• by March 9, 2004

Wonder of wonders--online advertising was the fastest-growing segment in advertising in 2003, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.

The company's year-end advertising report, which came out yesterday, appears to confirm what many industry players have already documented in research and anecdotally, that the business is back. Maybe it's not roaring yet, but if you listen carefully enough, you might actually hear a steady hum. Online advertising posted 15.7 percent growth in 2003, according to TNS, with cable TV only a point behind it at 15.6 percent.

There is further evidence of the comeback in online advertising and media. Lunching yesterday with Chan Suh, CEO-Agency.com and Stacey Nachtaler, regional president-east of Agency's itraffic division, both told me that while their operations remain "lean and mean," they are having difficulty finding the right kind of talent, particularly in the online creative arena. Typical hires arrive after a couple of years at an interactive division of a big agency. They usually have experience in account management. But Stacey and Chan say that once they're at Agency, employees will often be called upon to participate in all aspects of the online media and creative process. Specialists are great, and very much needed, but a holistic view is also required to solve complex business problems for clients.

The online ad rebound appears to be slow and steady, not at all like the go- go, heady atmosphere of the late-'90s. But for young people on the job market, it's not a bad time to buff up existing skills, cultivate more contacts, and learn to perform new tasks to become more marketable. Your future employers will thank you.