Interactive marketing expected to trump traditional advertising by 2014

Everyone who works in the interactive/digital marketing space is sort of fluttery with anticipation and hope today. Why? Because of two studies released this week pointing to a huge increase in the interactive space over the next five years.

First came the Forrester Research that predicts interactive marketing in the US will grow to $55 billion by 2014 and includes this delightful nugget:

Unlike the last recession, digital marketing is no longer experimental. Now it looks more like advertising is inefficient, relative to digital. More than half of the marketers we surveyed said that effectiveness of direct mail, TV, magazines, outdoor, newspapers, and radio would stay the same or decrease within three years. In contrast, well over 70% expected the effectiveness of channels like created social media, online video, and mobile marketing to increase.

Following on the heels of the AdAge comes news from Forbes on Outsell, Inc.’s prediction that $65 billion will shift from traditional advertising to interactive.

Both articles are absolute must-reads for anyone who works in the interactive space — marketer, sales person, designer, developer, executive.