Marketers have tempered their expectations for sales and revenue growth, according to a new survey.
In the latest Marketer’s Pulse survey by the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), the majority of marketers polled expect business growth will be stable over the next six months, in contrast to a more optimistic view held by marketers in a May survey.
In the September survey of 53 senior Canadian marketers, 60% of respondents said they anticipate their company’s sales/revenues will stay the same over the next six months, while 33% said it will improve.
In May, 38% of respondents expected business to stay the same over the next six months, while 57% expected it to increase. The balance of respondents (about 6% in both surveys) anticipated declines.
“There has been a marked shift from a more positive to a more neutral business outlook,” said Susan Charles, vice-president, membership services at the ACA.
This moderated stance is reflected in marketers’ outlook for consumer confidence, said Charles. “The perception of consumer confidence over the coming six months recorded a modest lift from May to September, with more than three-quarters of respondents now reporting their expectations for their consumers’ confidence levels to stay the same.”
Respondents were also asked about their companies’ use of social media. The vast majority of marketers (92%) indicated their companies use at least one social media platform, with 73% using Facebook, 76% using YouTube and 68% using Twitter.
