Direct and Vente are taking the Beat of the DMA at this year’s conference with on-site surveys.
To kick things off, last week we surveyed readers of Direct Newsline on the economic and political climate. Nearly half reported having at least one round of layoffs, and one-third said their firms have a hiring freeze. But 42% said that not only didn’t they have any staff reductions, they were looking to fill open positions.
They’re somewhat more confident about their own jobs: Nearly six in 10 were sanguine about their personal job security, compared with just under one quarter who had serious concerns about it.
Companies may be hiring, but they’re not sending their employees around as much. Half the respondents said their 2003 travel budgets had been trimmed either significantly or somewhat from last year, while only 7% indicated that they had been increased.
So what will turn around the nation’s fortunes? Just over three in 10 said an increase in B-to-B spending, compared with 17% who cited a jump in consumer spending. Thirty-one percent feel it will take a new president.
Asked about the 2004 elections, however, marketers were split. Four in 10 want to stay the course with President Bush, while 27% plan to vote for the Democratic nominee. Twenty two percent haven’t made up their mind yet, and 4% are supporting an independent candidate. Six percent say that, despite having nearly a dozen major candidates, no one running seems qualified for the office.
