February 2008 Marketwatch: The marketing disconnect By Heather Kirkwood
As digital media continues to grow in use and popularity and as traditional b-to-b media continues to be a key source of information for business decision makers, there’s a growing disconnect between where end-users (readers, attendees, Web surfers) are choosing to spend their information-gathering time and where marketers are choosing to spend their budgets, according to the 2007 Forrester Research Study conducted by American Business Media and Forrester Research.
In 2007, business decision makers (information end-users) relied heavily on digital media, according to the study. Seventy percent reported they relied heavily on industry-specific Web sites to do their jobs, and more than 60 percent said they visited an industry-specific Web site to enhance their b-to-b media experience. Another 75 percent said they had used or planned to use emerging media in the workplace. It’s a trend the study predicts will continue.
At the same time, more traditional forms of b-to-b media, such as trade magazines and trade shows, remain a highly relevant part of the mix. More than 60 percent of business decision makers said they used b-to-b media in their jobs. Forty-four percent reported spending three hours or more per week reading industry-specific magazines. Fifty-eight percent said they spent five days or more at a trade show or conference in the last 12 months. And 47 percent indicated they spend three hours or more per week on industry-specific Web sites. Business decision makers consistently ranked trade shows among the top four choices for providing objective information they could trust to make decisions, validate purchasing decisions and help them grow their businesses.
Despite this news for both digital and traditional b-to-b media, marketers only spent, on average, less than 30 percent of their budgets on b-to-b media, choosing instead options such as direct mail, public relations, broadcast media and general business publications.
Here’s a look at where business decision makers are getting necessary business information, and where b-to-b marketers are spending their budgets.
Heather Kirkwood is Senior Editor of EXPO. She can be reached at 913-344-1376, or e-mail: hkirkwood@red7media.com.
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