A new report from Borrell Associates indicates the growth of social network marketing will be ferocious in the years ahead. The question: Will it be properly applied?

This year about 11% of marketing spending will go to social networks. Borrell predicts that number will grow to one-third of such spending by 2015, representing $38 billion.

And the ratio of promotional spending compared to advertising spending across social networks will increase --- from about 1:3 today to about 1.75:1 by 2015. In other words, $1.75 in promotion will be spent for every dollar in advertising across social networks within five years, Borrell suggests.

Borrell notes, though, that it's difficult to measure the scope and effectiveness of such spending, and that firms use their social networks as a mass medium instead of one that needs targeting.

A particularly hard-hit sector of newspapers has been the loss of real estate advertising, a reflection of overall economic conditions that dampened development and sales of projects in a low-demand period. As brokers faltered, so did their spending.

But Borrell Associates suggests some restoration of revenue is under way in the nearly-$20-billion sector and will continue this year. Overall i expects a three-per-cent increase following a 20-per-cent decline last year --- hardly a renewal, but the end of a freefall.

As for newspapers, they'll experience growth of 16 per cent after a decline of 34 per cent in 2009.