In the face of an economic recession, 59% of marketers said "measurable, ROI-driven strategies" will be where they put their limited advertising dollars, but if they can't prove something works, it's more likely to be cut, according to an iMedia report, eMarketer reported Friday.

"With the current economic recession, digital marketing professionals are holding out hope that some of the budget dollars originally slated for traditional marketing will move into the cheaper, more measurable digital medium," iMedia analysts stated in their report.

Twenty-six of marketers said they plan to "stay the course," while 15 percent said they would revert to what they knew best, including staying away from digital, according to the report.

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed said the hesitation to move into the digital space was due to "dependence on TV, FSIs and other traditional measures," according to eMarketer. Other reasons given were "corporate culture or political considerations" (19 percent), "inertia or fear" (19 percent), "lack of metrics" (14 percent) and "lack of creative options" (9 percent).