• by August 6, 2002

Nielsen//NetRatings reported yesterday that automotive manufacturers have raced to the top in adopting online rich media advertising technologies, as 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, according to data from the Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance service. 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.

"The high-profile look and freedom of creativity afforded by technologies such as generic flash, java, Eyeblaster, and Shoshkele have spurred an auto industry joyride on the Web," said Charles Buchwalter, VP of client analytics at Nielsen//NetRatings. "Car manufacturers with bigger advertising budgets have been leading users of rich media for the last four quarters, affording the development and deployment of this more expensive format."

"Publishers such as Weather.com, ESPN.com and MarketWatch.com have been responding to the auto industry's demand for rich media advertising with innovative packages that captivate users with their creativity and deliver the kind of performance that marketing expect from advertising overall," said Michael Zimbalist, executive director of the Online Publishers Association.

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.

Top Industry Segments Using Rich Media, Q2 2002

+--------------------------+-------------------+ 
| Brand Product            |     Percent Share | 
+--------------------------+-------------------+ 
| 1. Auto Manufacturers    |
37.4 | 
| 2. Business-to-business  |                12 | 
| 3. Entertainment         |                 9 | 
| 4. Telecommunications    |                 8 | 
| 5. Consumer Goods        |
8 | 
| Industry Average         |               3.9 | 
+--------------------------+-------------------+ 
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

Auto Giants Top Rich Media Advertisers List

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," added Buchwalter. "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."

Top Products/Brands Using Rich Media, Q2 2002

+---------------------------+----------------+ 
| Brand Product             |  Percent Share | 
+---------------------------+----------------+ 
| 1. Ford Expedition        |
19.4 | 
| 2. Toyota Corolla         |            5.9 | 
| 3. GM Saturn LS           |            3.5 | 
| 4. Ford Jaguar S-Type     |            1.7 | 
| 5. VW Audi (General)      |
1.4 | 
| 6. GM Saturn (General)    |            0.6 | 
| 7. GM Saturn Vue          |            0.6 | 
| 8. GM Cadillac CTS        |            0.3 | 
| 9. Ford Mercury Marauder  |
0.3 | 
| 10. Nissan (General)      |            0.3 | 
+---------------------------+----------------+ 
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance