Microsoft is UK’s ‘most prolific’ online advertiser

Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and 02 were the prolific online advertisers during the first four months of 2007, according to new figures from Nielsen//NetRatings. The figures also show that nearly 16,300 online campaigns were run in the UK over the same period but the UK’s top 20 advertisers, including the COI, accounted for just 7% of those campaigns.

The top online advertisers also include Orange, Barclays, HSBC and WeightWatchers. Alex Burmaster, European internet analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, says: “While it’s not surprising to see technology and communications brands embracing online advertising, many will note how the finance sector has an equally keen appetite for the Web.”

He adds that the unlike other areas of online advertising, display advertising is not dominated by a few brands. He says: “The top five search engines in the UK account for 96% of all searches, yet the top five advertisers account for less than 2.5% of all online ad campaigns.”

The figures show a 35% increase in online campaigns run during April compared to the same month in 2004 and a 45% in the number of advertisers to 4,130.