• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 4, 2011

The optimism of big national advertisers has reached its highest point in two and a half years, according to a member survey released this morning by the Association of National Advertisers. Of 107 advertisers surveyed in January and February, more than three quarters (77%) say they are still being challenged to reduce their marketing spending, but that is an improvement from a year ago when 83% responded that way, and two years ago when 93% did.

The ANA said it began surveying its members three years ago to track the effect the economic recession was having on its members marketing spending.

"Over the past six months, 63% of marketers' budgets either increased or remained the same," the ANA reported this morning, adding, "This is a healthy improvement compared to the 54% 'increase / remained the same' in January 2010 and the 29% ' increase / remained the same' in 2009."

The ANA said the data shows that ad budgets are shrinking less as well. Only 37% of marketers saw their budgets decrease this year, compared to 46%t last year and 71%t in January 2009. "As marketers looked out six months, there was a slightly better feeling about mid-year budget increases," the association noted, adding, "Twenty-two percent are anticipating budget increases compared with 19 percent a year ago. Forty-nine percent of respondents in the current survey expect their budgets to remain the same in the next six months." According to the survey results, the top ways marketing departments are reducing spending are: 70 percent are reducing departmental travel and expenses 67 percent are challenging agencies to reduce internal expenses and / or identify cost reductions 55 percent are reducing production budgets 49 percent are cutting media budget

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