Online advertising

Online advertising, also known as online marketing, Internet advertising, digital advertising or web advertising, is a form of marketing and advertising that uses the Internet to promote products and services to audiences and platform users.[1] Online advertising includes email marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), social media marketing, many types of display advertising (including web banner advertising), and mobile advertising. Advertisements are increasingly being delivered via automated software systems operating across multiple websites, media services and platforms, known as programmatic advertising.[2]

Like other advertising media, online advertising frequently involves a publisher, who integrates advertisements into its online content, and an advertiser, who provides the advertisements to be displayed on the publisher's content. Other potential participants include advertising agencies that help generate and place the ad copy, an ad server which technologically delivers the ad and tracks statistics, and advertising affiliates who do independent promotional work for the advertiser.

In 2016, Internet advertising revenues in the United States surpassed those of cable television and broadcast television.[3]: 14  In 2017, Internet advertising revenues in the United States totaled $83.0 billion, a 14% increase over the $72.50 billion in revenues in 2016.[4] And research estimates for 2019's online advertising spend put it at $125.2 billion in the United States, some $54.8 billion higher than the spend on television ($70.4 billion).[5]

Many common online advertising practices are controversial and, as a result, have become increasingly subject to regulation. Many internet users also find online advertising disruptive[6] and have increasingly turned to ad blocking for a variety of reasons. Online ad revenues also may not adequately replace other publishers' revenue streams. Declining ad revenue has led some publishers to place their content behind paywalls.[7]

  1. ^ Alaimo, Cristina; Kallinikos, Jannis (2018). "Objects, Metrics and Practices: An Inquiry into the Programmatic Advertising Ecosystem". In Schultze, Ulrike; Aanestad, Margunn; Mähring, Magnus; Østerlund, Carsten; Riemer, Kai (eds.). Living with Monsters? Social Implications of Algorithmic Phenomena, Hybrid Agency, and the Performativity of Technology. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. Vol. 543. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 110–123. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04091-8_9. ISBN 978-3-030-04091-8. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "IAB internet advertising revenue report: 2016 full year results" (PDF). PricewaterhouseCoopers, Internet Advertising Bureau. April 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  4. ^ "US Ad Spending: eMarketer's Updated Estimates and Forecast for 2017 – eMarketer". www.emarketer.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  5. ^ PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020–2024". PwC. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Attitudes to Advertising – Digital News Report 2015". 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  7. ^ Gonzales, Niero (9 March 2013). "Half of Destructoid's readers block our ads. Now what?". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.