Marketing Spending Takes Slight Dip

For the first time in five years, marketing spending for M/E firms took a slight dip, according to recent survey results from the Natick, Mass.-based market research firm ZweigWhite.

As a percentage of net revenue, the median total of marketing expenses—including marketing labor, proposals, printing, direct mail, etc.— dropped slightly from 4.6% to 4.5%.

Although cutting back on spending during this economic downturn may be a rational short-term plan, it’s not the best long-term strategy, claims Mark Goodale, a principal with the firm’s marketing consulting practice.

“The marketing investments made now will not only help survive the day, but position [consultants] as a top firm down the road,” he says. “Firms that continue to invest in building their name will be the ones that are around for a long, long time.”

For more information on ZweigWhite’s 2002 Marketing Survey of A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms , visit www.zweigwhite.com/store/marketing .

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