Online advertising market doubles

Sometimes known as the ‘poor relative’ of the industry, online advertising has become the major surprise in the Romanian business environment. The market in 2004 will be almost double compared with 2003, with 100% growth expected for 2005, according to the biggest online advertising vendors in Romania. The market in 2003 amounted to about $1 million (800,000 euros), most of which was due to three companies (Boom, ARBOMedia and iMedia) which together account for over 95% of the market, a NetBridge survey shows. The market might reach $3 million in 2005, according to some analysts. Who is responsible for this spectacular market trend? The online advertising vendors say the essential contribution to this growth comes from the professional studies profiling the Romanian Internet surfer, which provide convincing data for any advertiser still reluctant to embrace the medium. This was one of the topics discussed by several online advertising market specialists during the Internetics Communication Festival in Bucharest last week. ZF