Internet Advertising

Internet Advertising is the way of the future and it is very evident since many companies and businesses have their own web sites and advertisements are located all over the World Wide Web. The Internet or World Wide Web is quickly becoming the most effective way for a business to advertise their products or services to customers. Web sites such as search engines or small sites that sell advertisement space for sponsoring are profiting highly from the increase of advertising on the Internet. Also contributing to the profit of businesses is the fact that the number of people that have access to the internet is growing as well as internet services which will allow potential customers to view these advertisements. Internet advertising is rapidly growing and advertisements will become more apparent in our Internet usage.

When advertising on the Internet, it is both the businesses as well as sites like search engines that profit. In 1995 when the Internet was not as highly recognized as is today, advertising totaled US$312 million. It is estimated that in the year 2000, advertising spending will increase to $5 billion and this money will go to search engines or smaller web sites that are allowing companies and businesses space to advertise their product or service. Businesses will profit from the use of Internet advertising because it is much cheaper and is more effective when compared to standard advertising. Larger firms can also sponsor smaller web sites which may be trying to pay service charges for maintaining their site by allowing larger businesses to pay to advertise their product or service on the smaller firm s web site. Internet advertising is less expensive compared to direct advertising which creates more profit for advertisers and businesses.

When compared with advertising in magazines or on television, Internet advertising is far more beneficial and less expensive. Smaller businesses should take into consideration, the Internet advertising campaign because it is less expensive, more interactive, and easier to track and target than other advertising methods. Studies have also shown that awareness of participating brands increased 5%, on average. In addition, 49% of the study participants said they recalled seeing a tested advertising banner on a particular site. Current click-through rates average about 20% better than other direct-marketing methods (click-through: the action of following a hyper link within an advertisement). Another advantage of internet advertising over direct or local advertising is the fact that it is global and the advertiser is allowed to advertise to the whole world making the advertising more effective and beneficial. Banners advertising the business or its goods and services would be placed on a certain site and when an interested consumer clicks on the graphic, he/she is usually redirected to the businesses site according to the particular goods and services being offered. Internet advertising is also more interactive compared to magazine or television advertisements because the consumer can not request or look up more information in magazine advertisements or television commercials, and is usually not willing enough to call or mail companies or businesses for information. This aspect as well as the others mentioned makes Internet advertising much more interactive, beneficial, effective, less expensive and is highly recommended for smaller firms or venturesome entrepreneurs looking to enter new markets.

Presently, anyone with a computer, or who purchases a computer is offered a way to connect to the Internet. With many Internet Service Providers (ISP s) whose services differ, many people are getting connected to the Internet and exposing themselves to advertising on the WWW. Even the ISP s will provide their own software that also may contain advertisements. For example, America Online, the largest and most well known ISP has banners placed in certain areas of their software, tempting potential consumers. With the increase in technology, online shopping is becoming increasingly more popular and consumers are now capable of making secure transactions while on the Internet. Retailing businesses have come up with new ways and ideas to advertise their products without directing potential consumers to a business web site, which may be a hassle for some Internet users. Canadian Tire has recently released an E-Flyer which is basically a custom made e-mailed flyer containing prices, photos and descriptions for products in their chosen categories. In order to receive the flyer, consumers must register for the service at the Canadian Tire web site and choose the product categories that they are interested in purchasing. This service is provides the customer with an opportunity to tailor the information they get from Canadian Tire in a way that suits them. There are many Internet Providers and services provided by businesses, and users of the Internet are growing in size, as will the amounts of advertising.

As technology grows, the available ways of advertising are sure to expand and benefit both the consumer and advertiser. Internet advertising provides web sites like search engines high amounts of revenue, and consumers are constantly being bombarded with advertising which sometimes may annoy uninterested internet users who are just on the World Wide Web to gather information. Larger businesses are already looking for different methods of Internet advertising and with the growing popularity of the Internet it is sure to be acknowledged in the near future.