The Future of Advertising (and other short stories)

The latest advertising industry sentiment research is out from Advertiser Perceptions and the magic eight ball for the ad biz right now would read, "you're behind it"

Hardest hit was broadcast media with 22% and 16% feeling that broadcast TV and radio budgets will increase this year, down from 29% and 26% when the survey was last conducted (April/May 2007)

Not surprisingly, online topped the pops with 76% reflecting anticipated budget gains versus 21% stagnation and 3% drops. The next highest increase percentages were mobile @ 55% and cable TV at 34%.

Personally, I think the whole study is total crap. For starters, where is search or is that being bundled into online...and if so, why? Also where is social media and/or social networking, which arguably (I'm reaching) deserves a line item on consideration lists?

Definitions notwithstanding, my ire is really raised with the casual causal relationship being inferred between sentiment and budget shifts (or at least broken down into up, down and no change) Television still commands the lion's share of budgets and surely "status quo" would be perceived as a complete business victory.

Am I wrong in thinking that there are lunatics out there still trying to increase TV's share of the overall budget?

To the folks over at Advertiser Perceptions, what else you got? Please send me some more intelligent reflections of sentiment (like perhaps job security or advertising as a percentage of total marketing spend) if you want me to reassess this.