Overall industry status. Although the market is still shaking out, it appears to be stabilizing, and ad pricing is becoming more controlled. However, all the negative press has hindered online ad spending, and many key advertisers are still shying away from the Web. Ironically, the Web as a medium has become more and more cost-effective as the industry declines. Audiences are growing, and the cost to reach them is declining.
Studies continue to be published supporting the cost-effectiveness of online ads.
Part of an industry's growth and maturity involves sustaining new business models and comparing the habits of successful and unsuccessful competing companies, especially when exposed to different market conditions. It is hard to ignore a lot of the failures we've seen, but the industry is in a strong position to move forward and is showing healthy signs overall. Although the intense industry highs are gone, in many ways the online ad industry is in a healthier, more sustainable position than ever before and will continue to play a greater role in the overall advertising industry. Adam Posman is a Media Planner with BAM Solutions , a leading interactive advertising agency with offices in Montreal and Toronto. Voice your opinion.