• Portfolio, Friday, May 2, 2008 10:45 AM

Could a sick economy actually keep the ad industry healthy? This recessionary era finds mass marketers dealing with a fractured Web and old-media environment and they are desperately seeking a wide range of ways to reach consumers. "That desperation plays right into the hands of the giant holding companies that now own everything from traditional ad agencies to media planning and buying businesses," according to this analysis.

Online advertising has a leg up in hard times because the return on investment is significantly easier to track and explain to the boss. But online alone isn't the answer, because stressed-out brands will need a diverse set of ways to get through to people.

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