By 2012, digital advertising is expected to eclipse traditional advertising, according to 52% of respondents to Accenture's 2008 Global Media Survey of more than 100 senior business executives in North America and Europe.
Today, less that 10% of revenue comes from alternate forms of that particular media.
Thus, a huge growth in new forms of advertising can be expected and probably a corresponding decline in traditional forms. Most companies are working hard to adapt to digital advertising; 66% say it will be the largest driver of additional revenue in the next five years.
Two-thirds (68%) of respondents identified social media and user-generated content as a high growth opportunity, and 71% are happy to have their brands associated with social-media sites.
Some 84% say mobile rich media represents the largest growth opportunity, it's just a question of when it happens. 55% believe it will happen in three years, with 45% predicting that it will take longer. About half of all respondents predict that any delay will be due to consumer readiness to accept such advertising, not corporate readiness to deliver.
However, Accenture, the global management consulting company, believes executives don't fully understand the huge effort required to realize these new revenue streams. Execution may lag behind the consumer readiness to accept new options.