Digital marketing agency commissions comprehensive research survey to address spending inefficiencies, challenges and priorities of print marketers and publishers today

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeta Interactive, a leading full-service digital marketing agency, today announced the findings of "The Future of Media" study, in which they commissioned market research group Forrester Consulting to survey print media decision makers and marketers in North America on their challenges and needs in today's shifting media landscape.

As rising print costs collide with consumer migration to online channels, media and publishing decision makers are facing one of the most challenging periods in the history of print media. In order to help publishers and print marketers transition into the digital age, Zeta Interactive commissioned Forrester Consulting to find out how they are currently responding to this challenge and how they plan to remain competitive in the future.

The research - which was conducted over three months, and surveyed more than 150 executives from organizations and industries heavily invested in print such as publishers, catalogers, print marketers, etc. - illustrates a clear call to action for those who have yet to embrace the shift consumers are making from traditional to digital platforms. Among the key findings of the research were:

• Publishers, catalogers and print marketers alike are feeling the pressures of the new media reality
  • Rising costs and budgetary restraints are the top challenges among print users today. 67% report rising print costs are a challenge of using print publications; 67% also report that budget constraints are forcing the need for more efficient, targeted efforts
  • Nearly half (47%) also report that their audiences are migrating online.
• As audiences migrate online, so do budgets. In fact, respondents predict a dramatic shift in budgets, moving from approximately 70/30 print vs. online today to 60/40 online vs. print in five years.
• In response to these challenges, the market has clearly embraced digital publishing--that is, the ability to create and distribute digital editions of convention printed publications--as a viable option to expand their audience online, increase reader engagement and reduce costs.
  • 51% of print media decision makers already have a digital publishing solution in place.
  • 26% expect to implement a solution in the next 12 to 18 months.
• Saving expectations are high. Exactly half of respondents (50%) indicated they expect their organizations to save more than 20% of their traditional print budget utilizing digital publishing solutions.
  

"We are involved in an unprecedented shift of media ideologies that is completely changing the way traditional publishers and marketers engage with their audiences," said Al DiGuido, CEO of Zeta Interactive. "Our 'Future of Media' study definitively shows that in order to survive and thrive in the digital age, marketers and publishers today must leverage digital tools that promote efficient and effective consumer engagement and drive ROI. As more consumers migrate to online channels, organizations and industries heavily invested in print media can no longer afford to deny the digital reality they are faced with."

While digital publishing is not new, the challenge until now has been in its adoption--getting users to actually open and interact with the digital products. "Digital publishing must go beyond replication to provide a complete communications and analytics solution that drives traffic and reader engagement in order to reach its full potential and spawn further adoption," added DiGuido.

Respondents to the commissioned survey agree that analytics - the ability to track user activity and behavior within a publication-- is key to success, with 36 percent of those indicating this was the single most important internal feature of a digital publishing solution. Integration with other digital channels followed, with 17 percent citing it as the most important internal feature.

To download the study in its entirety, please click here: "The Future of Media"

Zeta Interactive, named among the Top 50 digital agencies in the U.S. by Advertising Age, has responded to these vital market needs by launching a series of new product releases over the past several months aimed at shaping the future of digital marketing. Among the most recent releases has been Zeta Next Page, a revolutionary digital publishing platform and marketing solution that enables publishers and print marketers to transform their print collateral into engaging and more easily traceable digital content. Zeta Interactive also recently launched Zeta Mail 5.0, a remarkably powerful email marketing platform with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that allows marketers the ability to interact with high volumes of customers and prospective customers in a completely personalized and targeted fashion.

The company has enjoyed steady growth and has expanded its client roster to more than 200 Fortune 1000 customers, including Time Inc., Sony and LiveNation. Additionally, Zeta Interactive has increased its staff to more than 300 employees, and named more than a dozen industry veterans to lead its executive management team.

For more information on Zeta Interactive, including a full listing of company locations, clients and executives, please visit: www.zetainteractive.com. To download an entire copy of The Future of Media study, please visit: "The Future of Media"

About Zeta Interactive

Zeta Interactive is a full-service digital marketing agency offering a wide range of services--from email and search marketing, to Web site development, creative services, social media marketing and mining, and more. The company has been named among the Top 50 digital agencies in the U.S. and 25th among U.S. Search Agencies by Advertising Age.

A leading provider of integrated, interactive services, Zeta Interactive helps marketers realize the full potential of the Internet to build brands, increase sales, improve processes, and reduce costs. The company's specialty is in crafting strategies and programs for marketers that help them acquire, retain, up-sell, cross-sell and win back their customers--cost effectively and efficiently--by leveraging customer data and insight from individual marketing initiatives to drive even more relevant and rewarding exchanges across all media and channels. The company does so by providing superior proprietary technology and a marketing approach that is focused on accountability, measurability and ROI metrics.

Headquartered in New York City, Zeta Interactive has more than 300 employees worldwide located in California, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, New Jersey, Texas, Rhode Island and India. For more information please visit: www.zetainteractive.com.

SOURCE Zeta Interactive

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