According to the Australasian Promotional Marketing Association’s (APMA) recent survey, 2009 will potentially be a good year for the promotional marketing industry.

The survey reveals that almost half of the industry expects marketing departments to increase or maintain their current level of spending on the channel as the economy tightens.

The majority of promotional marketing clients surveyed (66.7%) expect their budgets to be decreased during the year ahead and befitting the challenging economic times, clients are measuring ROI based on profit (50%) and top-line revenue (37.5%).

“Echoing the sentiments of the APMA’s findings are recent surveys out of the UK and US that have consistently shown that promotional marketing looks well placed to ride out this economic downturn better than most other disciplines,” says Kylie Green, APMA chairperson.

“The accountability, immediacy and cost-effectiveness of promotional marketing are increasingly appealing and relevant in the current climate when consumers are curbing their spending habits.”

Other findings from the APMA survey are that most clients allocated approximately 20-30% of their marketing budgets to either trade or consumer promotions, with some 20% devoting almost half (40-50%) of their annual marketing budget to these areas.

For marketers, the prospect of turning to what may be more inexpensive mediums to push their campaigns may allow them to better integrate their strategies.