Online marketing revenues are at nearly $5.9 billion (3.99 billion pounds) for the third quarter of 2008 – up 11 per cent from last year – according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The rise is a two per cent increase from the previous quarter of this year, with this quarter’s result the second highest result ever.

However, compared to recent past performance, the figures find the quarter-to-quarter curve remains "relatively flat".

Randall Rothernberg, president and chief executive officer of the IAB, said: "The growth of interactive advertising that we’ve been experiencing over the past few years has stabilised due in large part to the difficult current economic climate."

He added internet marketing continues to "be the most measurable and cost-effective way to reach consumers".

In other news, a Halyard Capital survey has found advertising professionals are focusing upon social networks and mobile marketing.

Over two-thirds of respondents polled said effective measurability of an online campaign’s performance, alongside its cost, was the main feature in promotional budgets.

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