Waiting for the Upturn

I found it encouraging, then, to hear that ad spending related to catalogs is up. It will exceed $15.3 billion this year, up 3.4 percent from 2002, according to a study from The Direct Marketing Association (DMA).

While that’s undoubtedly good news and shows that catalogers clearly are investing in their businesses, that 3.4-percent growth rate is down markedly from the 6.2-percent compounded annual growth rate during the past five years, noted The DMA. Hence, the mood: cautiously optimistic. Catalogers are willing to spend some resources to ensure the health of their businesses, but not as much as they’ve spent in prior years.