Internet advertising is a lopsided business.
Web sites spend little on advertising on the Internet, while flooding such traditional mass media as TV, newspapers and billboards. These figures make it clear that Web sites have spent much more on advertising themselves through traditional media in an attempt to gain publicity, visitors and venture capital than they have earned from their own advertising revenue. The number of Web sites that advertised in traditional media on the mainland exploded in 1999 from 33 at the beginning of the year to 154 in December, the report stated. If outdoor advertisements are taken into account, the rate of advertising will increase by some 30 percent. However, the top-10 brands typically make up more than 80 percent of the total for other types of advertisements.