http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/business/media/30adco.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print

In the recent NY Times article, "TV Retains Marketing Dollars in Hard Times" By JOHN CONSOLI, I was surprised to read that that in this tough time companies are not leveraging the power of PR more to get their message and brand across.  As companies everywhere are cutting their marketing dollars, PR done right is the best way to get maximal ROI for your marketing dollars.  And if you are a company with limited marketing dollars, PR is many time the only way for companies to get their brand out there.  With the emergence of social media tools, SEO and PR on-demand solutions like MyPRGenie and Vocus, it is easier than ever to get your message out there.

I thought a couple of things from this New York Times article were interesting. One missed point, or a point that wasn’t emphasized enough, was that advertisers are putting dollars into TV at discounted levels, because of the make-do ad issue. That fact doesn’t support the lede, which argues that advertisers are spending on TV at the same rate they did during prosperous times.

The second point of interest was the comment made by Rino Scanzoni, CIO for Group M:

“When the economy goes into a recession, marketers are looking at ad platforms that generate the most efficiency, and that is national television,” said Rino Scanzoni, chief investment officer for the media agency conglomerate Group M, where he oversees broadcast TV ad spending of close to $3 billion for media agencies Mediaedge:cia, Mindshare and MediaCom. “When ad budgets are strapped, advertisers turn to the tried and true, and national TV has proven that it works in helping them move product in good and bad economic times.”

When did national television become the most efficient ad network?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/business/media/30adco.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted