eMarketer cuts its social net forecast

Not many headlines have caught my eye so far this morning, but this one did: "eMarketer Trims Social Network Ad Forecast." The report, by senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson, says that social network advertising should only grow by 55 percent this year, down from an earlier estimate of 70 percent. That shouldn't have anyone crying in their virtual beer, but lest you think the problem is the economy, think again. The report cites the difficulties that marketers have in implementing and tracking social media campaigns. In the limited world view from my home office, I think this is a stumbling block that is going to take at least a few years to get over.