Q3 Online Ad Spend Inched Upward

Spending on Internet advertising in the third quarter increased by about 2 percent from the trough hit during the second quarter but still came in well below the year-ago period, according to newly released figures.

In announcing their quarterly Internet ad revenue findings, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said the Q3 2009 numbers show online advertising fared better than other ad sectors during the recession. However, the results reveal a 5.4 percent decline in spending compared to Q3 2008. During that quarter, Internet ad spending hit an all-time high of about $6.1 billion, according to the IAB and PwC. They said about $5.5 billion was doled out during the third quarter of this year.

“While all segments of the media industry have experienced declines, online advertising remains resilient and is once again showing signs of growth,” PwC partner David Silverman pointed out in a statement.

Advertisers weren’t the only ones spending more money online during Q3 of this year. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported that consumers spent $34 billion online during the quarter, an increase of 4.5 percent from Q2 and a 1.8 percent increase over 2008’s third-quarter online sales figure.