Online ad networks help advertisers target customers

Online ad networks allow internet advertisers to target consumers more effectively, it has been claimed.

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), a trade association for the internet marketing industry, said that companies such as DoubleClick help advertisers to overcome the problems posed by the fragmented nature of the net.

Jack Wallington, programs manager with the IAB, outlined the benefits of online ad networks, saying: "Advertisers can approach an ad network asking for their adverts to reach consumers using various demographics and their ads can then appear across the entire network of publishers."

According to Mr Wallington, such technology allows the reach of internet advertising to be greater than that of television.

He added that, with the average age of net users increasing, there is even greater impetus for advertisers to target their customers effectively.

Commenting on this trend, he said: "This undoubtedly means there will be new considerations for marketers when making their plans. This places even more emphasis on understanding the audience you are trying to reach using analytics tools and research."

Recent research by Nielsen Online that the average age of the UK internet population rose from 35.7 to 37.9 between October 2006 and October 2007.

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