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Advertising Agency Revenues Up +40% Since Bottom of Recession

Dr. Joe summarizes what he would say at Graph Expo 15 breakfast. Content creation is proving to be a big money maker for the ad agency business. Publishers are still having monetization problems which makes that whole “content is king” still questionable. Maybe it's because the real king is the marketplace of millions of content consumers.

Monday, September 14, 2015

My only Graph Expo event this year is the “UnSquaring The Wheel” workshop starting Tuesday afternoon. I'll be presenting with Prof. Chris Bondy of RIT and Wayne Peterson of Black Canyon Consulting Group. Last minute registrations will be accepted at the show, of course (use double secret discount code UNSQ75).

There is no breakfast event this year, and the part that I will miss most is the Q&A. This year I would have a lot to say and will use my column of September 28 to cover that. In the meantime, send me questions. But here are the main thrusts.

The recent Quarterly Services Survey from the Department of Commerce shows that the ad agencies and related businesses (such as public relations and direct marketing agencies) are still doing well since the bottom of the recession in mid-2009. The chart shows revenue in inflation-adjusted terms bottoming at $81 billion and is now at $113 billion.


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About Dr. Joe Webb

Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry's best-known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is the director of WhatTheyThink's Economics and Research Center.

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