Remember when digital advertising was set to survive the downturn and keep on booming as print and TV collapse? Well, the boom days may be over. Despite posting annual growth of 29.5 percent in 2007 and 20 percent in 2008, digital ad spend will next year grow just 2.1 percent, Enders Analysis forecasts. The good news: it’s still growing and it’s a short-term phenomenon, with 2010 coming back to show a 9.3 percent rise, 13.3 percent in 2011 and 12.5 percent in 2012.

And it could be worse; you could be in print, where already-slowing newspaper ad spend is itself forecast to fall back by another 21 percent. Growth is not expected to return to the print advertising market until after 2013 – presumably when companies like Johnston Press, Northcliffe, Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI) and Newsquest have downsized and restructured as much as they practicably can.

It’s all part of the overall ad spend cutback - Enders forecasts UK ad spend will fall five percent this year to £16.8 billion, and a further 12 percent in 2009. It says the country’s ad market won’t return to positive growth until 2011: “We expect TV advertising revenues to return to growth when economic growth returns, while press, radio and direct mail are likely to remain in decline for the foreseeable future.”  Via Guardian.co.uk and release.

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