PostClick New Zealand has signed MailOnline and Metacafe, three months after opening its New Zealand office.

Of the nine major advertising categories, online or "interactive" was the only one to enjoy growth during 2009, according to Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) figures released today.

The total advertising market plunged to $2.04 billion in 2009, a $272 million or 12% drop over 2008’s total ad spend of $2.32 billion.

But online ads bucked the trend, increasing $21 million or 10.5% year-on-year to $193 million (see table below).

Print, TV and other traditional media may still be starved of advertising. But on the web, the recession’s not touching the sides.

Total online advertising spend was up 15.8% over the year-ago quarter to $57.69 million for the three months ending September 30, according the latest Interactive Advertising Bureau/PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of major sites.

Quarter-on-quarter, spending was up 9.91%.

The survey’s trailing 12-month total also hit a new high of $207 million.

Unlike its counterpart in the US, the New Zealand Interactive Advertising Bureau reports strong year-on-year growth for the first quarter of 2009.

In its PriceWaterhouseCoopers-audited survey for the first three months of the calendar year, the IAB found online ad spend had increased 7.99% over the same period in 2008, hitting $46.26 million.

During the same period, advertising in traditional media was down at least 10%.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau says online ad spend was up sharply in the fourth quarter, and total internet spending for 2008 up a whopping 43% year-on-year to $193 million. But there’s a spike in the tail: spending in the fourth quarter was 3% down over the immediatlely proceeding period.

Kellog announced that its return on investment online for the Special K brand in America was superior to broadcast TV over the last 18 months, reports Ad Age.

The findings were described as "obviously very encouraging," and predicted to help "drive stronger adoption across the business."
It wasn’t specified how Kellogg’s measured the success of their campaign.

CEO David Mackay says the campaign has not only resonated with consumers, but also boosted cereal consumption outside of breakfast.