• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 10, 2003

Top Traditional Advertisers Use Non-Standard Ad Dimensions on the Internet

Charles Buchwalter, vice president of client analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings says "No longer dominated by the smaller dot-com companies, traditional business-model advertisers are staking their claim. This increased usage by the heavy hitters of advertising clearly signals their recognition of the validity of the Internet as an effective ad medium."

Nielsen//NetRatings reports that the top 100 traditional advertisers increased their share of online advertising and are leading the way for bolstering the online medium. The top traditional advertisers comprised more than 30 percent of the online advertising market by the end of 2002, as measured by ad impressions.

Traditional advertisers are also more apt to experiment with different ad formats, according to the study. In 2002, the top 100 traditional advertisers relied heavily on non-standard larger ad dimensions.

Additionally, advertising technologies such as flash and rich media have been garnering support over the last few years. Eleven percent of all impressions served by the top 100 traditional advertisers utilized Flash technology, with 82 of the top 100 traditional advertisers employing Flash technology in their campaigns. The "floating ad" format, Eyeblaster, was also popular amongst traditional advertisers. Forty advertisers used the technology in the fourth quarter of 2002.

"The adoption of rich media advertising provides advertisers the ability to transfer their television, print and radio campaigns to the desktop," continued Buchwalter.

Top Online Ad Formats* Used by Top 100 Traditional Advertisers (Q4, 2002)

Rank	Ad Format	Percent Share of Selected Advertisers' Impressions (%)	Number of Top 100 Advertisers
1	Full Banner	29%	92
2	Non-Standard (Large Size)	16%	80
3	Half Banner	10%	84
4	Rectangle	10%	68
5	Medium Rectangle	9%	79
6	Skyscraper	8%	87
7	Vertical Banner	4%	82
8	Wide Skyscraper	3%	73
9	Large Rectangle	3%	66
10	Vertical Rectangle	2%	58

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, Q4 2002
*Note: Excludes small ad formats such as Micro Bars and Buttons.

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