Because They Are Not Going Away. The Key Is To Stay One Step Ahead Of The Consumer. With The Changing Market, Your Advertising Spending And Marketing Plans Must Change As Well.

No One Can Deny The Interesting Economic Climate We Are All Experiencing. Keep A Positive Attitude And Stay Focused. Advertising And Marketing Is Not What It Used To Be, However, If You Seek Out Alternative Media And Explore All Options (Maximizing ROI), You Have Begun To Spend Smarter. Don't Get Too Discouraged, At Least We Are Not Shoveling Snow In Our Driveways To Leave For Work; We Still Live In Sunny Florida!