Online Display Adspend Down 5.28% For Q2 2008

UK online ad display spend was down 5.28% for Q2 2008, according to new figures from Nielsen.

Recent figures IAB/PricewaterhouseCoopers found that total internet display advertising spend rose 16.3% year-on-year to £333.8 million for the first half of 2008.

The Nielsen figure seems to contradict the received wisdom that online adspend can weather the storm caused by the current financial crisis.

Alex Burmaster, communications director for the UK and EMEA at Nielsen Online, said: “The figure shows the rate of growth is slowing, which will happen naturally. We won’t see the increases of yesteryear now the internet is more mainstream. But this isn’t helped by the economic crisis.

However, online media is more insulated than other forms of media so I don’t think this figure is representative of what will happen in the long term.”

A recent report by eMarketer predicted that search advertising would claim 60% of online ad spending in the UK for at least the next few years.

Nielsen: www.nielsen.com