Equity Research
 View our complete news listing.


William Blair & Company and CIMA Release Second Installment of Semiannual Interactive Marketing Survey

View interactive marketing surveyAugust 16, 2006 - William Blair & Company, in collaboration with the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association (CIMA), today published the second edition of a semiannual interactive marketing survey that the partnership uses to take the pulse of the industry and relay its practitioners’ expectations for future performance and trends.

The survey targets the more than 400 members of CIMA, which was founded in 1997 and emphasizes cross-media outreach through an extensive itinerary of forums, panels, and seminars with industry experts, in addition to networking events. The second survey includes responses from about 120 members.

The inaugural survey included 16 multiple-choice and 3 open-ended questions, and the second survey was expanded to 25 and 5, respectively, with 13 questions remaining constant. All responses are anonymous.

William Blair equity research analyst Troy Mastin, who provides coverage on 20 marketing, advertising, and media companies, wrote in the survey, “All respondents indicated that they expect online marketing budgets to increase in 2006, with average expected growth of close to 20% (up from 19%). On average, responses indicated that prices increased by about 8.4% (up from 7.3%) during the first half of 2006.”

Mastin also noted that click fraud remains a concern but appears stable. A majority of respondents (64%) did not identify click fraud as a big threat to the long-term viability of search engine marketing, while 36% see it as a threat.

He also noted that consistent with last survey, brand advertising spending appears to be shifting out of traditional media and onto the Internet. Rich media and “other” forms of online advertising were selected by 45% of respondents as the fastest growing, up from 43% last survey, while search declined from 38% to 34%. Also, 51% of respondents indicated that traditional advertisers would be most responsible for growth, well ahead of the second choice of emerging advertisers at 24%.

The survey also showed a mixed outlook for Yahoo, Google’s continued dominance, and MSN slipping. “Despite aggressive investment by competition, Google continues to gain market and mind share, as 69% of respondents (up from 53%) characterized Google as the best-positioned major player,” Mastin added. “While our open-ended questions revealed optimism regarding Yahoo’s search platform enhancement initiative (Project Panama) and a community that seems to be rooting for the company, only 22% characterized Yahoo as best positioned, down from 30% last survey. The overwhelming view of MSN was either negative or that of indifference, which is surprising given the recent launch of adCenter.”

View Full Survey (PDF)

About CIMA: The Chicago Interactive Marketing Association’s mission is to provide a forum for all professionals involved in interactive marketing to share ideas, continue their professional development, identify best practices, meet and stay connected to industry colleagues, and promote the value and successes of interactive marketing. You can learn more about CIMA at www.ChicagoIMA.org.

William Blair & Company, L.L.C. is a Chicago-based investment firm offering investment banking, asset management, equity research, institutional and private brokerage, and private capital to individual, institutional, and issuing clients. Since 1935, we have been committed to helping clients achieve their financial objectives. As an independent, employee-owned firm, our philosophy is to serve our clients' interests first and foremost. We place a high value on the enduring nature of our client relationships, the quality of our products and services, and the continuity and integrity of our people. William Blair & Company has offices in Chicago, Hartford, London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Vaduz, and Zurich. For more information, please visit www.williamblair.com

Additional information is available upon request.


THIS IS NOT IN ANY SENSE A SOLICITATION OR OFFER OF THE PURCHASE OR SALE OF SECURITIES. THE FACTUAL STATEMENTS HEREIN HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM SOURCES WE BELIEVE TO BE RELIABLE, BUT SUCH STATEMENTS ARE MADE WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATION AS TO ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OR OTHERWISE. OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE OUR OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. FROM TIME TO TIME, WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY, L.L.C. OR ITS AFFILIATES MAY BUY AND SELL THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN, MAY MAKE A MARKET THEREIN AND MAY HAVE A LONG OR SHORT POSITION THEREIN. PRICES SHOWN ARE APPROXIMATE. THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM BY WILLIAM BLAIR INTERNATIONAL, LIMITED, REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY (FSA), AND IS DIRECTED AT, AND IS ONLY MADE AVAILABLE TO, AUTHORIZED PERSONS AND OTHER PERSONS FALLING WITHIN COB 3.2.5(1)(b) OF THE FSA HANDBOOK, AND MAY NOT BE PASSED ON TO PRIVATE CUSTOMERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. ANY UNAUTHORIZED USE IS PROHIBITED. “WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY” AND “WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY (SCRIPT)” ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY, L.L.C. Copyright 2006, William Blair & Company, L.L.C.

Back to top

Media Relations Contact:
Tony Zimmer, 312-364-8611

Subscribe to News Alerts
Statement of Financial Condition | NMS Rule 605 and Rule 606 Information | Site Map | Privacy and Security
Copyright © 2010 William Blair & Company, L.L.C.
"William Blair & Company", "William Blair & Company (script)", "R*Docs", and "A Tradition of Growth" are registered trademarks of William Blair & Company, L.L.C.
This site and the content accessible herein are subject to certain disclaimers.