Context is Everything

摘要

Some lessons need to be repeated no matter how obvious they may appear. When it comes to online advertising effectiveness, the perennial lesson is that context is everything. The Internet is for information seekers. So, when content publishers put even the simplest and smallest relevant ad in front of the seeker, reader response―be it click-throughs or brand retention―is exponentially better than the biggest, boldest, or loudest rich media unit running throughout a site. The latest teacher of this adage is the phenomenal success of search engine advertising in 2003. Between the first half of 2002 and the first half of 2003, revenues from paid search advertising increased 300%, from $238 million to $955 million, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Beyond an influx of revenue, the ad search boom brings a renewed focus on context to the Web. While many advertisers will continue to buy