Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) Your first question comes from Jeff Farmer - Jefferies & Co.
Jeff Farmer - Jefferies & Co.
Could you just provide some additional local on your local store marketing and direct mail efforts? I guess, more specifically, any changes you've made there in the last couple of quarters?
Steve Ells
Yes, actually. Since August we've done a lot more direct mail, especially. We had a big buy one, get one free mailing in Boston, and we got great redemption on that. And we're planning on a doing a lot more of these direct mailings. We've refined the way we do this, so we get great redemption on those.
Jeff Farmer - Jefferies & Co.
And then Monty, you gave us a lot of color on the new versus existing market development and the new A buildings, but in terms of looking at, I guess - well, let me take step back and see what's most important here - softer same-store sales in the Midwest markets, so a ton of color on new versus existing markets, but as you look at those softer Midwest markets, from a development standpoint are you able to sort of avoid development in those markets for now?
Montgomery F. Moran
I'm sorry. Can you say it again? I didn't mention anything about softer same-store sales.
Jeff Farmer - Jefferies & Co.
I'm sorry. On the last call you had highlighted that, in terms of where you're seeing weakness from a same-store sales perspective, the Midwest markets were among the softer regions, and I was just curious in terms of development in 2010 how you sort of incorporated that softness into the development plan for next year?
Montgomery F. Moran
Well, I mean, you know, the difference between the Midwest and other parts of the country is pretty subtle, so it really doesn't play very much into our real estate strategy. We still have a lot of great growth to go in that region of the country as well, so that really isn't a big part of our real estate strategy at all.
Jeff Farmer - Jefferies & Co.
Jack, you touched on this, but the advertising spend for this year, as you look into next year in 2010, as a percent of revenue what does that look like?
John R. Hartung
Yes, Jeff, I would expect we'd return back to right around 1.75%. But, as Steve mentioned, we're really redeveloping, revising the next phase of this, and so we're going to be very thoughtful as we spend that. We're going to I think develop creative, develop a strategy, begin to roll that in various markets, and as we feel good that the strategy is working, you know, that it's connecting with our customers and communicating what we want to communicate, then I think we'll ramp up our investment.
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