New York—Marketers have no doubt that email and search were their top performing advertising channels in 2009, although they remain uncertain about the value of social media going forward. According to Datran Media's “4th Annual Marketing & Media Survey,” which surveyed more than 5,000 marketers online in December, 39.4% named email their strongest channel last year, followed by 23.6% who named search.

Those selections far outstripped other channels, including display (7.1%), direct mail (6.3) and social media (4.7%).

When asked if social media marketing will generate quantifiable results for them this year, 50.4% said yes, while 49.6% either were unsure or said no.