ommunications and research consultants Blackfrairs have placed the Marketing Index at 106 for the first quarter (October-December) of 2006, indicating that marketers in the United States plan to spend six per cent more on marketing this year, as compared to an average quarter in 2003. This figure stands despite the fall in advertising spending (which continues to lead other categories) to a year-low percentage of the budget. However, spending on public and analyst relations rose to a yearly high of 13 per cent.

Research analysts at Blackfrairs attribute the drop in marketing spending in the fourth quarter (July-September) of 2005 to the slew of natural disasters that hit America, leading to a rise in PR spending and cutting down direct mailing costs. ... more