Agency

Nielsen announced the creation of a joint venture with the Catalina Marketing Corporation. This venture is a major advancement for marketing ROI as well as a milestone in the evolution of online advertising.

At the turn of the last century, the retailer John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

The overall advertising environment in 2009 was fairly gloomy with slashed budgets and revised strategies to address the new reality. However, that didn’t stop the industry from evolving, and the lessons learned will likely pay-off in the year ahead. For example, advertisers started to look at the need for accountability metrics beyond the simple “click-through” and on to campaign-specific performance. They also started to embrace burgeoning social networks and consumer generated media to bring consumers closer to a product or brand.

It all begins with aging. U.S. fertility rates have fallen by 44% since the peaks of the Baby Boom and are projected to continue to fall by another 12% over the next several decades. Falling fertility, combined with rising life expectancy and the large Baby Boom generation just nearing retirement age, equates to an aging population.

Gloom or Boom?

While consumers around the world are more confident about the year ahead, Americans still seem relatively unconvinced there will be drastic improvement.

Purchasing decisions in 2010 will be affected by factors such as brand innovation, retailer assortment, proliferation of store brands, and healthy eating preferences.

This is truly a golden age of anytime, anywhere media. And rather than Americans replacing TV with the Internet or a mobile device, they are just consuming more—often simultaneously. Despite the availability of video content on the Internet, TV viewing is up by about 20% over the last decade, and the average American watches 141 hours of programming each month. Online video consumption stands at more than three hours a month—up from virtually nothing ten years ago. Mobile viewing is growing, too, as devices and connectivity become more widespread. Smartphone usage is climbing and text messaging is through the roof. On average, teens use more than 3,500 text messages a month and adults about 500.

While still in the early stages of a digital media revolution, the consumer has entered an age of enlightenment with expanded options for devices, content, and schedule. The consumer has responded with expanded use of those media options. But changes in technology, regulation, pricing, content distribution deals, etc., will complicate predicting the future growth (and future winners).

Named after advertising legend David Ogilvy, The ARF David Ogilvy Awards annually celebrate his spirited advocacy of research in making good advertising better.

What form must marketing take to survive and thrive in a changing media landscape? What role will the agency play going forward? These are some of the questions many in the marketing community will be mulling over holiday breaks. Like a cliffhanger before a commercial break (that you can’t TiVo past), 2008 is quickly coming to an end by posing some intimidating questions. Want to see what happens next? Stay tuned and watch the drama unfold in 2009 after a short break. Not that patient? Read on.

Evidently the stock markets aren’t the only indices declining this year. America’s leisure time is shrinking, and how we spend that time is changing too. These are the latest results from The Harris Poll, which has been tracking America’s leisure time since 1973.

Groceries are the top item on which U.S. consumers are spending their savings from lower gas prices, ahead of putting the money in savings, holiday gift buying and paying off credit cards, according to the results of nationwide research from retail analytics firm Precima.

Consumer confidence and spending began slowing as early as Spring 2007, according to a recent analysis by Experian Marketing Services, a part of global information company Experian. The analysis, based on data from Experian Simmons and Experian Hitwise, found that from Spring 2007 to Summer 2008, the percentage of U.S. adults who felt they would be financially better off in the next year dropped considerably from 46 percent to 37 percent.

Many retailers go through an exhaustive brand revitalization process only to find that they have failed to make a difference. Most brand revitalization efforts fail. In this article David Lemley discusses why brand revitalization is worth the risk and how to avoid being part of that statistic.

Now Available! The RSW 2009 Agency Outlook Survey, which provides detailed information from agency executives on expected opportunities for growth in 2009, including hot industries, agency services, and anticipated growth in both clientele and personnel.