European Online Ad Spending

JUNE 12, 2007

Display ads are popular on the Continent.

Online advertising spending within the 13 countries of the IAB Europe network was Eur8.003 billion ($10.08 billion) in 2006, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Europe's "Pan-European Online Advertising Spend" study, analyzed by PricewaterhouseCoopers

The UK accounted for the largest share of European online ad spending, at 39% of the total. Germany accounted for 22%, France for 15% and the Netherlands for 7%.

Alain Heureux of IAB Europe said, "These figures demonstrate without any doubt the significance of the European online advertising industry."

Nearly a third of online advertising spend in 2006 was on all forms of display advertising, 45% on search advertising, 22% on classifieds and directories and 1.6% on e-mail marketing.

In 2007, eMarketer estimates advertisers will spend $7.5 billion to reach all Western Europeans, up 25% from $6.0 billion in 2006.

Online advertising in the UK will account for as much as 18% of all media spending this year, according to GroupM. It is also the most expensive country in the world for online advertisers. By 2010, eMarketer estimates advertisers will spend $217 per Internet user in the UK, compared with $136 per French user and only $10 per Italian Internet user.

The US audience is something of a bargain by comparison: Advertisers spent $86 per American user in 2006, and they are projected to spend $130 per user in 2010.