Only half of U.S. companies are increasing their marketing budgets this year. But 61% will spend more on e-mail, according to a new survey of 190 executives by DoubleClick Inc.
And their e-mail budgets will grow by an average of 17%, second only to DR TV, with 18%.
Catalog marketing budgets are expected to decline by 13%, and direct mail by 7%. Print, ratio and telemarketing spending will experience single-digit drops.
Of those surveyed, 23% said their overall marketing budgets will decline from 2001 to 2002. Another 27% said they will stay the same.
Web sites now produce 12% of the respondents’ sales, the third largest channel behind retail (30%) and direct sales forces (28%). Other revenue sources include resellers (11%), telephone (9%), and catalogs (7%).
Almost three quarters predicted that their online revenue will increase during the next 12 months.
E-mail is used for the following: lead generation (65% of the respondents); information dissemination (55%); retention (55%); building awareness (55%); generating immediate sales (53%); and upselling (51%).
Online advertising is used for building brand awareness (75%); acquiring new leads (59%); driving immediate sales (40%); providing company information (38%); and upselling to existing customers (28%).
Only 56% of the firms surveyed are able to measure the effectiveness of online advertising, compared with 60% who can measure e-mail. Roughly two thirds can measure TV and promotions.
All of the respondents were from companies with annual sales of marketing of $50 million or more and marketing budgets of at least $1 million.
New York-based DoubleClick offers e-mail and Web services.
Network
