Strata, a Chicago-based customized media management agency, polled 100 agency clients this month and found that TV is still the dominant medium — 44% of respondents said they are most focused on television above other media. That's a 24% jump over the previous quarter. Digital was second with 21.1% while radio netted 15.6%, a 75% jump from the third quarter.
The figure for digital was actually down from 26% in 3Q, as agencies expressed disappointment with digital advertising's efficacy. Dividing digital advertising preferences further, the survey found that display advertising, social media and search were most favored while mobile was a distant fourth. Meanwhile, 90% of respondents said their clients weren't asking about iAds, Google TV or Apple TV.
"This was the first quarter we saw digital take a dip," says J.D. Miller, director of marketing for Strata, who adds that mobile is drawing interest, but not dollars. "The buzz is there, but no one's buying."
The flight to analog media in the Strata survey came as 51% of respondents said they are seeing an uptick in business vs. a low of 22.5% in 2008. Nearly a quarter of respondents also said they would be hiring, up from 9% in 3Q.