While the manifestation of advertising through traditional media is still abundantly present, there have been consistent indications that new perspectives and trends are emerging. The most significant innovation that might evolve in the coming times with regard to the advertising world is, that a shift will become visible from traditional media to interactive and other, more specifically defined `niche' media. This article reviews the current media scenery in the US, as well as possible reasons behind the contemporary circumstances; changes that are taking place in the market, and expectations for the near future.

The face of advertising is changing, based on the fact that the philosophy behind media planning is transforming. In the past few years, media planners, who are at the same time buyers of advertising space and time, have come to new insights, stipulated by product and service producers who want to see more returns on their advertising investments. It seems to have finally dawned on an increasing number of companies that the percentage of their advertising dollars that gets wasted is too large. This awareness has been supported by recent reports on changing consumers' media behaviors, as well as decreasing returns on advertisers' media investments. Rating systems are now, more than ever questioned; offers from networks are re-examined; the desires and behaviors from consumers are reviewed; and the overall attunement between customers' behaviors, placement-offerings, rating strategies, seasonal influences, and alternative methods to increase revenue are progressively considered with great thoroughness.

advertising, traditional, behind, abundantly, buyers, changes, circumstances, consistent, contemporary, expectations, indications, innovation, interactive, manifestation, market, niche', perspectives, philosophy, possible, reasons, reviews, scenery, significant, visible, trends.