More than two-thirds (70%) of European advertisers say their internet ad spending is increasing this year, while nearly half agree that the internet is “essential” to their marketing efforts, according to research by the European Interactive Advertisers Association (EIAA), writes MarketingVOX.
Just 8% of the advertisers studied for the EIAA annual Internet Ad Barometer report (pdf) said they cut budgets for online advertising.
Survey respondents report that much of their increased budget for internet ads is being shifted away from traditional media as TV, newspapers, and magazines and being put to online use.? Nearly four in 10 advertisers say their budgets are being reallocated from TV (37%). Some 32% are moving funds away from newspapers, 46% from magazines, the study found.
“With every media investment closely scrutinized by brands, and a renewed focus on ROI, online comes into its own as the most effective way of providing accountability for marketers,” said Alison Fennah, executive director of the EIAA, who attributed these shifts to the relative transparency of online ad formats.
This trend will likely continue throughout 2009, according to the report.
Online advertising is playing a more central role in overall ad strategies: 47% of advertisers consider online solutions as an essential factor within the marketing mix, up from 38% in last year’s research. And 16% are allocating larger budgets to pan-regional rather than country-specific campaigns – up from 11% last year.
The majority (64%) of advertisers increased their paid search investments, while email, display and video advertising were cited as most popular tools. Mobile is also growing: 30% of marketers are making use of mobile formats within their overall strategy.
In February, Forrester found that while online advertising will suffer during the recession, it is in a better position than offline.
A 2007 report from eMarketer found that European business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales totaled 106 billion euros ($133 billion) in 2006, and projected an annual growth rate of 25% over the next 5 years, tripling to reach nearly 323 billion euros ($407 billion).
?About the survey: The research solicited responses from marketers in charge of allocating media and ad budgets in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and the pan-European markets. Brands in the study represent a cross section of automotive, entertainment, travel, consumer electronics, fast moving consumer goods, telecommunications, finance and retail sectors.