in the face of an

economic downturn

and

spiraling nancial markets

,marketers examinetheir marketing budgets for the upcoming year

economic outlook for 2009and its impact on

marketing budgets

mayraruiz.commarketingmist.com

This e-book highlights the marketing budget trends for2009 as shared by leading marketing blogs and websites.

No matter what you may do with your marketingbudget for the new year, it’s always a good idea to take amacro-view of the marketing climate at large to learn whatother industries and marketing executives plan for their2009 marketing expenditures.

mayraRuiz.com

or the last couple of months, in my

Letters from the Editor

column, I’ve in one way oranother touched on a reality facing many marketing managers and executives:

marketingbudgets for 2009 will be impacted in some way, shape or form

. How these budgets areimpacted is the primary focus of this e-book dedicated to sharing the collective insight and trendsfrom various leading marketing blogs, online publications and thought leaders in the marketingspace.

Before diving into this subject, however, it should be noted that there is a difference inperception when it comes to marketing budgets. Some managers see marketing as an expense;others passionately argue that any marketing “expense” is really an investment in positioning andpromoting your business.So states John Williams, a Senior Finance Executive with international and public companyexperience and a partner at B2B CFO in Norfolk, Virginia: “Cutting back advertising only meansthat you believe the funds you expend there are not effective. If that is the case, why were youwasting that money in good times?”

Marketing Strategist, publicity assistant & social media enthusiast Mayra Ruiz-McPherson

Economic Outlook for 2009 and its Impact on Marketing Budgets Iwww.mayraruiz.comPage 1 of 9

Economic gloom is so pervasive these days…

Ahhh if only these

were

good times. As we are all too clearly aware, today’s times lean moreheavily on the bad side as of late. Turn on any television or radio and visit just about any newsWeb site and you won’t be able to escape today’s grim economic realities. At the time of thiswriting, one quick glance at MSNBC.com’s main “Stocks & Economy” section’s headlinesunderscores the gravity of our nation’s sour economic climate:

•

Oil slips below $57 on global pessimism

•

Economy strikes America’s richest university

•

U.S. unveils $40 billion in aid to AIG

•

Starbucks profit plummets by 97 percent

•

NYT: Emanuel urges aid for auto industry

•

Fannie Mae posts $29 billion quarterly lossI could go on, but somehow, I think you get the picture. And so do your bosses and seniormanagers. And whether you agree with it or not, marketing budgets are one of several targets tobe affected in some way, shape or form given the economic outlook for 2009.The direction, implications and consequences of such an impact have been the topic of hotdiscussion on many marketing blogs, web sites and industry publications recently and with goodreason: it’s a highly relevant subject many marketers have to face or work through as theiremployers navigate today’s choppy economic waters.

Forget 2009 resolutions. How about 2009 economic predictions?

Cory Treffiletti of MediaPostrecently predicted the coming year will bring about some stability,not growth—and the stability, he states, will allow many businesses the time to examine wherethey are, create efficiencies and increase productivity. Cory’s specific 2009 outlook is as follows:

Q1 revenue is going to be bad, but Q2 and Q3 will be stronger—with not more than9% to 10% growth.

Cory further believes that consumers will be “tight-fisted for the holidays and will build stricterbudgets going into next year.” He adds, “Come spring and summer, assuming that oil prices havestayed stable and housing prices have not dropped more, then consumers may live a little onceagain. Q2 and Q3 will be better than they look, probably coming in line with the 9% to 10%growth that many online analysts are predicting, certainly not much more than that. Q4 of 2009is the real question in my eyes, as that is just too far away to predict accurately.”Whether Cory’s predictions come true or not, the effort to somehow attempt to foresee what2009 has in store is insightful for marketers as it helps steer our marketing direction, whichusually needs to be several months out, at minimum, no matter what the industry.

Marketing Strategist, publicity assistant & social media enthusiast Mayra Ruiz-McPherson

Economic Outlook for 2009 and its Impact on Marketing Budgets Iwww.mayraruiz.comPage 2 of 9