Archive for April, 2007

2006 Canadian Online Advertising Tops $1 Billion

Monday, April 30th, 2007 :: Posted by Alexandre Brabant

Great news. I came across an article today from Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) that reports a total annual investment in Canadian Online Avdertising of more than $1 Billion. Here are some more:

TORONTO, April 30, 2007 – The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB) today announced that 2006 Canadian Online Advertising Revenues surged to an unprecedented $1.01 billion dollars for the year. The 2006 actuals represent a 26% increase over the $801 million originally estimated by the IAB for 2006; and an 80% increase over the 2005 actuals of $562 million.

Of the $1.01 billion, approximately $208 million or 21% of ad dollars were allocated to the French Canadian Online market, representing growth of 68% over the 2005 actuals of $124 million.

2006 Canadian Online Ad Revenue by Advertising Vehicle, was as follows:

  • Display advertising (including banner CPM and direct response advertising, plus contests, sponsorship and microsites) – 36%;
  • Search advertising – 35%;
  • Classifieds/Directories – 27%; and,
  • Email – 2%

In actual millions of dollars, 2006 vs. 2005 Canadian Online Ad Revenue by Advertising Vehicle, was as follows:

  2006 2005 Change
Display $364M $230M +58%
Search $353M $197M +79%
Classifieds $273M $124M +120%
Email $20M $11M +82%

2006 Canadian Online Ad Revenue by Advertiser Category was also tabulated, and was as follows:

  • Automotive – 16%;
  • Consumer Packaged Goods – 14%;
  • Entertainment (Music, Film, TV) – 9%;
  • Financial – 16%;
  • Leisure (Travel, Hotel, Hospitality) – 14%;
  • Retail – 16%; and,
  • Other – 15%

What accounts for the 80% jump in 2006 vs. 2005 revenue figures? IAB Canada and Ernst & Young LLP (who tabulated results from the double-blind survey), cite a number of critical factors leading to the increase, including:

  • Substantial Revenue Growth Across All Publishers:
    • Small and Medium publishers (who typically net between $500k to $5M/yr.) showed an average revenue growth of 85% vs. 2005;
    • Large publishers (who typically net between $5M to $30M/yr.) showed an average revenue growth of 155% vs. 2005; and,
    • Very Large publishers (who typically net between $30M to $100M/yr.) showed an average revenue growth of 62% vs. 2005.
  • Revenue Growth Within Online Ad Networks:
    • 2006 saw substantial growth in revenue for both US and Canadian networks selling “Canadian eyeballs” aggregated across U.S. and Canadian sites.
  • More Integration, New Advertisers, New Advertising Choices and New Ad Formats:
    • More integrated campaigns; more new, blue-chip advertisers entering the market for the first time; more advertising choices for Search; uptake of rich media; and, the addition of video pre-roll advertising to the selection of Online advertising tools, all helped drive the industry forward.

    “Add to all of this, results from the 7 CMOST (cross-media optimization) research studies that the IAB has undertaken over the past 4 years, plus the fact that in the past two years alone, over 1,000 senior-level advertiser, agency and publisher representatives have taken the IAB’s Intensive One-Day Course in Interactive Marketing and Online Advertising — and you get a sort of ‘perfect storm’ that was able to move the Canadian Online advertising dial forward to such an extent,” says Paula Gignac, President of IAB Canada.

    And there’s still more growth to come. IAB Canada’s projected total for 2007 Online advertising in Canada, is estimated to be $1.337 billion — a full 32% more than the 2006 actual of $1.01 billion. “It’s interesting,” says Gignac. “While it took us 13 years from when the first banner was served on the Internet, until now, to reach the billion dollar mark in Canada, it may only take us another two to three years to reach the second billion. Fascinating times indeed.”

    About the IAB Canada 2006-07 Canadian Internet Advertising Revenue Report

    The 2006 actual revenues and the 2007 estimated revenues were reached after a comprehensive survey of all major Online publishers in Canada. Revenue data was compiled and analyzed by Ernst & Young LLP.

    For more information about the IAB Canada 2006-07 Canadian Internet Advertising Revenue Report visit iabcanada.com.

  • SEMPO Canada Welcomes Another New Member – Darcy Foster

    Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 :: Posted by Alexandre Brabant

    SEMPO Canada Working Group is pleased to announce a new member on the team. Darcy Foster from VKI Studios based in Vancouver (BC) is joining the Canadian Search Marketing group of experts and we believe his extensive experience in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) along with his leadership skills will help us grow the Search Marketing industry in Canada. Here is some more info on Darcy as you may also find in the SEMPO Canada Founding Members.

    Darcy Foster is the president and co-founder of VKI Studios. Darcy Foster has over eight years of search marketing experience. He has successfully helped clients grow their online businesses from the early days of AltaVista through to present, where he currently oversees multiple teams responsible for organic SEO, paid search, usability and web analytics.

    SEMPO Canada at Search Engine Strategies (SES) NY – April 10-13, 2007

    Monday, April 9th, 2007 :: Posted by Alexandre Brabant

    If you are attending Search Engine Strategies New York this week, please make sure to stop by SEMPO’s booth #1516, which is located in America’s Hall I. Also, please note that some of our founding members Gord Hotchkiss and Ken Jurina will be present at SES NY and will most likely attend SEMPO meetings and events which are summarized below.

    Don’t forget – SEMPO members receive a 10% discount off the registration price for all SES events, compliments of IncisiveMedia. When you register use the priority code – 10SEMPO.

    Here are some other SEMPO events during SES NY you don’t want to miss:

    SEMPO Meeting:
    You are invited to attend our bi-annual General Meeting, which is a great opportunity to learn about SEMPO’s initiatives, the new SEMPO Institute, recent SEMPO research, and more.

    Who is invited? SEMPO members and non-members
    When: Tuesday, April 10 from 6 – 7 PM ET
    Where: Beekman Parlor/Sutton North

    Refreshments will be provided.

    SEMPO In-House SEM Networking Event:
    Are you an in-house marketing provider? If so, you are invited to attend SEMPO’s in-house search marketer gathering, hosted by SEMPO’s In-House Committee. If you’re in-house, this is YOUR event and shouldn’t be missed.

    This meeting will facilitate excellent networking and sharing of best practices from some of the industry’s leading in-house search marketers. The event is open to all in-house search marketers, not just SEMPO members.

    Who is invited? In-House marketers only – no vendors, please
    When: Wednesday, April 11th at 6:30 PM ET
    Where: Playwright Tavern (8th Avenue between 45th & 46th, 212-354-8404)

    The Playwright Tavern is a 10 minute walk from the Hilton (the SES event location) and a private room has been reserved for this meeting. For Google Map directions, click here. Please RSVP to rsvp@sempo.org if you plan to attend the meeting.

    About SES NY:
    During this event the industry converges for spirited discussion and high-level learning, and attendees leave with actionable battle plans to go forward with for their companies. SES Alumni can come prepared for new content and developments that they’ll need to stay on top of.

    Event Overview:

    * Organized by world-renowned search authority, Danny Sullivan
    * Keynote by Steve Berkowitz, Windows Live Chief, Microsoft
    * Delivers real-time actionable information you need to grow your business through search engine marketing
    * Teaches the ins-and-outs of search engine marketing from top search experts and the search engines themselves
    * Provides a unique setting to network with fellow marketers and search engine industry professionals, and discuss the trends in search engine marketing
    * Grants access to the world’s most comprehensive gathering of search engine marketing and optimization-related solutions providers, and potential partners and affiliates
    * Get the latest event information at the SES Event Blog

    What You Will Learn:

    * How search engines list web sites for free and through paid placements
    * How to get free “organic” traffic by building a site that pleases search engines and your visitors
    * How to efficiently purchase listings guaranteed to rank your company at the top of search engine results
    * How to calculate the ROI of your search marketing efforts by tracking your visitors from the time they hit your site until they buy-and get tips on improving conversion if they don’t
    * How to build links that generate traffic to your web site, and how to avoid the penalties of “spamming” the search engines
    * What’s coming next in the constantly evolving world of web search, and how you can profit from those changes.