Much has been made of the effect of the soft economy on producing fundamental and long lasting changes in consumer buying behavior. The Valassis presentation demonstrates that individuals’ “flight to value” – enhanced by the breadth and scope of new media – has forced marketers to rethink the ways they understand and activate the value-centric consumer.

Whether the individual is a routine purchaser, an occasional but valued customer, or a one that makes infrequent yet informed purchases, integrated media grants greater empowerment to consumers to make informed buying decisions. As media is increasingly controlled by consumers, the inclusion of online is shortening the lead time between consideration and purchase.

The number of media channels available to consumers has greatly increased, making the task of identifying how, when and where consumers find value more difficult and complex. Marketers must efficiently sort through these varied media channels to target relevant geographies, identify consumer media usage and blend the right media to produce the most effective multi-channel programming. These advancements create hyper localized media plans tailored specifically to individual consumer buying decisions.

Marketers that combine traditional and online media maximize consumer response by delivering value to each consumer segment. A plan of integrated media provides the utmost visibility, flexibility, and efficiency for national and local campaigns.