Search Advertising To Attract Over 50% Of Digital Ad Investment By 2016

Marketing magazine has revealed that by 2016, search advertising will attract more than 50% of total digital ad investments in the UK, including online and mobile, according to research company eMarketer.

At the same time, investments in display advertising, which will make up 25% of the country’s digital adspend this year, will display strong growth in the coming years thanks to a solid rise in video advertising.

The researcher forecasts that UK brands will spend almost £1 billion on mobile advertising this year as mobile search and display advertising are gaining in importance for marketers looking to comply with the needs of today’s multi-channel consumer. Mobile advertising is expected to exhibit a 90% surge in revenues, going up from £526 million recorded last year and capturing a 16.5% of digital ad investment.

Over the next four years, eMarketer predicts that mobile advertising will likely grow even further, reaching £1.6 billion next year and jumping to £2.3 billion before hitting £3.7 billion in 2017. The volume of investments in digital advertising is predicted to be £8 billion in 2017, with mobile accounting for 44.4% of the total.

In terms digital adspend per user, eMarketer expects the figure in the UK to be more than four times higher than the global average and to reach £127 this year. The amount is even more than the sum to be spent by advertisers in the US.

Adspend on all types of media will rise by 3.7% year-on-year to £14 billion in 2013, with digital getting the lion’s share of budgets, attracting £6.1 billion.