Outsell Forecasts U.S. Advertising and Marketing Spend To Reach $452 Billion in 2015

BURLINGAME, Calif., March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Outsell, Inc., the leading strategic advisory firm focused on the convergence of media, information and technology, today released results of its 10th annual Advertising and Marketing Study. The study surveyed nearly 1,500 U.S. marketers to provide insight on spending across 36 categories, offering the most comprehensive view into these marketers' spending patterns and their challenges.

According to Outsell's Annual Advertising and Marketing Study 2015: Topline report, spending on advertising and marketing will grow 4.6 percent in 2015, reaching $452 billion. Digital spending has pulled away from the pack, rising 9.3 percent year over year to $198 billion, equaling the combined spend of print ($101 billion) and TV/radio/movies ($97 billion). Within digital, spending on mobile, social, and video will grow five times faster than overall spending, from $38 billion last year to $44 billion this year.

The research also points to increased use of technologies and tools (i.e., martech and ad tech) for behaviorally driven, personalized campaigns. However, CMOs and their staffs report that their number-one pain point lies in applying the analytics gleaned from these tools to improve their results. Ironically, B2B marketers who are under 40 feel this pain more deeply.

"Chief marketing officers are drowning in data and suffering from analytics angst," said Randy Giusto, Outsell's Vice President and Practice Leader for Marketing and Media. "They're struggling to accurately measure return on marketing investments, and they have increased pressure from CFOs to justify additional spending."

Among other study findings:

• Marketers continue to invest the most in their own websites and in TV advertising, while email marketing represents the third key to engaging audiences.
• B2B marketers rank events, collateral, email marketing, and their own websites as most effective for generating leads. For B2C marketers, their own websites, events, social, search, direct mail, and email marketing efforts work best.
• Facebook scores strong in building and strengthening the brand across both B2B- and B2C-focused marketers.
• Marketers under 40 are more likely to say visual methods such as mobile video and TV deliver a strong ROI. Those over 40 are more likely to cite text-based approaches such as sponsored content, print, and websites.

"Traditional and digital media channels now increasingly connect thanks to the use of hashtags, URLs, and app store logos in print and TV ads. Driving people back to a richer brand experience on digital channels opens up new opportunities for companies to serve advertisers with cross-platform delivery and measurement tools," Giusto said.

Outsell conducted this year's advertising/marketing survey in January. For the first time, the firm segmented results by age of marketer, giving a nod to the increasing influence of millennials and young Gen Xers in the role of marketing today. Marketing tools and platform usage and supplier effectiveness rankings are also new for this year's study. Outsell will also soon publish separate B2B and B2C reports drilling down on the behaviors and spending expectations of marketers in these focus areas, segmented by industry and company size.

Companies that would like to purchase the report should visit: http://www.outsellinc.com/store/products/1303.

For media queries, please contact Derek Beckwith, Warner Communications, at [email protected], or call +1 978-922-0818.

About Outsell, Inc.
Outsell, Inc. is the world's only strategic advisory firm focused solely on media, information, and technology. We use a time-tested, quality-proven, top-secret blend of data, brains, community, and pizzazz to produce extraordinary value for our clients. Elite information industry executives from all over the world look to Outsell for trusted advice, bold insights, and confidential access to exclusive intelligence and decision support. Outsell has your back. You'll stay more focused, save time, grow revenue in a fast- changing global digital environment, and sleep better at night. Guaranteed.

SOURCE Outsell, Inc.

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