• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, July 19, 2005

As premium inventory remains in short supply and prices are rising, media buyers find themselves increasingly purchasing impressions at the last minute. That's the conclusion of recent research conducted by MediaPost in conjunction with Deutsche Bank (See "Deutsche Bank: Online Ad Spending Up 11 Percent in Q2," OMD, July 18).

More than three-quarters--76 percent--of the 116 media buyers and planners surveyed said they commit to buying inventory just three months or less in advance. This figure represents a greater proportion than in the first quarter, when 70 percent of surveyed executives said they committed to buying inventory three months or less in the future.

Deutsche Bank attributes this short time frame to publishers, speculating that while the market remains strong, they're unwilling to commit to longer lead times.

Overall, 54 percent of the respondents reported purchasing online media less than two months in advance of a campaign, compared to 50 percent in the first quarter. Just 5 percent said they bought Web media more than six months in advance, compared to 7 percent in the first three months of the year.

The duration of campaigns remained flat compared to the first three months of this year, with two-thirds of respondents--66 percent--reporting that the length of campaigns managed stayed the same quarter-to-quarter; last quarter, 60 percent said the same. Just 10 percent of respondents reported shorter campaigns, compared to 14 percent last quarter, while 24 percent reported longer terms, compared to 26 in the first quarter.

The survey was conducted online by InsightExpress, using members of the MediaPost advisory panel.