The January issue of DM News (Direct Marketing News) had some interesting commentary about the advertising outlook for 2012.
They note that overall advertising expenditures are expected to outpace the US economy this year.
They also proclaim that online ads are expected to thrive in 2012, growing 11.2% to lead all forms of advertising. (This stat was shared by Stuart Elliott of The New York Times, citing Vincent Letang, executive VP and director for global forecasting at the MagnaGlobal unit of Mediabrands.)
This is good news. Advertising today paves the road for sales tomorrow. The overall economy will surely follow.