tim | 
02 9th, 2010| 
At least, that’s the findings of a recent survey carried out amongst firms in both Britain and the US (sorry they didn’t survey Canada on this one). A number of businesses are set to increase their digital marketing budgets by about 17 per cent this year. An online research site, Econsultancy, found that digital marketing would account for almost a quarter of total marketing budgets in 2010.
Of all the firms that participated in the study, 46 per cent said they were planning to increase their overall marketing budget for 2010, while over 50 per cent of companies are planning to increase their mobile marketing budgets.
Ok, for my Canadian readers, Tech Crunchies found that Online Marketing revenues grew 29% from $1.241 billion to $1.6 billion and 2009 was about $1.75 billion. Steady increases for sure!
And (in case you didn’t notice) social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are set to come into their own in 2010. 70 per cent of businesses are looking to increase their spending in these areas of marketing in the next 12 months.
Linus Gregoriadis, research director at Econsultancy, said: “Digital evangelists have long been trying to get the big brands to spend more on online marketing (especially display advertising), and social media is now helping to give impetus to a second wave of marketers who are moving budgets online.
“Why? Because they see digital as crucial to brand reputation, and they’re right.”
Meanwhile, another survey released this week claimed that online spending on business to business marketing will grow by 8 per cent during the coming year, followed by a 14 per cent rise in 2012 and the reason is pretty obvious.
So what do all these numbers mean? Businesses are recognizing that almost 1.8 billion people are now online where almost three-quarters of people in North America are now online and are more likely to use a Search Engine before they research a product anywhere else! It’s no wonder that traditional marketing such as newspapers and the yellow pages are becoming less effective. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting these are obsolete (I canceled my yellow page ads last year by-the-way). I’m just saying that all those people that said “Save the rainforest by using less paper” and chained themselves naked to trees are really starting to win…and all they had to do was tweet!
What do you think? Is your website going to become your #1 sales person this year?
| WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions |
Population ( 2009 Est.) |
Internet Users Dec. 31, 2000 |
Internet Users Sep. 30, 2009 |
Penetration (% Population) |
Growth 2000-2009 |
Users % of Table |
| Africa | 991,002,342 | 4,514,400 | 67,371,700 | 6.8% | 1,392.4% | 3.9% |
| Asia | 3,808,070,503 | 114,304,000 | 738,257,230 | 19.4% | 545.9% | 42.6% |
| Europe | 803,850,858 | 105,096,093 | 418,029,796 | 52.0% | 297.8% | 24.1% |
| Middle East | 202,687,005 | 3,284,800 | 57,425,046 | 28.3% | 1,648.2% | 3.3% |
| North America | 340,831,831 | 108,096,800 | 252,908,000 | 74.2% | 134.0% | 14.6% |
| Latin America/Caribbean | 586,662,468 | 18,068,919 | 179,031,479 | 30.5% | 890.8% | 10.3% |
| Oceania / Australia | 34,700,201 | 7,620,480 | 20,970,490 | 60.4% | 175.2% | 1.2% |
| WORLD TOTAL | 6,767,805,208 | 360,985,492 |
1,733,993,741 | 25.6% | 380.3% | 100.0% |
| NOTES: (1) Internet Usage and World Population Statistics are for September 30, 2009. (2) CLICK on each world region name for detailed regional usage information. (3) Demographic (Population) numbers are based on data from the US Census Bureau. (4) Internet usage information comes from data published by Nielsen Online, by the International Telecommunications Union, by GfK, local Regulators and other reliable sources. (5) For definitions, disclaimer, and navigation help, please refer to the Site Surfing Guide. (6) Information in this site may be cited, giving the due credit to www.internetworldstats.com. Copyright © 2001 – 2009, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide. | ||||||
Blue
Black is the absence of light and therefore, of colour…but we’ll call it a colour anyway for now. Black is the colour of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Catholic priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men, but it is mostly popular due to it’s slimming affects. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black. Black represents power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, underground, good technical color, mourning and death. 
Red is the most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It also happens to be the color that we pay the most attention to. It is the warmest and most energic color in the spectrum. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture needs to be the most perfect element in the room because it will attract the most attention. Red also happens to be what bull fighters use…this decision was made before they found out bulls were colour blind, but you see the implication 
We associate red with love, valentines, danger, desire, speed, strength, violence, anger, emergency exit signs, stop signs and blood. Red can evoke a fight-or-flight response, raise blood pressure and make the heart beat faster. Red would not be the color of choice for psychiatric wards, prisons or a hospital!
Green is one of most-often cited favorite colors. It is currently the most popular decorating color. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in “green rooms” to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients – It is often worn in operating rooms by surgeons. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck. Green represents nature, environment, health, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune.
Yellow – cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism. Note that the McDonald’s theme is a combination of red and yellow. Yellow represents joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard, spirtuality and inspiration.
Orange is a combination of yellow and red. Orange is considered a warm color like red, but to a lesser extent; orange expresses energy. It has luminous qualities and has been used for attention-getting purposes, such as on caution signs. Orange brings up memories of fall leaves, pumpkins and Halloween. It symbolizes balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrance, flamboyancy, and is demanding of attention.
Purple is the color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial. Purple represents royalty, spirituality, nobility, ceremony, mystery, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning. Purple is considered an exotic color. Purple dye was made from the mucous gland of a snail. It required thousands of snails to yield 1 gram of dye causing it to be a color only nobles could afford. Today purple is a trendy color targeting creative types. 
White is what we see when all colors come together in perfect balance. It represents reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, and marriage. We use white in figures of speech like “pure as the driven snow” or “a white lie.” We associate white with the good guy in old western movies.
Brown is solid and reliable – just like bran muffins. Brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors. Brown on white can also represent dirty -like mud splashes on a car or the “other” splashes in the toilet.
Brain Imaging The first high-resolution map of the human cortical network generated by scientists using a new type of brain imaging known as diffusion imaging.
Social Media Last
Biological Machines Its a bird, its a plane…no wait, its a giant flower beetle that is being forced to fly a path controlled by implanted receiver, microcontroller, microbattery, and six carefully placed electrodes.
