• PROMO Magazine, Thursday, June 29, 2006 12 PM

As if it was necessary, there's more evidence that marketers are moving away from traditional advertising methods, and instead choosing new and emerging forms of communication. New research from custom media research firm by PQ Media shows that spending on alternative media strategies rose 16.4 percent in the first half of 2006 to an estimated $53.4 billion, thanks to continued audience fragmentation and a growing shift from traditional media. The report, Alternative Advertising & Marketing Outlook 2006, flags double-digit increases in a majority of 23 sub-segments of alternative media, including advergaming, podcasts, blogs, user-generated content, video advertising, mobile marketing and product placement. Branded entertainment--which PQ Media defines as product placement, event marketing, event sponsorship, Webisodes, and advergaming--represents the largest segment of alternative media, and is expected to grow 15.5 percent to $51.6 billion this year, according to the report. "Industry executives said in general, they are more focused than ever on new, emerging new media [strategies]," said Patrick Quinn, president of PQ Media. "There's not a lot of data showing their effectiveness, yet still major marketers are willing to take their chances on it. It shows they are taking some risks." He added that marketers are willing to shift their media dollars from conventional media like TV and print to newer media that uses digital technology in part to reach younger demographics (mostly males 18-34). In return, marketers are looking for a better measure of return on investment .

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