Social Media Ad Spending - “Top Priority”There is a new report out from the Society of Digital Agencies and reported on by Marketing Pilgrim suggesting marketers plan to further shift budgets from traditional forms to online media. The top budget allocation considerations are as follows:1. Digital Infrastructure2. Digital Advertising3. Search Optimization4. Social Networks5. Mobile6. Viral Campaigns7. Blogger Outreach8. Email Marketing9. Games10. OtherDirectly from the report at: http://sodaspeaks.ning.com/page/digital-marketing-outlook:

• 81% of Brand Execs expect an increase in digital projects for 2010
• 50% will be shifting funds from traditional to digital media
• 78% of global participants believe the current economy will actually spawn more funds allocated to Digital

Social Media is propelling the rise of the Consumer:

• “Rather than spending another misguided year trying to “engineer” viral campaigns that will propagate themselves, regardless of consumer intentions, it’s time to refocus our marketing efforts to align with the way that people actually behave.” – Ivan Askwith, Big Spaceship
• “2010 will be the year that social media-fueled technology and behavior is responsible for more content consumption choices than ever before. As the media landscape becomes increasingly fragmented, marketers will need to become more nimble than ever, and start getting on the leading edge of trends, as opposed to waiting for them to emerge.” – Ian Schafer, Deep Focus
• “The most effective digital platforms have shifted from “disruptive” to “productive” by providing a service or utility…[They] fundamentally change the approach from “how we reach our customers” to “how we make their lives better.” - Ken Martin, Chief Creative Officer, and Ivan Todorov, CEO & CTO, Blitz

“The web can be anywhere, and physical interaction with brand and the extension of commerce into the real world are the convergence point in the next wave of digital marketing.” – Peter Connolly, Obscura DigitalTeeth Laser Whitening