Survey of Online Media’s Major Players Shows Ad Network Use on the Rise

This week, online ad network and technology provider, Collective Media, released the findings of a survey designed ”to better understand the role and value of online advertising networks for both interactive agencies and advertisers.” 

The survey was conducted by independent marketing research firm, Sterling Research Group Inc., in February and March of this year, and received nearly 500 responses from major players in the online media industry. Overall, the findings of the survey showed promise for online ad networks despite the poor economy. Here are some specifics:

• 89% of the nearly 500 respondents intend to work with ad networks in 2009, a 5% increase from 2008
• Over 50% of respondents expect to spend up to 15% of their online budgets with ad networks, while 24% plan to spend up to 30% with ad networks
• Over 70% of respondents work with only one or two ad networks on any given project
• 71% of respondents feel that there are too many ad networks
• Efficiency is the reason 72% of respondents use ad networks, and 23% find inventory quality to be what differentiates ad networks from one another
• More than 50% of respondents work with ad networks for branding and direct marketing
• Respondents are most opposed to run online advertising on user-generated video, followed by blogs, and then the general category of ’social media’