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If the economy is in freefall, someone forgot to tell online advertisers.
Spending on online adverts is booming in Europe:
- - even as advert spending in traditional media has slowed, European online advertising grew 40 percent in 2007, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe.
- - an average of €133 ($207, £106) was spent on advertising for each web user in Norway, the highest in Europe, followed by €121 in the UK and €110 in Denmark.
- - the European average was €81 per person online, compared to a United States average of €92. Europe is quickly closing on the United States in this category.
Online advertising makes up more than 10 percent of marketing spend in the United Kingdom, according to The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s last Marketing Trends Survey. In Marketing Week, Andrew Harrison explores his top 6 theories. A combination of factors make the United Kingdom an attractive market for online adverts, including the prevalence of digital technologies, a small geographic size, and a vibrant creative centre for advertising and media.
As online advertising grows even more dominant, companies must take care to get the most out of their spending. Traditional marketing strategies still apply, from heavily vetted e-mail databases to carefully crafted messaging. Timing and follow-up, whether by e-mail or phone, are key.
Another strategy, international search engine optimisation (SEO) is emerging from its infancy. Many large companies are just now embracing traditional, in-country SEO to improve their online visibility. Now, sites catering to an international audience must be optimised, including:
- - technology – the coding language and architecture of the site
- - domains and sub-domains – e.g., using local domains like .com, .co.uk, .de, .fr, etc.
- - language – multiple languages mean multiple pages or sub-domains
- - geographies – search engines give regionally biased results and, in some cases, one search engine dominates, but does not operate in other regions
At this point, the very scarcity of true international optimisation means that there is probably a prize for those who get there first. There will be more on this key issue in future editions.
Read more:
European online advertising spend tops 11.2 billion Euros , Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe/PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2 June 2008
© IAB Europe/PwC
Why does the UK dominate internet ad spend? , Marketing Week, 11 June 2008
© Marketing Week
UK, Norway top for web adverts, Financial Times, 2 June 2008
© The Financial Times
Getting in line on-line, International Trade, June 2008
© www.internationaltrade.co.uk
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