More figures have been published to show that online advertising is becoming increasingly important in integrated marketing campaigns.
In a report released this month by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, U.S. internet advertising revenues for the first six months of 2008 amounted to $11.5 billion, a 15.2% increase over the same period in 2007.
The IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report showed there to be a marginal decline of 0.3% in the second quarter of 2008 compared with the first quarter, but this was still a 12.8% increase over the same period last year.
Search revenues over the six months totaled almost $5.1 billion (an increase of 24% on the first half of 2007). Similarly impressive, display-related advertising (consisting of Display Banner ads, Rich Media, Digital Video, and Sponsorship) reached close to $3.8 billion (a 19% increase).
Speed and efficiency, measurability, and cost-effectiveness are some of the key reasons why online advertising is increasing in popularity. The same logic holds from a market research perspective. The online surveys we undertake on behalf of our clients frequently offer cost and time savings, as well as improved data accuracy. We also increasingly use eFocus groups as a means of qualitative data collection.
To find out more about the advantages of online focus groups, see our white paper Using Online Focus Groups As A Business-to-Business Research Technique.
