Media Sales Today

Interest in and use of online marketing continues to grow. According to the Ad-ology Small Business Marketing Forecast, 71 percent of small businesses surveyed plan to increase online advertising spending in 2010. Many of these businesses are new to online advertising, and may make online mistakes. In “Local Online Advertising For Dummies” (yes, there really is a Dummies book for everything), Court Cunningham lists ten local online marketing mistakes.

More media usage numbers from Nielsen show U.S. TV viewers increased their consumption again last year, setting another record for time watched. According to the data, the average U.S viewer watched 4 hours and 49 minutes of television per day during the 2008-2009 season, up 1.45 or 4 minutes from the previous season and up 20% in the last ten years.

A new Media Influence on Consumer Choice report says 57% of 18 to 24 year olds and 48.5% of 25 to 34 year olds say social media influenced their choice of a hair salon/barber or day spa. The Ad-ology Research report also found that 37% of 18 to 24 year olds were influenced by social networks.

More than 48% of U.S. adults believe that a lack of advertising by a retail store, bank or auto dealership during a recession indicates the business must be struggling. Likewise, a vast majority perceives businesses that continue to advertise as being competitive or committed to doing business.

Sixty-eight percent of women choose a pharmacy based on convenience/location compared to only 48% of men, according to the Spring 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey.

According to the Fall 2008 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey, 60.5 percent of U.S. consumers who recently purchased a mobile or wireless phone said online product reviews and user comments had some or significant influence on their purchase decision. Nearly 30 percent also rated information from blogs with the same level of influence.