Advertising spending in Canada is expected to jump at a compound annual growth rate of 5.3 per cent over the next four years, according to new data from the Canadian Marketing Association.

The report said that advertising investment will rise to more than $23.3 billion in 2011, from $19 billion this year, with every dollar spent on advertising expected to directly result in nearly $9 of economic activity in the country.

Overall direct sales from advertising campaigns are forecasted to increase from this year's levels by roughly 33 per cent, to $203 billion by 2011, the report added.

"Digital media is expected to lead all other marketing channels in 2011 in terms of direct sales, with purchases resulting from marketing offers received over the Internet and through commercial e-mail forecast to top $46.6 billion by 2011," the report read. "By 2011, Canadian business will spend more than $3.3 billion on digital media in Canada, more than double the $1.4 billion recorded in 2007."

However, a large percentage of ad spending in Canada will continue to be taken up by traditional media, with television, direct mail and out-of-home advertising investment experiencing the fastest growth over the four-year period.

The report also noted that jobs directly linked to Canada's marketing sector are expected to grow by 6.8 per cent annually, to 1.2 million in 2011 from 940,000 in 2007.

Once again, digital media is expected to be the biggest winner, with employment in the category growing to 200,000 jobs by 2011 from just 75,000 this year.

The study added that telemarketing calls will result in almost $31 billion-worth of purchases of goods and services in 2011, up from $27 billion this year. Fifty-three per cent of these sales will originate as a result of business-to-business telemarketing calls.