Outsell's Annual Study: US B2C Advertising and Marketing Budgets Rise 4.7% to $299 Billion

BURLINGAME, Calif. - May 15, 2015 - PRLog -- Outsell, Inc (http://www.outsellinc.com/)., the world’s only research and advisory firm focused on media, information, and technology, today announced the B2C results of its 10th annual Marketing and Advertising Study (http://www.outsellinc.com/store/products/1308), which analyzes the investments, strategies, and challenges of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) across the US. Key findings from the report include an overall 4.7% increase in B2C spending in 2015 to $299 billion, with marketers spending $1.2 billion more annually on their own social engagement activities than on social network advertising, and $1.4 billion more on mobile efforts. Marketer age influences budget allocation priorities and perception of lead generation and brand-building effectiveness, with marketers under 40 now leading the B2C market in terms of advertising and marketing sophistication.

The research finds that 80% of marketers suffer from lagging analytics and a lack of in-house digital skills, compounded by media companies and agencies that push products instead of solutions, which is magnified even more within smaller companies. Younger marketers may lead in advertising and marketing sophistication and may be more adept at tackling these problems, while painting from a larger canvas and with more colors when it comes to both traditional and emerging marketing methods.

"Theanalytics challenge is both skill set and tools-based as marketers hire staff with deeper data chops and vendors seek to simplify dashboards while also providing customization as business needs grow to embrace additional marketing method inputs," said Randy Giusto, Outsell’s VP and Lead Analyst for Marketing & Media. “In addition, younger marketers are more focused on a new world order of metrics-driven marketing that comes with the rise of video, mobile, and native ads as the next frontier of advertising.”

Among this year's B2C findings:

·        At $121 billion, digital B2C spending outweighs other B2C investments by 2x, except in TV, which remains relatively flat. Within digital, companies' own websites captures the biggest piece of the pie. Vertical search sites and apps such as Yelp, as well as mobile, and native ads represent the fastest-growing digital B2C segments at 22%, 21.7%, and 20.7% growth, respectively.

·        Following B2C digital comes TV, radio, and movies ($88 billion); Print ($62 billion); Events ($18 billion) and PR, Outdoor and other marketing ($9 billion).

Outsell's research offers the most comprehensive insight into advertising and marketing spending in the US. Based on an analysis of over 4.5 million data points from more than 11,600 advertisers, it provides a complete illustration of the capital flow, including external costs (vendors, technology, etc.), and internal investments (i.e., staffing). The data is segmented by industry, company size, B2B/B2C spending, and age of marketer to provide additional benchmarks for marketers and show long-term trends. Overall, the research looks at 36 spending categories, from TV and digital to direct mail, and more.

For media inquiries, please contact Derek Beckwith, Warner Communications, at derek@warnerpr.com, or call +1 978-922-0818.

For more information about this report, please contact Srini Gomatam at info@outsellinc.com, or call
+1 650-342-6060.

About Outsell, Inc.

Outsell, Inc. (http://www.outsellinc.com/)is the only research and advisory firm focused solely on media, information, and technology. We use a time-tested, quality-proven, top-secret blend of data, brains, community, and pizzazz to produce extraordinary value for our clients. Elite information industry executives from all over the world look to Outsell for trusted advice, bold insights, and confidential access to exclusive intelligence and decision support. Outsell has your back. You’ll stay more focused, save time, grow revenue in a fast-changing digital environment, and sleep better at night. Guaranteed.