Brafton has reported that display ad impressions grew in 2010, and new display units – such as Yahoo's 'Dapper' ads and AOL's Project Devil displays – allow marketers to target audiences with relevant content. It seems internet marketing budgets are shifting accordingly toward display as we enter the new year.
A report from Kantar Media suggests that growth in the display ad market is outpacing gains in the overall ad market. Internet display advertising had the second-largest annual growth rate among all media. During the first nine months of 2010, it increased by 7.7 percent year-over-year.
Online display ads were second only to television, by Kantar's measure – and the internet may be encroaching on television's audience. As Brafton reported earlier this week, the internet is gaining ground on TV as America's preferred news source.
Marketers may consider investing in display ads in 2011 to remain competitive. AOL seems to expect brands to adopt display advertising this year; the Wall Street Journal reports that AOL CEO Tim Armstrong recently said he anticipates the company's display advertising will grow with the broader market in the second half of 2011.
