Carat revises ad forecast data

Regional - Revised advertising forecasts from Carat show a mild slowing of advertising spend across Asia Pacific in 2008, but it's not a cause for concern, yet.

While Carat's revised figures are strong, with an 8.8% increased predicted, the figure is slightly down from previous forecasts.

Patrick Stahle, CEO Aegis Media Asia Pacific, said despite the slight slowdown, consumer confidence still was high, causing many large companies to continue their advertising and marketing plans.

"In a recession, the smart thing to do is to keep advertising," he said.

At a gathering of senior marketers in Hong Kong last week, clients from the finance sector said their advertising budgets had been stripped by as much as 20%. 

Stahle said this was pushing marketers towards more sales driven and direct marketing activity.

"Some advertisers are moving below-the-line," he added. "Digital is also growing and taking a larger share of advertising because its accountable and measurable."