• by January 2, 2001

As we slowly get back into the swing of things now that the holiday season is officially over, here's one last prediction -- Just wait. This year will be better.

For the online ad industry, few would argue that 2001 is starting off on a sour note, but as Chris Hansen, an ad industry analyst with Banc of America Securities in San Francisco said, "Things should pick back up in the second and third quarter."

That's largely because online ad budgets do continue to grow year after year even in the face of total advertising and marketing budget cutbacks.

Ginny von Berkum, general manager of Tribal DDB in Chicago, recently told CBS MarketWatch that she definitely sees an "uptick in client budgets" next year, adding that "the vast majority of clients looking to accelerate" their online spending next year.

Will it be a difficult year for the industry? Certainly. Some predict that three out of four Internet marketing companies will either consolidate or go out of business in the next nine to 12 months.

Just remember that dot-com gloom does not equal predictions about online advertising. There are plenty of established, powerful marketers out there who are not questioning their dedication to online media.

As long as there are online audiences, there will be online advertisers.

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