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Some 73 percent of marketers now allocate up to 20 percent of their budget for new and emerging media, according to an American Advertising Federation study, BrandWeek reports.

The average spending on new media marketing is now 15 percent of total budget dollars, AAF said. Still, 10 percent of respondents say their entire budget goes to traditional media; significantly, though, 12 percent say they spend 21-40 percent of their budget on emerging media advertising and marketing.

When asked about approaches to media planning in the coming year, respondents ranked "I am always open to new ways to use traditional media" highest (at 78 percent), with "the right media mix almost always includes a balance of traditional and nontraditional media" (at 75.5 percent), and "the search for new media properties to grow my brand never stops" (at 57.7 percent) second and third highest.

The popularity of YouTube and Second Life as marketing outlets were two of the biggest developments that caught marketers by surprise in 2006: 77 percent of respondents say they didn't see Second Life coming, 60 percent say they were caught off-guard by YouTube. Some 51 percent also point to the popularization of mash-ups.

The most expected innovations in the media landscape were the availability of TV programs on the web, the mass adoption of text messaging in the U.S., and the importance of social media/networking as part of the communications plan.

An overwhelming majority of respondents (87.4 percent) say the pace and scope of innovation in the media landscape inspires creativity.

Just over half of respondents say they will be more likely to anticipate and adapt to media changes in 2007. Newspapers and network TV were two areas identified as in need of the most reinvention in the new year.

A summary of the AAF report is available for download (ppt).