Marketers Moving to Digital Media

In the wake of the global economic downturn, marketers worldwide are shifting more of their budgets into cheaper, more-measurable categories.

In most cases, that means online.

Although the name of the organization might imply a slight bias, in a survey by the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA), 81% of respondents said they plan to invest at least as much in digital marketing in 2009 as in the previous year.

More than 77% of traditional advertising agencies are increasing the amount of digital in their budgets by 1% to 29%. And over 10% are upping online budgets by 30% or more.

In addition, about 15% of digital agencies, digital service providers and freelancers plan to increase digital budgets by 30% or more. Brand shops were least likely to add to digital budgets, with one-half planning no shift at all.

When asked if they were doing more digital work in the wake of the downturn, at least 36% of advertising professionals of all stripes said yes, and many expect to take on significantly more.

"The economic crisis will accelerate the shift of focus and importance from traditional media to digital media," wrote SoDA analysts.

In general, the SoDA findings are backed up by an earlier survey from Ad Media Partners, which found executives planning to increase digital spending from search to banners.

The combination of accountability, convergence and the infusion of digital media into every facet of life makes the future look bright—for marketers making the move to digital.