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American automakers aren't doing all that well, and in their eyes, the problem appears to be related to a lack of awareness.  As a result, manufacturers intend to increase their online advertising budgets in the years ahead.

Never mind reliability or fuel consumption issues with the existing lines of cars, trucks, and SUVs.  Why concentrate on refinements and new launches when you can more heavily promote the same old thing?  After all, it's not like there are widespread layoffs and plant closings.

Bah.  In any event, companies have learned to shrink some advertising budgets; Jean Halliday reports that, between 2007 and 2011, spending on newspaper classified ads should decrease to 10 percent (from 14 percent), and spending on newspaper display ads should drop to seven percent (also from 14 percent).

Online advertising, in the meantime, won't take up all of the automakers' attention; spending on it should grow from five percent to 13 percent over the next four years.

So perhaps the American auto industry's emphasis on online advertising isn't a completely bad call.  Still, as Jordan Golson writes, "Too bad the Internet can't just build them a car people want to drive!"