The latest report from comScore shows that online display ad impressions grew considerably in Q3 2010 over the same period last year, and marketers planning their display campaigns may want to get their ads on the social site Facebook.

The latest report from comScore shows that online display ad impressions grew considerably in Q3 2010 over the same period last year, and marketers planning their display campaigns may want to get their ads on the social site Facebook.

ComScore's Display Advertising Market report reveals that nearly 1.3 trillion display ads were delivered to U.S internet users last quarter. This demonstrates a 22 percent increase over Q3 2009.

The report also shows that Facebook delivers nearly one in four ad impressions. The social network represents 23.1 percent of the display ad market – an increase of 13.9 percentage points compared to last year. It accounted for more than 297 million ad impressions in Q3 2010.

The rise of Facebook as a display ad publisher may be partially responsible for improvements across the whole market. Jeff Hackett, comScore's senior vice president, says "the ability to buy specific audiences is enabling a greater number of display ads to be delivered on target," and that could be a leading growth driver. Marketers must consider where their ads could reach the most relevant audiences.

In addition to Facebook, marketers should consider getting display ads on Yahoo sites. By comScore's count, Yahoo is the second-leading online display ad publisher, delivering more than 140 million ads to consumers.

Still, Hackett says the strength of the market is not a product of traffic-gaining sites alone. It also stems from the fact that "display formats are improving at a rapid rate, and the quality of creative is getting better every day."

With this in mind, marketers might be interested in some "dapper" display formats available from Yahoo. Brafton recently reported that Yahoo acquired the display ad firm Dapper to create a format for advertisers that emphasizes content and improves targeting. 

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.