Top Marketing Trends for 2008 from the Mouths of Marketers

Anderson Analytics surveyed over 600 members of the Marketing Executives Networking Group to learn what the top marketing trends are for 2008.  The results might surprise you.  First, take a look at the graph below that highlights the most important trends according to the marketing executives surveyed by Anderson Analytics.

Is it just me or does it seem like the marketing executives are missing the boat when it comes to marketing trends?

It seems unbelievable to me that just over 1/4 of respondents felt that viral marketing/word-of-mouth marketing and new media were the most important trends.  Not only that but seeing that less than half of respondents considered branding to be one of the most important trends is equally surprising to me.

On the other hand, the marketing executives surveyed did find the most important marketing guru to be Seth Godin who, ironically, is an influential online marketer.  I’m not questioning Seth Godin’s marketing prowess, that’s obvious, but I do think it’s amusing that while the executives who were surveyed did not rank viral marketing and new media the most important marketing trends of 2008, they did rank an influential online figure the most important marketing guru. 

What do you think about the trends the surveyed marketing executives judged to be most important for 2008?