Marketing is not what generates a sale or closes the sale. Marketing in any business is to attract a potential customer.

It is the responsibility of the business, be it bricks and mortar or online to close and complete the sale.

So the question is, will advertising decline? Well to answer that question then simply ask yourself, does your business still need a flow of potential customers?

If there is a replacement for advertising, online or offline, then maybe.

Sure businesses have tighter budgets now, but should they increase their potential customer flow or let it dwindle in times of recession?

Simple answer, never let the customer flows dwindle. Cutting costs and expenses is important when revenue drops, but cutting expenses will not cause revenues to increase. Only increasing customer flow or web traffic will.

Cost per click and Cost Per Action Online Advertising is a wiser investment now more than ever as businesses begin to measure the quality of marketing efforts and the ROI.