Forecast: Traditional Ad Growth Flat, Online Quite Curvy
Interpublic's Magna unit has revised its December doomsayer forecast that US ad revenues would decline by 1.3% in 2010 to saying that they'll just be kinda flat. down just 0.1% from last year. View report (pdf).
Online ad revenues, on the other hand, will curve upward: direct online ad spend is projected to jump 12.2%. Local online spending will grow 3.7%, Magna said.
Excluding the effects of the Olympics and local elections, advertising revenue will be $161 billion in 2010, and the entire ad economy will rise 1.4%. And apparently, the worst is over: Q1 will be the last period of decline, the unit said.
Don't bust out the champagne quite yet, but you can start thinking positively now.
