Internet advertising revenue in the U.S. totaled $1.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2002, increasing over 2 percent from the third quarter, reflecting the first consecutive quarterly increase since the second quarter of 2000. Internet advertising for full-year 2002 totaled $5.95 billion. These top-line results are based on compiling data from the top 15 online ad sellers, which historically account for over 80 per cent of total industry revenues. The results of this revenue compilation are then extrapolated to calculate the total industry revenue figure. These estimates will be adjusted in the 2002 full-year report, including data breakouts, to be released next month. The Internet Ad Revenue Report is sponsored by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and conducted independently by the New Media Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
While the $1.5 billion fourth-quarter figure decreased 9.8 percent from the same period a year earlier, it marks the first single-digit year-over-year percentage decrease since the first quarter of 2001. �The improved online advertising environment reflects a confluence of factors The publishers are offering a more manageable, uniform and understandable business proposition than ever before. The creative side has gotten smarter and is delivering compelling, entertaining content, which will only improve as the installed base of high-speed access users increases. This adds up to a fertile environment for the industry to right and propel itself,� said Greg Stuart, president and CEO, Interactive Advertising Bureau.
�The improved performance over the past two quarters reflects a stabilizing online advertising market, highlighted by continued strength in paid-for-search results. The recent upturn, coupled with forecasts of continued expansion of broadband distribution, bodes well for a strong year in 2003� said Tom Hyland, Chair, PricewaterhouseCoopers New Media Group.
--------
ABC is down for the count after being trounced by Fox. Just two of ABC's programs remain in the prime time top 40. And it's been in that position for six of the last eight weeks. Who ever dreamed Fox could do this back in the 'Married With Children' days? [via Boston.com]
--------
"In the sands of Iraq, our soldiers risk their lives for our country," says the voiceover. "At the same time, big corporations are abandoning our country and setting up phony tax shelters in the sands of Bermuda."
A group called the Bermuda Project is behind this campaign hoping it will stir congress into enacting laws governing a company's use of off shore tax havens. View the spot here.
Brings Tyco to mind doesn't it? [via USA Today]
--------
You just never know when a nasty event is going to get in the way of your ad campaign. That's exactly what happened to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Nice campaign. Bad timing.
Story here via The Guardian.
--------
The GAP is taking its media out of house and out of project by project status and looking for a full service media buying company. [via Ad Age]
--------
Call it what you will these days; advertainment, product placement, advergaming. Marketers are returning to the days of old when marketers "owned" television shows. They had a much firmer grasp on the content and a much bigger slice of the sponsorship pie.
Well, what goes around, comes around. We are just calling it something different this time. Pepsi has just announced plans for a game show called 'Play for a Billion' in which the game show is tied directly to Pepsi's bottle cap sweepstakes.
"You're going to see a lot more of this," says Dave Burwick, chief marketing officer, Pepsi-Cola, North America. "It's so much more difficult for a 30-second ad to stand out these days. . . . When you control the content, you develop the exact message you want."
This USA Today article discusses this trend and explains what other major marketers are doing in this area.
--------
Fox has named its new teen male targeted network, Fuel. The network will cover extreme sport including skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, and motocross. There will also be original programming featuring athlete profiles, music artists, and a concert series.
More...
--------
