Ad Spend to Grow 6.6 Percent in 2004

Wall Street securities firm Merrill Lynch forecast U.S. ad spend to grow 6.6 percent in 2004, up 0.6 percent from its previous prediction. Worldwide ad spend predicted to increase 5.5 percent. Given the ad business's many dark years, any increase is good. However, in a year with both an election and the Olympics, Merrill Lynch expressed concern the expected increases are not greater