the Rubicon Project’s Q4 Market Report Finds Shift to Online Spending Drives 34% Increase in CPMs

Demand Side Channels Must Innovate and Differentiate In Order to Thrive

LOS ANGELES – January 25, 2010 - the Rubicon Project, the Internet advertising infrastructure company, reveals exclusive insight into emerging industry trends and market shifts that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2009, along with trends and predictions for what’s in store for 2010, in the seventh installment of its Online Advertising Market Report series.

Included within the report is the latest update on the Rubicon 20 Index, a measure of performance across a number of factors (including CPM, revenue and traffic volume) on a roster of 20 of the Web’s most heavily-trafficked properties. CPMs across the Rubicon 20 Index have risen by an average of 34 percent vs. Q3 2009, due to holiday ad spending and major online traffic drivers, such as celebrity news topics.

“Based on the serious spending increases from advertisers and innovation on both the supply and demand sides of the equation in the fourth quarter of last year, we believe 2010 is going to be a strong year for the digital advertising industry. As a market, we have spent the last few years working out the inefficiencies and identifying opportunities,” said Craig Roah, COO and Founder. “As many of our partners and customers can attest, the coming year will be focused on the next evolution of the market and identifying solutions that garner revenue that’s aligned with value – driven by the shift toward a truly open marketplace with transparency and controls that satisfy publishers and their demand partners.”

Additional key forecasts and trends addressed in this report include:

•    Audience-based buys in the REVV™ Marketplace captured rates four times the amount that was paid for more typical content and site targeted buys;
•    An advertiser side push for greater control and transparency, as marketers sought control over where and when ads appear; 
•    Properly segmented and targeted online ad inventory changed attitudes about the definition and perceived value of unsold inventory;
•    Ongoing evolution in the ad network market: vertical ad networks will flourish and demand partners will differentiate through innovation, retargeting, audience segmentation and verification;
•    Online video ad market expected to bring more brand dollars online with new ad formats and standardization of metrics and measurement.

Also included in this report is market insight from industry leaders including Patrick Mersigner, Senior Director of Interactive at CreativeLoafing.com; Rob Beeler, Vice President, Content and Media at AdMonsters; Tommy Moreno, Principal and Managing Director at The Glenroe Group; Maureen Little, VP of Business Development at Turn; Jaan Janes, CEO of Pulse 360; Eric Franchi, SVP, Business Development at Undertone; Andrea Kerr Redniss, Managing Director and SVP at Publicis’ Optimedia; and Charles Curran, Executive Director of NAI; Ben Abbatiello, Senior Director, Business Development at interCLICK; and Dan Greenberg, CEO of Sharethrough.

To access the full Q4 2009 Online Advertising Market Report, as well as past published reports for free, visit: http://www.rubiconproject.com/market-intelligence.

Print Share This