• September 2, 2003

U.S. marketers shifted $599 million in media planning and buying assignments in August, according to the latest installment of the MAP Barometer. While that's up slightly from the $569 million in media billings that shifted agencies in July, the rate of media account turnover to date continues to be more moderate than what the industry experienced through the same period in 2002. "Although we've seen a much smaller total dollar volume of media account changes in 2003, that could change between now and the end of December," cautioned Jim Surmanek, CEO of MediaAnalysisPlus, which publishes the monthly tracking report. Through the first eight months of 2003, $4.4 billion worth of media accounts shifted agencies versus $6.7 billion through the same period in 2002.