With a new year just around the corner, I felt compelled to take a look at what 2009 has brought and preview the year to come.  The recession has played a tiny role in the way business has been conducted over the past few years.  Okay, so maybe a bit more than a tiny role; the recession has greatly altered the business environment, and the pros and cons have been and will continually be argued in the time to come.

Not since the Great Depression has American seen such a large drop in advertising spending.  According to Publicis Groupes' ZenithOptimedia mentioned in Adage.com, 2010 is expected to come with a 2.6% decrease in spending -- but let's take a closer look at this.  Is a 2.6% drop anything to cry over?  Compared to 12.9% and 4.2% drop in 2009 and 2008 respectively, I would say no.  In fact, global spending is expected to increase about 1%, but Americans will most likely remain more conservative for the time being.  So in this case maybe our decrease of the original decrease is a promising sign that an increase is in our future (my apologies for the repetition).

It has been argued that with less money being spent, creative departments and agencies have had to put on their thinking caps in regards to more cost-effective marketing methods.  The innovation of the last few years has been simply astonishing, but this creativity should not be viewed as "free."  Fortunately, TrendyMinds' clients understand the value we provide.  Contrastingly, a lot of organizations are pushing their agencies to provide more for less, thus deflating the value of services.  As tempting as it may be to increase competitive advantage by lowering rates, what happens when the economy recovers?  Have you cheapened your brand?

2009 has also been labeled the year of social media.  Most can see the value in social media, but in the end, it is another form of two-way communication with stakeholders, utilized differently by every organization.  It has been used as a stand-alone campaign and simply another piece of the puzzle in a marketing plan.  Who in the early 1990's would have thought something named Google or Twitter could help lead and develop business ideas?

2010 hopes to bring more advances while building on traditional services.  Social media is sparked by the concept of "instant feedback" which I find to be the most promising advancement in communication for a number of reasons.  Obviously, instant feedback allows marketers to immediately evaluate a message's impact, but it also provides many benefits for internal communication.  Now not only can professionals immediately evaluate impact but can also begin revising and restructuring to provide the most effective services to their client.  Products such as Google Wave incorporate new media with traditional work methods, helping professionals critique and change projects no matter their location, creating an even more fast-paced environment (as if that were possible).  And with more and more people accessing the web via smart phones, what other advances are to come?

We at TrendyMinds were impressed with 2009 and looking forward to what 2010 has to bring.  What are you most excited about in 2010?