Online Advertising Skyrockets 49%

Online advertising was the brightest star in a Nielsen Media Research report for the first half of 2006, growing 49 percent over the previous year’s figures. Unless there is a substantial slowdown in the last half of the year, these numbers will far exceed previous estimates that had pegged 2006 online advertising growth at about 30 percent.

Total advertising in all major categories grew 5.1 percent —a figure that leans heavily on the substantial increase in Web advertising and a 21.8 percent growth in Spanish-language television advertising. The report also indicated local magazines showed a significant rise. Categories exhibiting little or no growth in the first half of 2006 included spot radio, local newspaper, B-to-B magazines, national cable TV, FSI coupons, and smaller spot TV markets.

Jeff King, the managing director at Nielsen Monitor-Plus commented, “As anticipated, Internet spending continues to show exceptional growth as advertisers look for additional means to reach their target audiences.” He also attributed the large growth in Spanish-language TV to extensive World Cup coverage.