The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has just released their official numbers for the third quarter of 2015 regarding US internet advertising revenues. As expected, the numbers continue to be very strong. They reported a record $15 billion for the quarter, which is a 5% increase over the previous quarter and a very impressive 23% increase for ad revenue year over year.
Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics and Measurement at IAB said, “Brands and agencies are focusing ever more attention on interactive screens, following consumers as they flock to digital platforms to be entertained, engaged and informed.”
As more and more marketers are either expanding their digital marketing budgets or moving marketing budgets from other places into digital marketing these numbers are expected to continue to grow.
While this is certainly a good thing for the industry as a whole, it may begin to put additional pressure on marketers themselves. The more money being pumped into this industry the more the prices for these types of ads will likely go up. In recent years the prices have been able to stay fairly low because of the fact that so many major platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been adding additional ad formats and inventory. This served to keep the supply steady even as demand continued to grow.
At some point the supply will peak, or at least slow in growth, which will start pushing up the prices for most types of digital ads. For now, however, marketers can continue to enjoy the relatively inexpensive opportunities that can provide an exceptional return on investment.
