The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and comScore Networks, Inc. recently announced a new study showing a positive return on investment (ROI: the ratio of generated revenue to advertising expense) and significant conversions both online and offline for companies that participate in online local, directory and classified advertising.

In a final summary for ad spending in 2005, with category and advertiser analysis, Nielsen Monitor-Plus Advertising reports that spending for the full year 2005 rose 4.2% over the same period last year, due to gains across most major media, led by Internet, National Spanish-Language TV and Cable TV.

According to a recent Forrester report release, nearly 98 million US households will have a mobile phone by 2010. As market saturation approaches, subscriber churn has become a critical issue for mobile carriers. 24% of US mobile subs switched providers between 2004 and 2005, and another 16% plan to switch in the next two years or more. Number portability, commoditized mobile offerings, and lifestyle-based service providers will continue to create churn, going forward.

The first installment in PQ Media's Alternative Media Research Series, the Blog, Podcast and RSS Advertising Outlook, reports that advertising spending on user-generated online media - blogs, podcasts and RSS - did not begin until 2002, but this combined spending has grown to $20.4 million by the end or 2005, a 198.4% increase over the 2004 level. Spending on blog, podcast and RSS advertising is projected to climb another 144.9% in 2006 to $49.8 million.

Based on the April release of the RAB Radio Revenue Index of more than 150 markets, national radio revenue continued its healthy climb with a 4% increase for the month of February 2006 compared to the same month from a year ago. Local dollars continued to struggle, dropping 3% this February compared to last February.

According to Hitwise, the ESPN.com Men's Basketball site experienced an increase in market share of visits by 77 percent among all sites compared to 2005. The George Mason basketball team, though, was the big winner among viewers as the 11th-seeded team made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to Florida. The school's website saw an increase in market share of visits by 393 percent after they advanced to the Final Four, and the school's admissions site increased 151 percent the next day.

Telephia, a provider of performance measurement information to the mobile industry, reports that roughly three million wireless subscribers in the U.S. streamed TV or played video content on their mobile devices in Q4 2005. Younger mobile subscribers, age 18-24 have the highest penetration for mobile TV and video usage, securing a 3.3 percent rate, doubling since the beginning of 2005.

The twenty largest cable and DSL providers in the US, representing about 94% of the market, achieved record net high-speed Internet additions in 2005, according to a performance review by Leichtman Research Group. Net additions for the year totaled over 9.6 million subscribers - a total that exceeded the previous record set in 2004 by over 1 million subscribers.

The 2006 Market Pulse Survey, released by IBT Enterprises and MCA Works, reveals that when it comes to financial services the "human touch" still matters to a great number of consumers. Despite decades of predictions that technology-driven channels like ATMs and online banking would replace traditional banks, 50 percent prefer to bank face-to-face in a branch or drive through.

A survey, by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and Forrester Research, found that 78% of advertisers feel that traditional television advertising has become less effective in the past two years. The survey also found that marketers are exploring emerging technologies to help bolster their television advertising spend.