This year, for the first time, spending in the US on digital/online advertising and marketing will overtake print, according to a study by Outsell.

The Marketing and Ad Spending Study 2010: Total US and B2B Advertising report, which collected data from more than 1,000 advertisers in December 2009, quantifies how advertisers have planned their 2010 spending coming out of the major 2008-2009 global economic crisis.

It forecasts spending, share and growth for five media – online, events, print, TV/radio and PR/other – and methods used within the channels, such as social networking.

Chuck Richard, vice-president and lead analyst, Outsell, said: “Advertisers are directing dollars toward the channels which generate the most qualified leads and most effective branding. As they emerge from the recession, they need more accountability and they’re spreading their spending over a widening set of options.”

By measuring both marketing and advertising spending, Outsell tracks all the methods companies use to build and strengthen their brands and generate leads and new business. Among the key results of the study were:

• Print magazine advertising will be up 1.9 per cent to $9.4 billion, despite the popularity of online channels.
• Methods generating the highest B2B ROI are topped by advertisers’ own websites, followed by conferences, exhibitions and trade shows; direct mail; search engine keywords; and e-marketing/e-newsletters.
• B2B advertisers see cross-media marketing as most effective; 78 per cent combine three or more major marketing methods.
• 51 per cent of B2B marketers rate Facebook as extremely or somewhat effective, followed by LinkedIn (45 per cent), Twitter (35 per cent) and MySpace (25 per cent).

The report is one of three annual Outsell studies looking at all key money flows that fund the information industry – advertising, library and end-users and their departments.