Senior marketers believe that they will continue to up their spending on new media and online marketing campaigns despite the current economic uncertainty, according to a new study.
The research for PR industry magazine, PR Week, and global communications company, Manning Selvage & Lee, questioned 252 marketing chiefs across the US.
The findings suggested that digital marketing could turn out to be immune to the recession, with 75% of respondents saying that their budgets for digital campaigns would increase and only 4% expecting a decrease.
Advertising looks set to lose out, with only 33% of marketers expecting spending to increase and 35% saying that their advertising budget was the most likely to be cut- the highest percentage of all marketing disciplines.
By contrast, digital emerged as least vulnerable, with only 4% suggesting it was the most likely marketing method to get the chop.
The survey also revealed the increasing importance marketers are placing on consumer generated media (CGM). Across the spectrum of marketing disciplines, 28% of respondents cited it as their top priority over the next 6–12 months and 68% saw it as important for building brand awareness.
Chief executive officer of MS&L Worldwide, Mark Hass, said the PR industry had a remarkable opportunity to prove its value the digital space.
Whether it was producing social networks, he added, creating traditional web sites or managing consumer message boards for a new product.
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