• May 10, 2007

Advertisers are not using the Internet to their full advantage, according to "Interaction," a study of data from 28 countries released by GroupM, the WPP operation that manages Mediaedge:cia, Mindshare, MediaCom and MAXUS.

"Our advice is to panic a little," said Rob Norman, global CEO of the company's GroupM Interaction unit, noting that marketers need to consider the benefits as well as the costs of Internet advertising. "Online is already a mainstream component of consumer behavior and media consumption. The fundamental purpose of communication strategy remains unchanged, but marketing must urgently harness interactive media and the behaviors it induces."

The study says that every marketer worldwide can plot an Internet advertising course by utilizing the four "compass points" of reach, engagement, reputation and transaction.