Fast-Forward: Predictions for the media buying industry in 2010 and beyond

Overview

By now, we're all well aware of the effects of the past 18 months' global financial crisis: Marketing budgets were cut - and in some cases gutted - leaving global companies hobbled in their efforts to promote key brands.

Advertising buys declined by as much as 21pc. As the overall market softened, so did the price tag for purchasing ads, particularly in the more traditional realms of radio, print and outdoor.

Watching the story of the global recession play out - with its predictable impact on the buying and selling of media - is a bit like watching reruns on TV with one difference: No one knows how this drama will end. But there are some twists in the market that we foresee continuing into 2010 and beyond - changes that can be exploited by industry players to their own advantage. Those predicted areas of continued change in the near term include:

• Tertiary channels will continue to decline
• Consolidated buying will only increase
• Transparency of media purchasing will become more difficult to achieve
• Agitation will only mount as more advertisers put accounts out for rebid.