Canadian Internet Advertising Revenue To Top $801 Million In 2006

That’s a pretty great email subject title to get.
It came in the form of a press release from IAB Canada (full disclosure: I am the Vice Chair, Quebec for IAB Canada – but I did not see this news until the press release hit the wire).
There are way too many juicy tidbits to cover in a Blog posting, but you can read the full press release here: Canadian Internet Advertising Revenue To Top $801 Million In 2006 – IAB Canada Press Release.
Here’s one chunk of info that got me thinking:
“2005 Canadian Internet Advertising Revenues reached a new high of $562 million dollars for the year. The 2005 actuals represent an 8 percent increase over the $519 million originally estimated by the IAB for 2005; and a 54 percent increase over the 2004 figure of $364 million. Of the $562 million received by Canadian Online publisher sites in 2005, approximately $124 million or 22 percent of ad dollars were allocated to the French Canadian market.”
Good numbers? That’s only about 6.5% of total ad spend in Canada.
Imagine when this hits double-digits?
Bigger questions: when this hits double-digits, and you know it will, who will do the work?
We’re heading toward a major HR crisis in the digital marketing space. Those who are in-the-know are going to command salaries that most companies won’t be able to afford. Then there are those who are in school studying this space – if that’s you, get passionate. My guess is they’re not teaching you about this new marketing world. We’re well beyond well-structured websites that are search engine friendly and game for conversion.
Check out the full press release here: Canadian Internet Advertising Revenue To Top $801 Million In 2006 – IAB Canada Press Release.