And the number one place you should spend your marketing dollars is...

Direct Mail. That's right. Not everything is about Google and the Internet. (Though, admittedly I do sometimes sound like a Google evangelist). According to Ad Age, they project that Direct Mail Marketing will rank number one in "projected advertising spending" in 2009. Translation: Businesses both large and small are still spending most of their marketing dollars (approximately 22.6%) on Direct Mail. Is it down from 2008? Yes by about 2.0%. But put it all into perspective. Internet spend encompasses less than 5% of the pie. So, even though I put a lot of attention on Internet and Interactive marketing (hey - it's what I do), I'm not advocating the exclusion or demise of traditional marketing. Traditional marketing, such as direct mail, continues to be powerful. And when integrated with Interactive marketing campaigns (here I go again), the results can knock your socks off. But more on that later. For know, if you want to read more about other Ad Age projects for 2009, check out the Ad Age Datacenter.