• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, October 1, 2008

Amid waning economic confidence and reduced expectations for U.S. advertising budgets, media sales organizations will have to compete even more fiercely for a dwindling number of media slots being planned by U.S. advertising executives. The finding, which comes from industry researcher Advertiser Perceptions Inc.'s "Media Economy Report," is the latest bad news in a progression of downward mobility for the U.S. advertising economy. The study finds that the number of media brands being "considered" by advertisers and agencies has declined precipitously, meaning individual media outlets will be facing their toughest competition ever when vying for a slice of what are also likely to be smaller advertising pies.

The average number of media brands being considered "over the next six months" across their overall mix declined to 47 in the latest installment of API's report, which surveyed 1,811 U.S. ad executives in last April and May. That compares with an average of 58 media options being considered by ad executives in the Spring of 2007.

The drop in media consideration sets may be even more severe following the continuing decline of the general economy and the U.S. advertising marketplace over the summer and through this fall, and API will begin conducting its fall 2008 survey among U.S. ad executives this month.

Interestingly, the medium facing the greatest reduction in consideration slots is the one that is expected to be the highest growth medium, and one believed to be most resilient to the economic decline: online. The number of media brands being considered by the average U.S. ad executive declined to 13 in the Spring of 2008 from 22 in the Spring of 2007.

That 41% decline in the number of online ad options being considered is ironic, because online advertising outlets have been exploding exponential between the expansion of branded sites, a proliferation of online advertising networks, and a torrent of social media and Web 2.0 publishing platforms.

Print media outlets were deemed the next most tightening medium, with the number of media brands being considered declining 35% to 11 from 17 a year ago.

TV appears to be relatively resilient, falling just 16% to 16 media brands being considered in the average ad executive's plans from 19 a year ago.

There is no historical data for mobile, the newest medium being tracked by API, but the spring survey found that the average advertising executive is consider 11 mobile advertising options.