Pepsi ditched the Superbowl, The Guardian newspaper ditched its regionals, TV adspend took another nail in the coffin, and UK politicians decided to make 100meg broadband an election issue. Brands, media and policy makers: channel switches are everywhere.

The mobile channels will dominate this year's switch the way social media did last year. Mobile wars are intensifying with Nokia's Ovi Maps set to decimate TomTom, Blackberry getting Kindle, and Google refocusing on the small screen ahead of a fusion with social media. But mobile isn't just for global giants - every brand needs a mobile digital strategy to reach customers in the right places through the routes they want. Building the technology and platforms is the easy bit; translating customer needs into the right services is way tougher.

Read February 2010

Recent editions of Digital Intelligence | Apply for a guest account for Digital Intelligence

It's 'make or break' time for digital marketing. The stories we've tracked as the year kicks off show the focus switching to ROI and getting digital marketing to drive real business results. Out goes 'reach', in comes 'engagement'; out goes 'buzz' and back comes 'conversion'; out goes 'last-click' thinking and in its place is 'lifetime value'. The recession has clearly forced through smarter thinking.

This should come as a great relief, because it wipes away the 'shiny object' obsession over the latest social media or iPhone app, and replaces it with a dose of sound business logic. Behind the scenes we're finding this in the digital marketing effectiveness audits we run for large brands. Often only small changes in process are needed to unlock much bigger shifts in results.

The Digital Training Academy team are seeing the same trends, but also removing ROI risks by getting the right capability in place. Their focus is giving teams the edge with competitive training that targets weakness in a rival's strategy.

And in terms of channels, mobile marketing and engagement is finally everywhere; it will dominate our digests this year.

Read January 2010

Recent editions of Digital Intelligence | Apply for a guest account for Digital Intelligence

Our final news round-up of the year saw more 2010 trends take centre-stage. Google's search getting more mobile and personal (long awaited, and sure to shift the market), and the paid for consumer content movement continued to push forwards (sure to trundle forwards, though with far less likelihood of success).

Government policy made headlines with a storm around the Digital Economy Bill and the 50p broadband tax that got the green light in the UK's pre-budget report. Linked to this is the way regulators will play a much bigger role in 2010 - the first spotlight will be on the MS/Yahoo tie-up and the second on privacy. Facebook's lead on safety (giving kids a special "panic" button) is a shrewd move in delivering what's needed, and here in the UK we've been helping the Information Commissioner's Office develop the thinking around what's needed for the hundreds of thousands of small firms now routinely using personal data.

You'll find lots more ideas to fuel your strategy in the news, research and data we've written up below. Click on the links for 50 full stories, forward around to colleagues, and let me know if you need more of the background as you develop your own 2010 digital strategy.

Read December 2009

Recent editions of Digital Intelligence | Apply for a guest account for Digital Intelligence

Behind the scenes every firm's gearing up its 2010 digital strategy, and retailers are looking forward to that sudden seasonal uplift in online sales. Many are running our digital marketing audits to look for areas where they can boost effectiveness without increasing budgets, as ROI looks set to be the key theme for 2010.

This month's news was dominated by the changing relationships between publishers and search engines and that's another theme we're expecting will characterise next year. A related issue is the Murdoch-led quest to charge for online content, and wider concerns about the business models for web media. There's also a sea change to the mobile web from a fixed web, and in Western Europe, the US and many parts of Asia, mobile should be a core element in the 2010 plan.

This month's country focus is Italy, and for all the headlines there are full details on click through.

Read November 2009

Recent editions of Digital Intelligence | Apply for a guest account for Digital Intelligence

As brands and retailers gear up for Christmas, this month we've tracked a steep rise in website development, relationship marketing, campaign planning and mobile marketing. The 2010 digital strategy starts now because customers acquired before Christmas will stick with retailers into the January sales and far beyond.

To help brands and their agencies get more from their budgets, The Digital Training Academy has opened up a couple of its online classrooms for the first time. As a client or partner, you can now access additional resources in Social Media, Mobile and Relationship Marketing.

Marketing spend on the high street might be flat, but the switch to the web is clear - and it's also coming with the call for tighter ROI and strong analytics. P&G are among many brands pushing for greater accountability in web advertising, and the growth of online behavioural advertising seems unstoppable. In this month's interview the mastermind marketing Microsoft's Bing search tool takes us behind the scenes on a new way to search and the country focus is on Spain.

If you're a client of the Digital Strategy group and your colleagues would like our research, simply forward this link and we'll do the rest: http://www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com/digitalbriefings.

Read October 2009

Recent editions of Digital Intelligence | Apply for a guest account for Digital Intelligence

Size isn't everything. That's the conclusion of the largest study of web ad effectiveness so far. Bigger may be better in general, but location on the page has a strong impact. Ad units embedded inside the editorial have a stronger impact on readers which means web marketers need to pay more attention to their media planning and placement on the page.

Yet again, having the right digital strategy means more than simply being online. For over 5 years our Digital Media Planning Academy has coached planners why "right consumer, right environment, right time and right mindset" are all key for getting the best value from a media buy, and this research of 3.9m people confirms why the attention to detail is key.

Here in the UK, online ad spend overtook TV advertising exactly to the month we'd predicted a few years back. At 23.5% of all UK adspend it's risen about 5% year on year, but is rising about 20% vs the UK advertising industry average (which suffered a massive fall of over 15% in the same period).

This month our national focus turns on China, where Baidu continues to top the charts - but with figures a big leap up from when we were last in Shanghai. As the centre of the web economy continues shifting east, look out for Chinese tech start-ups heading into Europe and a shift in web development with China taking over from India as the coding engine room for many agencies.

If you're a client of Digital and your colleagues would like our research, simply forward this link: http://www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com/digitalbriefings.

Read September 2009

What a month? General Motors starts selling cars through eBay, Murdoch's impatience boiled over into a unilateral call to charge for content, public defence of the UK's health service proved enough to crash Twitter, and major social media platforms were brought down by cyber-terrorist 'denial-of-service' attacks.

Who says August is the quiet month off in the media industry?!

What's clear throughout this month's news and research is that behind the scenes retailers are rebuilding their strategies for boosting web sales and their agencies are rebuilding the marketing mix to support this. Social media is proving its worth and strong digital strategies - not wishful thinking - will be the key to trading through the recession.

Here at Digital, many readers asked for more stories and more depth in Digital Intelligence - so that's what we've tested this month. With over double the stories, with full articles on click through to the Intelligence news pages and more graphs and data. It's a test, so mail me back if you'd like it to continue, or if you'd like a colleague to receive it.
Read August 2009

Since 2000 I've been tracking the growth of digital advertising in the US, and this edition of Digital Intelligence how the world's largest online ad market is changing, traces recent trends, forecasts and key issues in the world's largest online ad market.

Want more niche briefings?
This Special Report includes over 100 stories, graphs and links, and if you'd like to receive other specialist briefings on topics from social media to Twitter, ecommerce to mobile marketing then simply tell me what you'd like: http://www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com/updatemydetails.

Takeout
The US market is the largest in online advertising by a long way, yet the role of traditional media in the mix hasn't yet been affected to the same scale as in the UK and parts of Scandinavia. It's been fascinating to collate the research because it underscores that whether the advertising climate is strong or in recession, migration to the web is unstoppable. Remember: we're only part of the way to a new balance of marketing, with no slowdown in the pace of change.

Read Digital Intelligence online advertising US and worldwide special report

From tiny micro-businesses to the world's largest brands, budget pressures are forcing marketers to find smarter ways to reach customers. No surprise they're finding them online, but the scale and speed of change is surprising. This month we've collected the evidence that the speed of change is increasing. For print publishers and traditional broadcasters it's depressing reading because their survival hinges on new digital strategies; for brands and services, the right strategy can mean twice the value from the same marketing budget; for agencies it means more transparency in the value they add.

Worldwide ad spend is down a massive 12%, but in most countries online ads are still the rising stars. Within most firms the use of online marketing tools are far broader than simple ads, and it's growing even faster. At the heart of that growth remains search engine marketing, where accountability proves seductive for marketers needing a direct response (as well as finance directors needing clear ROI). Google's latest profits are part of that story, testifying the prize for media owners who get it right - and that's the key reason Yahoo and Microsoft finally managed to put differences aside and form their 10 year deal.

At Digital Strategy we've seen this scale of change from inside the doors of many new firms - some now switching over 75% of their budgets onto the web. From global brands to young start-ups, getting the strategy formula right has become the only agenda item.

Email me back if you'd like more on any of the trends we're tracking, or to share comments for publication and links about these trends or what you've seen in the market.
Read July 2009

Since 2000 I've been tracking the growth of digital advertising, and this edition of Digital Intelligence focuses on markets across Europe, tracing recent trends, forecasts and key issues. It's the pilot of a new service several people asked me for, so let me know if it's useful.

Want more niche briefings?
This Special Report from Digital Intelligence contains just under 100 stories, graphs and links, and if you'd like to receive other specialist briefings on topics from social media to Twitter, ecommerce to mobile marketing then simply tell me what you'd like: http://www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com/updatemydetails.

Takeout
It's been fascinating to collate because it shows that whether the advertising climate is strong or in recession, migration to the web is unstoppable. It also shows that in the UK and across the rest of Europe we're only part of the way to a new balance of marketing, with no slowdown in the pace of change.

Read Digital Intelligence online advertising special report

Michael Jackson's death triggered surges to the web that slowed Google, crashed Twitter and saw millions of tracks downloaded in days. The horrors in Iran drove people online both inside and outside the country, and the single actions of Iranians with cameras and web connections revealed the truth to the world.

The web has given everyone a voice and it's at times like these the scale of change is clearest. We've been tracking the rise of social media for five years and there are more examples here: www.DigitalTrainingAcademy.com/socialmedia.

Meanwhile in the advertising industry the switch to the web remains unfaltering - even though growth appears to be stalling in the US, brands in every country continue switching budgets online because pressured marketers are looking for accountability. This is something we've seen first hand in auditing the effectiveness of brands' marketing spends.

This month we've also included links and comment about the UK's 'Digital Britain' report and the framework for developing our own digital economy.
Read June 2009

Whatever market your business is working in, understanding your customers is key. It's about getting the right message to them at the right time and the right way.

The growth of internet use in India is attracting the focus of global brands, as well as national firms looking for more effective ways to reach upmarket and professional audiences. As online commerce and internet audiences accelerate, the web is moving to the centre of the retail and information culture in key demographic groups.

To support our clients and partners we've collated together research that provides a snapshot of the online economy in India today, and there is a supporting online resources page.

Developing digital strategies for content, commerce and communications in India demands a strong understanding of the role the web, email and social media play in people's changing media mix. If you find the notes useful then add your comments in the supporting pages.
Read Digital intelligence India

Are marketers putting their budgets in the right place? That's the question we're asking after collating May's research tracking the growth in web audiences. The average Brit spends over 22 hrs online each month, and many social groups spend much more.

45% of this time is taken by top 10 sites in the UK, leaving the next 7,600 sites collectively fighting for the remaining audience minutes (excluding the myriad tiny sites deep in the long tail).

The implication? There are massive opportunities for smarter media planning but marketers are easily out of touch with their customers. Look at where a firm's marketing energy is focussed, and there's often disproportionate time and money in classic media, direct mail and below-the-line activity. Our tip: audit the cost-per-customer for each impact in each channel. Not only could you be in for a real surprise, but when marketing budgets are tight that can be your roadmap for where to make the cuts.

For more about auditing the effectiveness of your marketing, email me back, and in the meantime let me know if you'd like any more on this month's research.
Read May 2009

There's a polarizing effect in the digital media and marketing sectors: firms with good business models, strong products and great people are weathering the storm, but those without are seeing sustained revenue falls as customers shift.

Recession is accelerating structural change, forcing brands to find new ways to connect with customers and improve their supply chains and value chains. This is across retail, media and marketing services and is unlocking new disruptive business models. What emerges after the storm has passed will be an advertising and media industry with a fundamentally different structure.

Our review of the last month's research and company announcements confirms this. The vast majority of advertisers are boosting their online spend, while heavily cutting classic media. Social networks continue to leap forward - with Facebook putting on 50m new customers since January to cross the 200m mark - and the race to own the mobile space has never been faster.

Smart digital strategies will be the deciding factor for many, so enjoy this month's research digest and let us know if you need more on any of the trends.
Read April 2009

The switch to online is accelerating as the tough economy forces brands to rethink their marketing. Smart digital strategies are as much about cutting costs and boosting efficiency, as about increasing sales.

In our monthly digest of research and news, we track how Twitter put micro-blogging into the mainstream, and will now monetise all those conversations. Our predictions on the timing of online video going mainstream came true, with 30m Brits now watching video on the web. Social networking and video emerge as the key drivers in boosting the time people spend online - now predicted to average 7 years per person. Our country focus this month is on Germany, Europe's second largest internet commercial market to profile the market.

Firms applying these trends to their digital strategy are navigating the recession. So if your team could benefit from our strategy health checks then email me back. Meanwhile, enjoy the research and if you'd like deeper research in other areas of digital media and marketing then mail us for the details.
Read March 2009

Social media changed the nature of marketing. Facebook, MySpace and YouTube went from tiny start-ups to form a new centre of gravity in people's web experience. Now social media is on every marketer's agenda it's critical to get it right.

That's why readers asked us to collate the most interesting research from the last year or so into one special edition of Digital Intelligence.

We've added in a couple of the case studies we use when we coach teams on digital strategies for getting social media right.

• Social media forum for comments and questions
• Social media case studies

Our conclusion? This is still only the starting point: the role of social media and online social networks will reshape communication. Think Google c1999 and you're on the right track.

Enjoy the research, follow the links, share your views and mail me back if there are topics you'd like us to research for next month's edition.
Read Digital Intelligence social media special report

It's social media addiction across Europe. Three quarters of European internet users are now on social media sites and the growth is unstoppable. People are spending increasing amounts of time on them the role of social media and online social networks keeps growing. Facebook is only 5 years old and our take is that this is still the start of the trend: think Google c1999.

We saw it first hand last week when almost 2000 marketers turned up for one of our Digital Training Academy social media events in London - so to help marketers learn more about using social media we've set up some extra coaching sessions in mid-March. We've also updated our 10 Golden Rules for social media marketing.

Enjoy the research, follow the links and mail me back if there are topics you'd like us to research for next month's edition.
Read February 2009

Tough markets demand new strategies. Researching our first monthly review of 2009 confirmed that while internet use continues growing, the advertising and media sectors (in almost every market) are under exceptional pressures. Hardly news, but the patterns emerging are more complex than simply contracting markets: budgets are on the move, and most firms are unprepared.

Broadcasters and print publishers are the worst hit, but all web media groups need to focus on strategies that create the right environment for their advertisers rather than simply doing what they did last year. The latest IPA Bellwether report forecasts the lowest ad revenues in TV and print for years and without the right web products, the online editions of traditional media won't make up any of that shortfall.

Advertisers are cutting spend like never before. Some simply cut all marketing budgets evenly; but smart brands are completely changing their media mix: cutting the fat and finding new strategies that use email and websites at just the right points to build brand and sales. Many digital marketers we've been working with report cuts of 45-65% in their ad budget, but have found ways of losing only 15% of the overall impact. Economic pressures are triggering incredible innovation.

Although consumer spending has contracted, Christmas still saw increasing numbers of shoppers head online in most markets, looking to find the best price. It's all about price in 2009, so firms without strong search and price comparison strategies lost out. Here in the UK, a massive 3.8m of us were googling away on Christmas Day itself, hunting the best deal.

As strategists and trainers we're seeing a fundamental shift in behaviour and corporate strategy on the same scale as we tracked in 2001. The digital retail, media and marketing industry emerging in 2010 will look very different from that of the mid 2000s.

I hope you find the insights and links here useful. And remember that the team here help firms on projects large and small to change their content, commerce and communications strategies.
Read January 2009

We hope you have enjoyed this year's editions of Digital Intelligence and in this final monthly review we show you how despite tough times on the high street online retail continues to break new records. In China online adspend continues to show extremely strong growth - no real surprise considering the majority of under-25s now spend half their time online. Further news from the broadcasting sector also continues to emphasise how the worlds of television, radio and online continue to converge and blur.

Best wishes for the holiday season from all of us here at Digital.
Read December 2008

Tough times trigger changes in strategy. As growth in the US online ad sector slows to just 11%, Google and MySpace unveil new models for monetising their social media content. In the run up to Christmas retail sales forecasts make depressing reading for high street shops, but online stores confidently plan to poach their consumers - accelerating the restructure in retailing. And as the UK's flagship BBC channels launch online simulcasts, mobile internet use rises steeply; more channel shift is to come.

Follow the links to find out more in this month's round-up, and if you're working on strategy reviews for 2009 then let us know if our specialists can support.
Read November 2008

Tough markets trigger creative thinking, which means a wave of rebuilds on the way for failing brand sites, weak online media and under performing e-retailers. Collating this month's stories for Digital Intelligence, we're seeing the innovation start. For those getting it right, the prizes are rich: here in the UK, the switch to online shopping continues with the latest research showing that over 11m Brits are shopping on the web at least twice a week.

For many firms it also means a leap into long delayed training of their teams to find smarter uses of precious marketing budgets; getting more value from agencies and online media. The web will prove the deciding factor for many consumer brands and B2B services.

We're wishing our friends and partners a big slice of digital cake in the run up to the biggest e-commerce Christmas so far.
Read October 2008

With financial markets in turmoil and marketing budgets tightening we're going against the trend by forecasting relatively strong times for online marketing. When marketing budgets need proof, marketers will stick with the internet. Partly it's the accountability of knowing you only pay for banners that get downloaded or search listings that get clicked, partly it's the way that sites fuel the sales teams of most firms, and how even in FMCG their web presence is the gateway to relationship marketing programmes.

We also cover the latest announcements from Amazon and the BBC, as well as research from ComScore which confirms that here in the UK, video on the web has certainly crossed its tipping point: watch next year as video advertising follows.
Read September 2008

In this summer's edition we track why rain on the high street accelerated the growth of online retail, how China emerged as the country with the largest internet population, Russia as Europe's fastest growing digital nation, and the BBC iPlayer continued to enjoy success as it crosses tipping points in new markets with new features.

The team here at Digital for years have said 2009 would be the year mobile advertising really takes off, and several new forecasts are aligning with us: we're expecting to see big rises from the acceleration now underway. And if you ever thought you were spending too much time online, then spare a thought for "extreme gamers" who according to new research are clocking up more than 45 hours on the web every week.
Read August 2008

While marketing budgets across the board are feeling the pinch the IPA's latest data shows that online remains the only sector experiencing positive growth. In addition, revised forecasts from ZenithOptimedia now expect online to take 10% of this year's global advertising spend.

This month has also seen further evolutions in digital convergence - a trend we have been tracking in Digital Intelligence from the very beginning. Soon both Sony and Microsoft will have video-on-demand services for their various multi-function gaming devices, and both firms are now bringing in content partners to widen their offerings.

As consumers we're now used to the idea of things being connected and able to fulfil many roles - so it was no surprise this month to see that Facebook now takes over 45% of the UK's social networking traffic. Perfect timing then for us to tell you about a little Facebook app we've built to send you our latest news and headlines.

The figures are in for 2007, showing that online passed the £3bn threshold last year and now makes up 16% of the UK's ad market. In Europe online adspend grew 40% during the year and is on course to overtake the US by 2010. These trends are only set to continue with some analysts now predicting that online budgets in the UK could overtake TV this year.

The long-running Microsoft-Yahoo! saga has also come to a close with the clearest winner seeming to be... Google. Yahoo's determination to avoid being acquired has strengthened the search giant's position even further. It remains to be seen if and when their new ad deal will be rolled out worldwide.

This month also saw Facebook overtake MySpace with astonishing annual growth of 162%. Facebook is clearly no longer the underdog rebel upstart though at present its users seem to be staying loyal.

The latest US online adspend data shows continued strong growth as brands continue to move budgets online. New research is also continuing to identify online's specific strengths and role in cross-media campaigns.

Days away from the launch of Apple's new model iPhone it's no coincidence that this month we have focussed on developments taking place in the mobile phone sector. Recent trends and developments suggest the mobile web is clearly on course to reach its tipping point - mobile-based IM and social networking are set to make us more connected than ever before. No surprise then that key players including Microsoft and Vodafone are jockeying for position to give consumers and advertisers the tools they didn't even know they needed a year ago.

As the e-retail economy forges ahead, this month's summary of new research reports upbeat figures for the US and UK, along with a similar lifts in online advertising in spite of the wider concerns about the ad market.

Opinion polls suggest a gradual change in consumer attitudes towards some of the more advanced forms of targeting, endorsing the strong financial results from leading media owners such as Google and Yahoo, as well as middle tier UK publishers.

There's more on the click-throughs we've added, with deeper commentary in our Digital Insight Reports.

The outlook for digital advertising growth remains strong with new research putting online at 10% of all adspend in the US, and here the UK market topping £5bn by 2012 - that's on top of our own forecasts that now put UK online adspend ahead of TV by the end of next year.

We said that 2009 would be the year mobile advertising accelerates, and new forecasts are already sizing that sector at $4.8bn within five years. Also in our round-up of the last month's research and announcements, we look at MySpace entering the downloads market, how Brits are tuning into TV on the web (even though 22m homes now have digital TV), and the OpenSocial initiative.

Read March 2008

The acquisition frenzy continues this month with some of the world's biggest internet brands still in battle for taking over each other (and still finding time to buy more smaller internet companies along the way).

The economies of scale mean a service like email or photo-sharing once developed can be rolled out worldwide at very low cost, economics that pressure online services that are only national and trigger the race for growth.

At Digital we said that 2008 was the year television programming would hit the web, and here in the UK the BBC's iPlayer is making headlines with 2.2m people a month watching TV through the player. MySpace has launched video advertising (pre-roll and post-roll formats), helping create a framework for brands to reach video watchers, and with Joost and the IPTV pureplays growing fast, this year is the crossing point for television programming on the web.

For mobile telephony the middle of the year will a big crossing point as the volume of calls made on mobile networks overtakes those on fixed networks according to the latest predictions.

Read February 2008

January saw a great start for the digital marketing, media and retail sectors.

Consumer spending was even greater at Christmas than most e-retailers had forecast with a leap of around 50%, online advertising looks set to overtake television spend in the near future as budgets are pulled from classic channels, and the switch to digital marketing is accelerating in Germany and across Central and Eastern Europe younger digital markets.

Our first international projects of the year confirmed the enthusiasm of marketers in New York to boost their integrated strategies with more online activities, and next month we are back in Sweden and Eastern Europe to see if the same trends are strong in those markets.

For details of new digital training and strategy programmes in your country e-mail me back, and in the meanwhile we all hope you enjoy this edition of Digital Intelligence. If you'd like to give a colleague access this year, then simply e-mail us back and copy them in, and we'll do the rest.

Read January 2008

Your final news download as we wind down and wish you the best for the holidays.

The mince pies and mulled wine are waiting, we're almost finished for the year, but I did want to send you the final newswire to complete your archive. 2007 was a transformative year for the digital media and marketing industries, and having coached marketing teams in more than twenty countries since January, we've seen the pace quicken as the latest ideas from the UK , USA and Scandinavia get picked up in Central America, South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East . In our 'flattened' world the best ideas are only a click away.

Digital Intelligence tracked hundreds of the 'crossing points' in the sector's growth this year and this final edition rounds up some of the strongest evidence about how shoppers have switched to the web, the saturation levels of broadband, and the continued acceleration of key companies. We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the Christmas appeal - you can still donate to your favourite charity here - and there's details of our charity here: http://www.digitalstrategyconsulting.com/about/merrychristmas.

Wishing you a relaxing 'unplugged' Christmas from all of us @ Digital, and the best of health for 2008.

Read December 2007

Another massive month for product development at the search engines, as the migration to the mobile web quickens.

Strong financial results from indicator stocks are giving investors greater confidence in the online media sector, and retailers are looking forward to a Christmas that will again break e-commerce records across Western Europe and North America; with the web's role in direct retail dwarfed by its role as the primary place for purchase research.

In this Digital Intelligence we're tracking these trends and sifting through the noise to give you the click-throughs and data that matters. Retailers, consumer brands and media groups who are finalising their plans for 2008/9 are bringing us in as architects and strategists - and through this we're consistently seeing four themes emerge: the challenges in making sense of the landscape are getting worse, social media is moving to the core of every agenda (not always for the right reasons), the risks of getting it wrong have amplified, and there is now an acceptance that training and coaching for senior management is essential to make strong digital decisions.

Read November 2007

Another cracking month for the internet sector and we held back this round-up of September research to include the two new records set for online adspend in the UK and the US.

Online is taking almost 15% of the adspend cake in the UK and crossed $5bn in a single quarter in the US. The tide of migration to free content is pulling hard and this month we look at how the New York Times, the FT and probably the Wall St. Journal are all getting seduced again to ad funded models; questioning the role of subscription barriers that block audience growth. In our sector focus there's more on the music industry as the Charlatans give away their latest CD and Radiohead let you chose how much their music is worth.

Read October 2007

Online retail took a major leap this summer, breaking the £4bn threshold for July alone. That’s a staggering 80% growth year-on-year, and well above seasonal expectations (we’re thinking the British ‘Summer’ had something to do with this one).

In the social networking stakes Bebo pipped MySpace in the UK, as both saw audiences swell along with FaceBook and YouTube. Meanwhile in the US the crossing point for online ad spend overtaking newspapers is in sight as latest research suggests 2011 as the date when it happens.

Follow the links for the stories behind the headlines, and we've included extra links to some of our Digital Insight Reports that are now being opened up to clients, friends and partners.

Read September 2007

At Digital we continue to try sifting the research and news that matters most for executives in the digital industry, and in this month's edition we're tracking how European and US adspend data revealed major leaps forward, as consumer and business brands upped their budgets.

The Google family of companies continued to broaden, there was another wave of acquisitions, and the virtual world of Second Life swelled to more than 6 million residents - with over 1.3m of them active in the month.

In Europe '1 day a month' is the new magic number. Across the continent the average internet user now spends 24 hours online each month helping put in perspective the scale of the shift in time and focus. UK audiences take pole position, clocking up a staggering 34 hours with the most entrenched online community.

Read June 2007

Online adspend is already topping 10% of the media channel mix in several countries, and ZenithOptimedia are predicting that worldwide it's now on course to top radio by next year.

In the UK our own analysis now puts online above direct mail, and we remain confident in our 2005 prediction that online would overtake TV adspend in the UK by the end of the decade.

Although online can build brands as powerfully as it can generate direct sales, the success of search engine advertising continues to be a key driver in the refocusing of marketing towards the web across Europe. That's why this month our Company Focus looks at Google, with a round up of the top ten news stories from the search giant.

Read April 2007

Online adspend broke the £2bn mark here in the UK and closed 2006 with 12.4% of the total advertising cake. Almost exactly in line with our prediction in the Autumn (12.5%), the growth in search continued to fuel web ads (paid for clicks account for 58% of the total), alongside a broadening of the firms using graphical and banner formats. The increase of 41% sees web adspend overtake national newspapers, and cross the threshold of being half the size of the TV market. With total advertising spend rising only 1.1% year on year, it's clear that the web is now the main driver in the wider advertising economy.

The UK may be the largest online advertising market in Europe, but growth has been strong in France, Spain, Scandinavia and Germany. The audit of the Spanish market - also published this month - revealed another massive leap: online marketing in Spain grew 91.38% in 2006, reaching €310.5m and taking 4.25% of all combined Spanish adspend. Search marketing in Spain rose 132,41% (46.58% of all online adspend).

Read March 2007

In five years 6m of us throughout Europe will go online to find love. In just over ten years nearly half of all purchases will be made online in the UK. Sometimes the predictions can be hard to picture - and they don't always come right - but one thing is certain: the internet will be an even bigger part of all our daily lives. Of course online marketers know this already and the developments in the UK and Australia we cover this month just remind you how fast the digital world is growing.

Carrying the internet is our pockets is also increasingly common and the mobile stories cover both Vodafone and Yahoo! working to integrate our online activities into mobile handsets. It's hard to predict what those will look like in ten years!

Read February 2007