The automotive category has raised the bar of online marketing through its spending, creativity, use of new tools, and seamless media mix integration. - Diamond Media Group

NEW YORK, Aug. 5- Nielsen//NetRatings, the global standard in Internet audience measurement and analysis, reports that automotive manufacturers have raced to the top in adopting online rich media advertising technologies, as rich media comprised 37.4 percent of all auto online ad impressions in Q2 2002, nearly 10 times more than the industry average of 3.9 percent (see Table 1).
Following at a distant second, business-to-business advertisers posted a 12 percent usage rate for rich media, according to data from the Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance service. The entertainment category utilized the format nine percent of the time in Q2 2002, while the telecom and consumer goods categories rounded out the list, both with an eight percent share.
"The high-profile look and freedom of creativity afforded by technologies such as generic flash, java, Eyeblaster, and Shoshkele have spurred an autoindustry joyride on the Web," said Charles Buchwalter, vice president ofclient analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. "Car manufacturers with bigger advertising budgets have been leading users of rich media for the last four quarters, affording the development and deployment of this more expensive format."
"Publishers such as Weather.com, ESPN.com and MarketWatch.com have been responding to the auto industry's demand for rich media advertising with innovative packages that captivate users with their creativity and deliver the kind of performance that marketing expect from advertising overall," said Michael Zimbalist, executive director, Online Publishers Association.
In addition, Internet users continue to visit car manufacturer sites, as more than 8.4 million Web surfers logged on during the month of June, reaching nearly seven percent of the active online population.
Table 1. Top Industry Segments Using Rich Media, Q2 2002
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Brand Product Percent Share
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1. Auto Manufacturers 37.4
2. Business-to-business 12.0
3. Entertainment 9.0
4. Telecommunications 8.0
5. Consumer Goods 8.0
Industry Average 3.9
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Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

Note: Percentage figures indicate the share of each industry's impressions devoted to rich media ads in Q2. Rich media ad formats include generic flash and java-enabled ads as well as branded technologies such as Eyeblaster, Shoshkele, Unicast, Enliven, and Bluestreak.
Auto Giants Ford, Toyota and General Motors Top Rich Media Advertisers
List
The Ford Motor Company topped the list of car manufacturers using rich media ads, as 22 percent of their advertising utilized rich media in Q2 with campaigns across all products. Its Ford Expedition line took the honors as the number one auto product employing rich media technologies, with expanding flash ads on MSN taking up 19.4 percent of the entire auto ad voice (see Table 2).
Toyota Motor Corporation came in second, claiming a 6.8 percent share, while General Motors took 5.7 percent of the auto ad industry share of voice. General Motors claimed four out of the top 10 product brands using rich media, with their Saturn and Cadillac brands claiming five percent of the total share of voice.
"Industry watchers looking for a signal of renewed vivacity in the online ad industry will be tracking publishers who successfully sell rich media toclients," added Buchwalter. "Currently, rich media advertising is most popularon niche Web sites, but as bigger publishers incorporate rich media into their advertising strategy, we should see more traction within other industry segments."
Table 2. Top Products/Brands Using Rich Media, Q2 2002
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Brand Product Percent Share
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1. Ford Expedition 19.4
2. Toyota Corolla 5.9
3. GM Saturn LS 3.5
4. Ford Jaguar S-Type 1.7
5. VW Audi (General) 1.4
6. GM Saturn (General) 0.6
7. GM Saturn Vue 0.6
8. GM Cadillac CTS 0.3
9. Ford Mercury Marauder 0.3
10. Nissan (General) 0.3
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Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

Note: Percentage figures equal each brand/product combination's rich media share of all impressions in the auto market in Q2. The Ford Expedition's rich media campaign thus accounts for 19.4 percent of all auto ad impressions in Q2 2002.
About Nielsen//NetRatings
Through strategic partnerships between NetRatings (Nasdaq: NTRT - News), Nielsen Media Research and ACNielsen, the Nielsen//NetRatings services includeworldwide Internet audience measurement, AdRelevance tracking of online advertising creatives, impressions, and expenditures and the @plan Internet user lifestyle, demographic, and product brand preferences measurement. Nielsen//NetRatings uses patented technology capable of measuring both Internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and comprehensive information in the global marketplace. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com.
ref: TheAutoChannel.com