Revenue from online marketing hit a record $8 billion, rising nearly 37 percent in the first six months of the year, according to a study released Monday.
“The latest results reaffirm the Internet’s growing importance for marketers to integrate online advertising into their overall media plans,” said David Silverman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, which, along with the Interactive Advertising Bureau, commissioned the study.
Meanwhile, a group of media companies forecast that online advertising growth should rise even further.
The Online Publishers Association, which comprises CNET Networks Inc., iVillage, Reuters and Tribune Interactive, said it expects online advertising revenue to rise about 28 percent for the third quarter.
The OPA said its members are seeing strength in all advertising categories with no areas appearing to slow down.
For the second quarter, online advertising revenue totaled nearly $4.1 billion, a 36 percent increase over the same period in 2005, and up 5.5 percent over the first quarter of 2006.
Search-related advertising rose 40 percent in the first half of the year, while classified rose 20 percent, the study said.
