Report reveals further growth in internet marketing spending

Graeme Parton +

A report in Australia has revealed another significant rise in the amount being spent by businesses on online advertising.

The figures from IAB Australia’s Online Advertising Expenditure Report, which was put together by business network PricewaterhouseCoopers, showed that internet advertising spending reached $910.8m (£582.7m) in March alone.

The new data represents a 15% increase on the figures released at the same time last year, further emphasising the increasing importance brands are putting on their online presence – with many reaping significant rewards as a result.

While internet marketing isn’t exactly a new thing, it is certainly evolving quickly – particularly with the rise of smartphones and tablet computers. The report supports this by showing a growth of 182% in the use of advertising on handheld devices. This also puts focus on the need for simple, mobile-friendly content.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the figures also show that tablet-based marketing has overtaken smartphone use for the first time – something which will encourage many business owners and agencies to re-think their strategies accordingly.

IAB Australia’s director of research, Gai Le Roy, spoke about the developments, saying:

“The dual factors continued growth in consumer devices and expansion of creative opportunities for marketers has underpinned significant growth in both mobile and video advertising.”

He went on to explain that he expects the growth to continue over the next few years as businesses begin to focus on complete efficiency and effectiveness with their promotional efforts.

It is expected that the rise in mobile and tablet advertising will be assisted by the increasing speed at which the major manufacturers are upgrading and releasing new devices. Both Google and Apple are expected to unveil new versions of their flagship mobile devices before the end of 2013, while Samsung’s Galaxy S4 was released to tech fans last month.