Marketers are becoming less optimistic about digital media. They aren’t planning to allocate as much of their marketing budget as you might think to tablet initiatives, either. Instead, smartphone marketing and native advertising are capturing attention and dollars for the next 6-12 months.
Those are the key findings from recent research done by Advertiser Perceptions among thousands of marketing decision makers at agencies and companies, including the 100 largest US advertisers.
For the first time since tracking began six years ago, the number of marketers who plan to cut digital media spending has increased. It’s not clear what’s driving this change, but I suspect difficulty measuring ROI, increased complexity, and the rise of mobile may all play a role.
Meanwhile, marketers remain bullish on mobile advertising, with the majority planning to increase their spending in the near term. The average mobile budget will be split 60% for smartphone initiatives vs 40% for tablet tactics. Advertiser Perceptions hypothesizes that tablet spending has been stunted by concerns about the growing number of platforms and how to allocate time and money between them. Given how consumers are using tablets, marketers would be better served by biting the bullet and addressing all tablet formats.
What are the implications for your business?
- Are you improving your management and measurement of digital media rather than reducing your spending?
- Have you tracked your customers’ tablet usage and allocated your budget accordingly?
If you would like to keep up-to-speed with how consumers use social media, technology and the Internet, check out The Digital American 2013.
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For help developing powerful marketing strategies that drive results, strategic plans that deliver growth, or new products that consumers love, contact Brandology at 925-417-2253 or Maura@Brandology.com.
Sources: Advertiser Perceptions 2013, Media Post 2013, Mobile Marketer 2013
