If Mad Men was set 50 years later, Don Draper would be running viral campaigns on Facebook and Youtube.

In between the martinis and extramarital affairs, the fictional 1960s advertising guru spends his time masterminding newspaper and television campaigns.

But according to a new survey, social media has well and truly usurped traditional advertising methods for businesses wanting to boost their brand power in the internet age.

The survey of 16,000 businesses globally by workplace solutions provider Regus found 57 per cent of businesses believe social media campaigns will give their brand the biggest boost.

Of the Australian businesses surveyed, 59 per cent planned to use social media over the next three years while only 13 per cent plan to use traditional advertising.

In a welcome development for Australian households, the survey also showed telemarketing and direct mail campaigns were falling out of favour.

Thirteen per cent of businesses plan to use telemarketing in the next three years while 15 per cent will use direct mail.

Regis regional vice-president William Willems said the survey showed the increasing importance of social media in business marketing.

‘We are now seeing the proliferation of professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn, BranchOut, Viadeo and Xing, which are providing businesses with an alternative channel to interact with potential customers but on a global platform,’ he said.

Via bigpondnews