Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

B2B Marketers Buck Economic Trend

EMBARGO: MONDAY 14TH JULY 2008

Despite the general economic malaise, 91% of business-to-business (B2B) senior marketers are confident about the future for their organisation, according to a report published today by Gyro International and B2B Marketing Magazine. The report surveyed almost 200 marketing professionals across a range of sectors from banking and finance to engineering and IT, on attitudes and strategies in B2B marketing.

The study found that 64% of B2B marketers expect marketing budgets to increase over the next 1-2 years, even taking into account the predicted period of economic instability. When asked why they believed budgets would grow, common responses included; an aggressive growth strategy; the need to spend more to attract customers in a hard market and raising the profile of products and services abroad.

Commenting on the results, General Manager at Gyro International, Danny Turnbull, says: “The general consensus is that marketing is one of the 1st things businesses cut back on when times are tough. There's undoubtedly more focus on marketing budgets, and a switch to spending on more measurable channels with a transparent return on investment, predominantly integrated campaigns with a strong direct digital and e-marketing element. But the majority of our respondents see a challenging economy as an opportunity to put some distance between them and their competitors.”

According to Turnbull, though economic pressures are impacting on many industries, the B2B market is more robust than its business-to-consumer (B2C) counterpart. He continues: “The B2C industries will typically bear the brunt of a downturn more quickly than the B2B sectors because they are in the frontline when consumer spending drops.

“Given the daily doom and gloom talk about the economy, any confident sentiment can seem naive, but certainly our own experience supports the results of the report; we are still busy pitching and bringing in new business and our clients continue to invest in integrated, accountable campaigns.”

The B2B Marketing Insight 2008 study surveyed businesses with a turnover ranging from £1m to £41+m and was carried out by Mavern Research, on behalf of Gyro International and B2B Marketing magazine.


- End -

For more info please contact Kate Macnamara, Gyro International on 0161 876 5522 / 07788 572 271 kate.macnamara@gyrointernational.com. Alternatively contact Rachel James, Limelight PR or 0207 201 0600 or rachel@limelightpr.co.uk

About Gyro International

Gyro International is an independent full service integrated communications agency and is the fastest growing large agency in the UK and the UK’s largest and fastest growing business-to-business agency. Formed in 1991, the agency offers integrated communications to a client list which includes: Sony, Oracle, American Express, Hewlett Packard, Rentokil Initial, Adobe, Moss Bros, Tate & Lyle and Virgin Atlantic.

Gyro has offices in London, Manchester, Geneva, San Francisco, New York, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Dublin, Hamburg, Dubai, Madrid and Paris.

For more info, please visit www.gyrointernational.com