• by Masha Geller , August 6, 2002

Nielsen//NetRatings’ AdRelevance has found that automotive manufacturers have raced to the top in adopting online rich media advertising technologies. According to the latest data, rich media comprised 37.4% of all auto online ad impressions in Q2 2002, nearly 10 times more than the industry average of 3.9%.

Following at a distant second, business-to-business advertisers posted a 12% usage rate for rich media. The entertainment category utilized the format 9% of the time in Q2 2002, while the telecom and consumer goods categories rounded out the list, both with an 8% share.

In addition, Internet users continue to visit car manufacturer sites, as more than 8.4 million Web surfers logged on during the month of June, reaching nearly 7% of the active online population.

The Ford Motor Company topped the list of car manufacturers using rich media ads, as 22% of their advertising utilized rich media in Q2 with campaigns across all products. Its Ford Expedition line took the honors as the number one auto product employing rich media technologies, with expanding flash ads on MSN taking up 19.4% of the entire auto ad voice.

Toyota Motor Corporation came in second, claiming a 6.8% share, while General Motors took 5.7% of the auto ad industry share of voice. General Motors claimed four out of the top 10 product brands using rich media, with their Saturn and Cadillac brands claiming 5% of the total share of voice.

"Industry watchers looking for a signal of renewed vivacity in the online ad industry will be tracking publishers who successfully sell rich media to clients," said Charles Buchwalter, VP of client analytics at NetRatings. "Currently, rich media advertising is most popular on niche websites, but as bigger publishers incorporate rich media into their advertising strategy, we should see more traction within other industry segments."