WebProNews

Despite the absence of much good stuff, in at least one sense, 2007 wasn't bad - on a year-to-year basis, total advertising spending for the first three quarters was almost flat, down only 0.1 percent from the previous period.  Furthermore, things continue to look positive for online segments, as Internet spending increased 15.9 percent.

Other winners include national magazines, national Sunday supplements, "outdoor," national cable TV, and Spanish-language TV, according to Nielsen.  The increases in these categories ranged from 7.7 percent (national magazines) to 0.5 percent (Spanish-language TV), but when millions of dollars are involved, those small numbers are still pretty impressive.

Indeed, a lot of categories weren't so fortunate in 2007.  Spot TV markets saw decreases in spending, and so did network TV.  Spot and network radio suffered the same fate.  The biggest losers, though, were newspapers - advertising spending on national newspapers dropped by 5.2 percent, while spending on local newspapers went down by 7.4 percent.

As for other trends, MarketingVox reports, "Eight out of the top 10 advertisers decreased budgets.  General Motors continues to show the largest decline."

Judging from these developments, 2008 doesn't look like it'll be too kind to most marketers.  Still, those in the online field should do well, and data from the last quarter of 2007 will help us better understand where we're heading.