Online ad spend set for growth

Investment in online advertising in the US is set to remain strong in the face of ongoing economic uncertainty in 2008, according to a new study.
A forecast from eMarketer has predicted that advertisers will continue to spend on internet campaigns, aiming for "more measurable ad formats to buttress their positions".

Video advertising will be a part of this, according to the report, as both major broadcasters and users produce increasing volumes of content but ad spend will slow.

During 2008, it is expected that investment in this area will grow by 74 per cent, compared to 89 per cent during 2007. eMarketer also forecasts continued mergers between larger net firms and smaller ad companies.

Spending on social network advertising will increase from $920 million in 2007 to $1.6 billion in 2008, the study estimates, an increase of 70 per cent. Some 44 per cent of US consumers are expected to use a social network at least once a month during this year.

According to recent research by BtoB magazine, 60.1 per cent of marketers plan to increase overall budgets during 2008.
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