Facebook has increased its lead in the US display ad market, accounting for 28% of impressions in 2011, according to new data. The findings, from comScore, indicate that Facebook had 21% of impressions - the number of times an ad is presented for viewing - in the previous year.
Yahoo remained No. 2, with 11 percent, the research firm found. Microsoft was third, accounting for 4.5 percent. Google was in fourth position at 3.6%.
The company’s more than 800 million members and its ability to target users have made Facebook more attractive to advertisers.
Display ads usually include photos, banners and videos -- rather than the text links typical of Internet-search ads.
Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, is aiming to file for an initial public offering as early as this week with a potential valuation of $75 billion to $100 billion, people familiar with the matter said last week.
The IPO would provide resources to help the company maintain its lead in social networking and display ads.
Source: www.comscore.com
