Advertising revenues at key US online content sites grew by 33.5% on average in the year to date, according to a poll of 14 of the Online Publishers Association‘s (OPA) member sites.
Second quarter sales rose by an average of 34.2% year on year, painting a much rosier picture of the online industry than other recent figures have suggested. Data from Nielsen shows US internet adspend down 8.4% in the first half (see
US Adspend Up 2.3% In H1, According To Nielsen Figures), lower than expectations. IAB figures, meanwhile, put the fall for Q1 2002 at 18.0% year on year (see
US Internet Adspend Continues To Slide); CMR reported a Q1 fall of 14.2% (see
Slight US Advertising Rise In Q1, Signs Of Further Slow Recovery).
However, the OPA claims that the focus on industry-wide figures, which are clearly not so positive, is masking the fact that advertisers are targeting a smaller number of strongly-branded, ‘high quality’ content sites for their online campaigns.
“Advertisers are beginning to realise that high-quality content sites, with their rich editorial environments and loyal audiences, provide significant return on media spending,” claims Michael Zimbalist, executive director of the Online Publishers Association.
