Highlights of the report include:
Charles Buchwalter, SVP, Research and Analytics, Nielsen Online, says "The Internet remains a place of continuing innovation, with users finding new ways to integrate online usage into their daily lives... "
Since 2003, interests of the average online user have shifted significantly from portal-oriented browsing sites such as Shopping Directories and Guides and Internet Tools/Web Services, to video and social networking sites that have moved to the forefront, becoming the two fastest growing categories in 2009.
Audience Utilities, Video and Social Media (Percent Change by Segment) | ||
Segment | 2/03 to 2/09 | 2/08 to 2/09 |
Video | 339% | 8% |
Member Communities | 87% | 11% |
Search | 50% | 4% |
76% | 3% | |
Nielsen NetView, Combined Home and Work, April 2009 |
With the global recession in full swing, says the report, online display advertising has plateaued at 20% of total online ad spend in the U.S.. Spending on online display advertising by financial services, automobile and retail companies has declined steeply. On the other hand, several key, heavy ad-spending industries such as healthcare, consumer products and telecommunications appear to be moving even more spending online.
Share of Online Image-Based Advertising Impressions by Industry | ||
Industry | 2008 | Jan/Feb 2009 |
Financial Services | 24% | 17% |
Telecommunications | 13 | 14 |
Retail Goods & Services | 13 | 12 |
Health | 4 | 9 |
Consumer Goods | 7 | 8 |
Automotive | 6 | 4 |
Source: Nielsen AdRelevance, US, April 2009 (Percentages Rounded) |
The longer-term prospects for global online advertising continue to be brighter. Projecting, Nielsen reported:
To download Nielsen's full report on the global online landscape found on The Nielsen Wire, please visit here.
There's no denying that social media allows us to explore information of interest, that we may not have been searching for and to discover people of interest we may not have otherwise known unless we were linking in, twittering and so forth. Push marketing has it's place, but we are living in the "feed" world. Even IE 8 lets us opt in to being "watched" as we surf the web and engage in content with the implied benefit of its recommendation engine. Social media is here to stay. Join the conversation. Opt in. Twitter something useful!