Strategy Analytics: Global Online Ad Market Rejuvenated

Google, Baidu and NHN Gain Market Share

BOSTON--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The global online advertising market expanded by 8.5% in the 4th quarter 2009, growing to $17.2 billion from $15.9 billion one year ago. Recent Strategy Analytics research, “Global Online Advertising Market Returns to Growth in Q4 09,” suggests that due to massive Q4 holiday season ad spend and an improving economy, 2009 annual revenue increased by 1.6% from 2008.

“Advertisers started to loosen their spending control valve on experimental ad formats in Q4, which led to the growth of new ad formats, such as online video ads, in this quarter.”

Initial numbers from the Strategy Analytics Digital Media Strategies (DMS) Service Online Advertising Index (OAI), which tracks quarterly performance of major global online advertising companies, recognizes that among the top five online advertising companies in the world, only Google managed to gain market share in 2009, whereas major competitors, like Yahoo! and Microsoft, saw their revenue shares fall.

“Although the search advertising market continues to grow, most of the growth goes to Google and other local search leaders, such as Baidu and NHN,” remarked Martin Olausson, Director, Strategy Analytics Digital Media. “Advertisers started to loosen their spending control valve on experimental ad formats in Q4, which led to the growth of new ad formats, such as online video ads, in this quarter.”

Jia Wu, Analyst in the Strategy Analytics Digital Media Strategies (DMS) service, added, “The online advertising market has suffered badly in the past year but the worst has passed. We have a positive outlook for the coming years.”

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