Powerlist: Social media boosts ad firms

Despite the recession, Oregon’s advertising industry has seen business pick up this year thanks in part to the prudent use of social media.

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Social media helps firms weather the downturn

Despite the recession, Oregon’s advertising industry has seen business pick up this year thanks in part to the prudent use of social media. “While signs are promising, cautious optimism still remains the operating mode for most businesses,” says Kent Hollenbrook, senior VP of Lake Oswego-based Waggener Edstrom. “Organizations have shifted from a blanket [old-school media] approach to a more grassroots approach,” says Anne Marie Levis of Eugene-based Funk/Levis & Associates about the increasing use of social media. Hollenbrook cautions against “Zombie media” — when a company launches a social media effort without strategy only to abandon it and let it aimlessly roam the digital world. Social media is a useful tool if well implemented.

PETER BELAND