• Brandweek, Thursday, February 8, 2007 11:15 AM

Marketers say that the most surprising media innovation in 2006 was the rush to advertise in the Second Life virtual community, with 77% of those polled by the American Advertising Federation admitting they didn't see that trend coming.

The second biggest surprise was the rise of YouTube. Third was the popularization of "mash-ups," or Web content that originated with more than one source.

Marketers now earmark on average 15% of their media budgets for nontraditional outlets, according to the survey of about 1,000 ad industry leaders. 73% of those responding said they now allocate up to 20% on emerging or innovative media.
A majority of those polled (80%) said that the pace of change in media in 2006 was faster than in the previous year. And almost 60% said they anticipate the pace of change to accelerate even more in 2007.

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