Marketing Execs Are Upbeat---and Spending

Marketers are heading into the holidays full of cheer over their markets and marketing budgets. Per a quarterly report by Forbes Insights and ad agency Gyro, 88% of senior marketing executives plan to increase or maintain their spending. Specifically, 39% of execs surveyed say they plan to ramp up ad spend, and another 49% are sticking with existing budgets. In other words, only 12% plan to slash marketing funds. As reported by Adweek in late October, the survey found 45% of execs reporting that marketing conditions had improved compared to months ago, and 46% feeling as positive about the future as they are about current conditions. That optimism isn't generating a lot of risk-taking and innovation, however; 55% of the 875 survey participants say they are spending most of their time growing existing markets, and 58% are focused on growing current product lines and services. A smaller portion, 29%, say they intend to enter new markets, and only 16% aim to grow in new markets, according to the survey. Quoted by Adweek, Christoph Becker, Gyro's CEO and chief creative officer, described the news about marketing exec mood this way: "The good news is they feel energized and positive. There has never been a better time for a brand to find the most humanly relevant way to engage with the world than today." Well, AccuList USA certainly has some "humanly relevant" marketing suggestions for energetic marketing execs. For the story, with more infograph statistics, go to http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/88-marketing-execs-are-either-maintaining-or-increasing-ad-budgets-153342