Online advertising is more narrowly targeted, rich media is growing and clickthrough rates remain steady, according to a study by DoubleClick Inc.
More than 74% of online advertisements incorporated some form of targeting criteria in the third quarter, the study showed, based on third-quarter 2002 data.
Keyword and key value are the most common type of targeting used with 82% of targeted ads. Some 12% targeted by geographic areas while 3% employed time of day.
Rich media usage has grown by 34% from the first quarter to the third quarter. Indeed, 25% of all ads served by DoubleClick in the third quarter were rich media.
Marketers find rich media has higher response rates and greater branding impact than static banners, the study found. Average clickthrough rates for rich media held at 2.7% in the third quarter as compared to 2.5% in the first quarter. Non-rich media clickthrough rates declined from 0.4% in the first quarter to 0.27% in the third quarter.
Standard online ad sizes have remained constant. The standard 468 x 60 pixel banner is the most popular, accounting for 50% of ads served. The next most popular size is the 120 x 600 pixel skyscraper, at 6.3% of ads. Skyscrapers account for 7% of total ad volume—a 67% increase from the first quarter.
The Ad Serving Trend Report is based on more than 144 billion ads from thousands of clients in the third quarter.
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