The advertising might be catchy, interesting, or cutting edge -- but in terms of what most clients care about, of making more money for a company, the results were uncertain, even in the minds of industry professionals. Worse yet, from the point-of-view of the marketing industry, the idea of cutting spending did not seem to automatically translate into lower revenue. The research contained qualitative as well as quantitative data, which made the results even more industry from an insider's perspective. While the Internet and availability of new media, as well as a widening of old media channels such as televisions' multiplicity of channels, another reason may be more recent. One respondent cited that halo effect of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. His response centered on the difference the law was making in the way top managers run companies. He stated that "marketing as the last bastion of uncontrolled spending," in companies that are increasingly strapped because of accounting reforms that demand greater stringency and accountability for management and market being viewed as "a risk, a financial risk," that shows no clear return on investments. (Elliot, 2005)

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the Forrester study from a research perspective was its cross-industry nature. Also, it had a focus upon the effects of on singular, specific business, marketing or advertising area -- the perceived efficacy was measured in an anonymous and honest fashion. Moreover, its use of interviewing in greater depth some top-flight marketers as well as...

However, its corresponding deployment of data in its conclusions as well as questions also enabled some much-needed quantifiable conclusions to be drawn about the advertising industry as a whole, and the current uncertain atmosphere amongst advertisers and marketers about their ability to reach current consumers through any medium of advertising.
The results of this study force all individuals in the world of commerce to exercise some soul-searching about how they use marketing and advertising and direct their techniques through a variety of venues. While very few industries have the luxury of being advertising free, and no industry can perfectly predict how and certain marketing campaigns may or may not have an impact upon the desired consumer base, the current state of uncertainty and lack of optimism amongst marketers is a sobering reminder that corporate decision makers may need to place greater reliance on their own gut instincts about what they know of their consumers, rather than to trust those 'in the know' about consumer behavior in such an unstable merchandising environment as exists today.

Works Cited

Elliott, Stuart. (20 Jul 2005) "How Effective is this Ad? Beats Me!" The New York Times. Retrieved 21 Jul 2005 at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/20/business/media/20adco.html

Forrester. (2005) the Forrester Company Website. Retrieved 21 Jul 2005 at http://www.forrester.com/my/1,1-0,FF.html