Social Media Encourages Internet Marketers to Plough Money into Online Advertising

The growing popularity of social media sites is causing a storm in the
internet advertising industry, with advertisers investing billions to target key audiences. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) report on advertising spend- there has been a 4.2 per cent increase in advertising expenditure between 2008 and 2009.

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter could be partly responsible as statistics show that 20 per cent of total time spent online is spent visiting Facebook. These sites are an advertiser’s dream, making online advertising more engaging and entertaining.

The report also showed that online advertising spend has grown by an incredible 2,200 per cent over the last decade which has been put down to an increase in advertiser confidence, faster broadband and more internet users.

Advertiser Confidence Sees Internet Marketing Sector Reach Spectacular Growth

More internet users, faster broadband, popularity of social media and advertiser confidence are all contributing factors to the fantastic growth seen in the internet marketing sector over the last few years.

According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) report on advertising spend- internet advertising expenditure has grown 2,200 per cent in the last decade and has increased by 4.2 per cent to £3.54 billion in 2009, from £3.35 billion in 2008.

One of the key areas of growth in 2009 was in paid search which grew by 9.5 per cent, representing 60.7 per cent of all online advertising spend in comparison with 59.3 per cent in 2008.

While there was a 4.4 per cent decline in online display advertising between 2008 and 2009, the market picked up in the second half of 2009 resulting in online display accounting for 20 per cent of total online advertising expenditure in comparison with 19 per cent in 2008.

Incredibly, online video advertising was a real favourite with online marketers, seeing total spend shoot up by 140 per cent with pre- and post-roll advertising generating £28.3 million.

Internet Advertising Spend Proves Digital Marketing Sector is in Great Shape

The Internet Advertising Bureau report on advertising spend has been published today detailing some promising figures for the internet marketing industry. In the last 10 years, the internet advertising medium has grown by 2,200 per cent with total internet advertising expenditure leaping from £153 million in 2000, to £3.54 billion in 2009.

To break it down even further, UK online advertising expenditure in 2009 was up by 4.2 per cent from 2008 when total expenditure was £3.35 billion. This is fantastic news for the internet advertising sector considering the desperate situation caused by the recession and the impact it had on the advertising industry. But despite a decline in overall UK advertising, the online advertising industry continued to grow.

The bi-annual report which has been carried out in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) also highlights that Retail and Consumer Goods sectors were the big spenders in online advertising. Interestingly, advertising spend also increased by £25.6 million in the second half of 2009 between July and December, sparking speculation that growth could well continue into 2010.

Search Engine is History in the Making

A search engine which collects historical data is being created to help researchers find useful sources. The Connected History Project will allow academics and members of the public to find resources in one place, since it will link up to currently separated databases of source materials.

The search engine will eventually index newspapers, maps, digitised books, manuscripts, genealogical records and images from 1500-1900. Professor Robert Shoemaker from the University of Sheffield, who is leading the project, hopes it will allow users to find electronic resources created separately by universities and commercial providers, all in one place.

Twelve institutions have so far signed up to contribute their materials to the collection and more are expected to follow suit. Completion for the project has been scheduled for March 2011.

Google to Stop Censoring Search Services in China

Google has decided to pull the plug on its China based search engine Google.cn due to censorship issues. Users will now be redirected to Google.com.hk which is delivered by servers in Hong Kong and offers ‘uncensored search in simplified Chinese’.

This move comes following the cyber attacks Google faced back in January which originated from China. Google found that the Gmail accounts of human rights activists connected with China were being accessed by third parties.

Because of these attacks and the Chinese government’s ban on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Docs and Blogger as a way of limiting free speech on the web in China, Google has decided to discontinue censoring results on Google.cn.

Google.com Test New-Look Search Page

Google are road-testing a revamped version of the Google.com search page by showing it to a randomly selected group of users. The new-look version features slight variations in design and appears more organised and fresh.

At present there is no complete roll-out date that has been announced by Google but Danny Sullivan, editor of the Search Engine Land blog believes that if testing goes well, Google may bring in the changes soon.

The new design has been created to give users a cleaner display but to also make the search options more prominent. Currently the search options can be easily overlooked but with the new changes in place, they would be displayed more obviously. Google have also added a ‘see all’ section suggesting related search queries and a ‘show search tools’ feature.

For those who haven’t seen the new search page yet, here’s a sneak preview;

Great Britain Gets Google- Putting Lancashire on the Google Street View Map

As of today, virtually every street in Great Britain is available to be seen on Google’s clever virtual viewing facility, Google Street View. The expansion of the facility now includes East Lancashire and apart from being able to see your own house and surroundings on the internet, it is also a very handy tool to have at your fingertips.

From viewing potential holiday destinations, hotels, landmarks and shopping facilities, to parking facilities and motor access information, Google Street View could effectively make life a lot easier. Google cars have been out over the past couple of years capturing the real life images for the facility.

Google Street View is available by clicking on the maps tab located at the top of the Google search page. Once Google Maps is open, you can enter your location in the search bar by country, city, town, village, street, or if you want to find a precise property, simply enter its postcode. Then drag the yellow Google figure over to the map and place him at your required location. You’ll then be shown a panoramic view of that precise location.

This handy facility could make finding your way around much easier and you can familiarise yourself with potential destinations before you visit them. Anyone objecting to their house, car or image being used by Google Street View can have their image removed within 48 hours.

ASA Set To Regulate Social Media Marketing

Social media sites have been the brunt of controversy lately with the tragic death of teenager Ashleigh Hall. Ashleigh was lured to her death by a sexual predator, posing as a 17 year old male on social networking site Facebook.

Not only are the authorities and parents calling for social networking sites to clamp down on security, but the Advertising Standards Agency are also clamping down on social media marketing and other digital activities.

As reported in the Guardian, tighter controls on how companies use social media marketing to promote products and services are set to be introduced, partly to protect children. Social media marketing will now be included under the ASA online marketing policies.

The Advertising Association which represents the UK advertising and media industry has agreed a set of proposals to be policed the ASA in line with those set for TV, press, poster and radio ads.

The policy will ensure that all online marketing is responsible, legal, honest and truthful, and is set to come into force in the third quarter of this year.