• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 22, 2007

According to Alterian's transatlantic annual survey of more than 500 direct marketers, marketing services providers and agencies. eighty-five percent of respondents expect their online direct marketing expenditures to increase in 2007. The spending projection is the largest expected increase since the Alterian Annual Survey began in 2003.

51 percent of survey respondents also plan to boost their offline direct marketing spend in 2007. When asked about specific channel investments:

• 81 percent plan to increase spending on email marketing
• 50 percent say they will spend more on direct mail
• 45 percent will increase their budgets for personalized landing pages
• 94 percent of respondents who said they will decrease offline spending said they will increase online spending.

Thirty-five percent of respondents reported that their email activity was integrated with all other channels, and 26 percent of respondents said their email is at least integrated with other online channels. Only 18 percent reported that email is still used as a standalone channel

• 70 percent of respondents said they apply basic or no analysis to any of their email campaigns
• 29 percent claim they carry out full analysis
• 32 percent, of marketing service providers reported carrying out full data analysis on email campaigns.
• 23 percent of agencies carry out full analysis, but reported the highest percentage, at 57 percent of agencies, that carry out basic analysis

Those with the most advanced level of online and offline integration also indicated that they are performing the most advanced levels of analysis, with 45 percent of respondents topping both these segments. Conversely, those not integrating email fully with other online or offline channels are doing the least analysis, with only 12 percent of respondents using email as a standalone channel completing full analysis of email campaigns.

About 44 percent of marketers manage their email activities in-house

• 29 percent outsource email marketing to email service providers
• 15 percent send the work to agencies
• 11 percent tap marketing services providers

David Eldridge, Alterian's chief executive officer, says "... these results certainly indicate tremendous opportunities for marketers to use email and online marketing techniques linked with traditional direct marketing tactics to establish competitive advantages..."

For more information, please visit Alterian here.