I read with interest an article in the December 4^th issue of Ad Age, regarding the forecast of advertising spend in 2007.

Of particular interest to me, was the difference of opinion between Steve King, CEO of ZenithOptimedia and Robert Coen, SVP of Forecasting for Universal McCann. At odds is whether Internet Search is included in the media forecast or not. Mr. King’s forecasts include Internet Search in the media forecast whereas Mr. Coen prefers not to include them in the forecast.

In the interest of full disclosure, HP utilizes services from both ZenithOptimedia and Universal McCann.

So where does HP stand? In Fiscal Year 2006 we didn’t include them in our media forecast, however in Fiscal Year 2007 we have started to track them as part of our overall media forecast. Why? Well, Internet Search is a media type! Consumers use it to find out information and eventually purchase the product/service.

Frankly, Search is a critical component of our media mix…. We tie our search terms back to the rest of our media messaging, thus creating a full 360 degree consumer experience. Plus, I know of very few companies who have a magic “Search Budget”…. Increase in Search spend is usually at the expense of other media types.

Scott