Follow the eyeballs

Two major consumer brands are cutting back TV ad spend while increasing their financial commitments to new media, reports Advertising Age.

Kimberly-Clark said it would only spend 46 percent of its marketing budget on TV advertising this year, down from 2004's 60 percent allocation.

Unilever will also be spending dollars on TV more stringently, though it did not broadcast any budget specifics.

The companies ramped up ad and marketing spending in recent years, with Unilever hitting $7.8 billion in '07. Kimberly-Clark's marketing budget totaled $438 million in '06.

This shift in priorities is representative of the general consumer-packaged goods industry, as brands grow more conservative about traditional media like television.

The WGA writers strike, which resulted in network make-goods well into 2008 for advertisers, may have also contributed to ad reticence. Interpret LLC even suggests the strike changed media viewing habits, driving audiences more readily to online video.