According to International Online Research company, ComScore, Ireland now has the third fastest-growing internet audience in Europe, behind Russia and Spain. Internet users have risen to almost 1.5 million unique visitors.
However, whilst Online Advertising has undergone massive growth, many industry professionals are concerned at the lack of an independant monitoring body. No doubt this will have to be addressed soon as Online continues to grow and become a larger part of the marketing mix.
There is also the issue that current online measurement systems are providing conflicting statistics, depending on who you listen to. The new JNIR will only reflect traffic patterns accross a select number or Irish sites that have signed up to it, whereas ComScore provide estimates of site usage based on a limited panel of Irish users. ABCE (electronic) audits are done selectively by a small number of sites, usually at a period when traffic peaks - eg January for Recruitment sites and December for online retailers. This minefield of confliciting information means that online advertisers have to rely on statisics provided in indiviual sites for information on user composition.
Lets hope that the Irish Digital Industry establishes an independent monitoring association, and quickly, so that advertisers can have access to correct and exact information to assist them in maximising their campaigns.
Ellie Doyle - Prosperity.