Marketers are increasing their spending levels and focusing more on acquisition campaigns, according to the recent Quarterly Business Review from the Direct Marketing Association and Winterberry Group.
With regards to direct/digital marketing spending, 83.5% of marketers said their activity had increased or remained steady when compared to the previous quarter. Looking toward the fourth quarter, 45.6% of respondents said they expected to increase total marketing spending while 37.3% expected budgets to remain steady.
Sales were also up, with 48.1% of marketers reporting that their third quarter direct marketing generated sales were higher when compared to the same quarter last year and 36.7% said sales were up in comparison to the previous quarter. The majority, 55.1%, reported no change in sales between the two quarters.
There was also improvement in profitability, with 54.8% of marketers indicating that the third quarter profitability of their direct marketing activities increased in comparison to the same quarter last year.
Marketing service providers also saw improvements in profitability, with 55.4% reporting improved profitability over the same period last year.
The focus on acquisition campaigns is at its highest level in the past year, with marketers allocating 60.6% of their budgets to acquiring new customers. Robust acquisition programs generally reflect stronger economic health as companies look to capitalize on consumer confidence.
The report also notes that the trend of marketers investing more heavily in digital channels continued during the third quarter. However, there was also a slight increase in investment in place-based media as well as direct response TV and radio.
The report was based on the results of two online surveys of DMA members that went out in October and includes responses from 243 from marketers and 205 marketing service providers.
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