Optimism grows among marketers

Marketers are showing greater optimism regarding trading conditions, staffing levels and their planned expenditure, according to the latest results from Warc's Global Marketing Index.

Based on data from a sample of 1,295 executives, the reading for marketing expenditure stood at 48 points in September, an increase from 46.1 points in August.

 Figures on this metric, however, still fell below the benchmark of 50 points reflecting confidence that budgets will rise in the absolute. This has been the case in nine of the last 12 months.

"Continuing global economic uncertainty has led to marketers adopting a generally conservative outlook over recent months," the study said.

"It remains to be seen if the recent announcements of bond-buying schemes from central banks in Europe and the US, which have resulted in sharp gains on global stock markets, will lead to an improvement in the broader economy and increased marketing budgets in the months ahead."

In regional terms, the Americas were unchanged measured against the previous month, on 53.5 points, while Asia Pacific recorded a 3.1 point leap, to 49.1 points.

The reading in Europe was significantly below the 50-point mark indicating neutral sentiment, and came in at 44.8 points. However, this did equate to a jump of 3.9 points since August.

By medium, the internet should retain its position as the primary driver of any growth, having yielded an index score of 74 points. Mobile, which is broken out separately from the web, registered 67.2 points.

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