Internet ad spending in the UK grew to £1,682.5 million in the first half of 2008, a 21% year-over-year increase, this puts UK marketers now placing 19% of their A&P budget online.

According to the latest figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB-UK) in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the World Advertising Research Center (WARC).

In contrast – total advertising market was £8982.5 million, down 0.7% year-over-year, during the period from January to June 2008. Without the increase in spend online – the market would have seen  a 4.6% decline growth.

The study suggests strong advertiser confidence in online media – including search, classifieds, rich media and video – at a time when TV, print, outdoor and radio, are experiencing declines.

When, I wonder, will marketers here in Asia wake up to this and follow the trend. The figures for Asian marketers are very much lower - any suggestions as to why?

Only 58% of adults younger than 30 say they watch TV almost every day, while 23% of say they watch television only a few times a week. That's according to new research by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Among older adults, viewership is higher. 72% of people age 30-49 watch TV almost every day, as do 80% of those 50-64 and 89% of those 65 and older.

These stats make it clear that, while advertisers aiming to reach people older than 29 can still count on television, those trying to reach consumers in the 18-29 bracket need to consider placing ads elsewhere.

Independent of the Pew study, The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about the growing number of adults who have stopped paying for cable TV because they can watch any programs they want online. Presidential debates can now be streamed live, shows on cable channels like MTV are available for free streaming, and the best moments from "Saturday Night Live" can be viewed on demand at Hulu.com and NBC.com.

Radiohead kicked off a trend last year when it released "In Rainbows" at pay-what-you-wish pricing, but whether the initiative gleaned more than just goodwill wasn't clear.

Until now.

This week, Warner Chappell said that people purchased 1.75 million hard copies of "In Rainbows," making the album more successful than either of the group's previous two releases. The 2003 "Hail to the Thief" sold 990,000 copies, while 2001's "Amnesiac" sold 900,000.

One hundred thousand of the "In Rainbows" sales were for $80 deluxe box-set editions that also included vinyl records, photos and other art and a hardback book.

Most of the CD purchases took place after Radiohead made "In Rainbows" available for free downloading last October. While it's possible that Radiohead would have sold even more copies had it not made any available for free, the decision to let people download without paying for the tracks clearly didn't leave the band without paying customers.

But music industry executives who insist on blaming falling revenue on file-sharing should also take note that some people will pay for music and add-ons even if tracks are available for free.

Clearly, if your band (or brand) has earned loyalty then those customers will still pay – whilst the opportunity to sample for free expands your opportunity to garner more loyal fans.

Still, the record labels would rather litigate than pursue new approaches. The record industry has spent millions and millions of dollars pursuing lawsuits against individuals who allegedly shared music on peer-to-peer networks. The group has targeted nearly 30,000 individuals in five years, and apparently intends to continue along this path.

As husband to a mother of two (3 years and 6 months), I can see this happening before my own eyes. 
My wife will constantly check things online, even more now  since I gave her an iPhone and she can go online – on impulse.

“Can I take this OTC medicine while I am breastfeeding, which solids should I feed first, what do we do with our hyperactive 3 years old this rainy Sunday, what brands are being recalled as a result of the Chinese tainted milk,  ….”

The list of questions that arise when you have children is endless – and many are answered online.

The only other activity that plays a significant role – talking to other mothers. My unscientific guess observation would be that 99% of all her conversations (at least the ones I hear) incluide sharing advice and asking for recommendations that are baby related.

By the time we collapse exhausted at 10 pm, we simply cant stay awake long enough to watch TV, how these mothers manage 2.1 hours of it I'd like to know!

Article from Digital Media

SINGAPORE – The internet is becoming the key medium for Asian mothers, according to a study released by OMD and AOL.

Mothers in Asia spend an average of eight hours a day using media. Of these, the internet takes up 2.6 hours, ahead of TV on 2.1 hours.

According to the report, mothers in Asia use online and mobile platforms as tools to run their households more efficiently. Popular online activities include shopping, researching information, finding coupons or sales and gaining parenting insights.

The study polled more than 7,000 working and stay-at-home mothers worldwide, including 1,800 from India, China and Australia. Of these, 80 per cent of Chinese mothers, 78 per cent of Australians and 68 per cent of Indian mothers conduct research online.

Survey participants in China said they spend an average of 3.5 hours online while Indian and Australian mothers spend 2.9 hours on the internet.