Brafton has reported that internet marketing spend needs to rise to keep up with consumers' time online, but an eMarketer report now reveals the gap between budgets and consumers' online media consumption. The research firm demonstrates that online spend doesn't match the amount of time consumers devote to the traditional and mobile web.
According to the report, U.S. adults spend more time with media on the internet and mobile devices than with content available via newspapers or magazines. Americans say the internet takes up more than one-quarter (25.2 percent) of daily media time, and mobile accounts for 8.1 percent.
Yet, the internet currently garners less than one-fifth of marketers' ad spend, representing just 18.7 percent of ad dollars. Magazines and newspapers (which represent just 4.9 percent and 3.3 percent of consumers' daily media time, respectively) account for more than one-quarter of ad budgets, at 27.1 percent total. Mobile platforms account for just 0.5 percent of ad spend.
Officials at the research firm believe these statistics should serve as a catalyst for marketers to invest more money into internet marketing – for the traditional and mobile web. “Those of us focused on the internet channel have complained for years that it hasn't been getting its fair share of media dollars based on time spent,” said eMarketer CEO Geoff Ramsey.
While some brands may be playing catch-up with traditional web marketing, businesses should also prepare to dive in to the rapidly rising mobile market. As Brafton has reported, the smartphone market is expected to grow 50 percent this year and content marketing efforts reach tablet users.
