NEW YORK, NY (December 18, 2007) Advertisers are avidly experimenting on Facebook, MySpace and niche social networks. In 2008, they are expected to spend $1.6 billion—a rise of 69% over the $920 million they spent in 2007, according to a new eMarketer report, Social Network Marketing: Ad Spending and Usage.

Social networking may get more than its fair share of media attention, but it is not a fad, says Debra Aho Williamson, author of the report. “In 2007, 37% of the US adult Internet population and 70% of teens used online social networking at least once a month.” There is little to suggest that this activity will go away. eMarketer predicts that the total US social networking audience will grow by 46% over the next four years to 105 million in 2011.

While the leading social networks, MySpace and Facebook, are now targeting ads based on members’ interests like word-of-mouth marketing on steroids, that ad technique will evolve and be joined by several other methods. In coming years, for example, advertising will appear not only on social networking destination sites but also within other Internet activities, such as online shopping, e-mail or search, which will take on social networking attributes.

For more information about social networking or to speak to Ms. Williamson, contact the eMarketer media department listed below.

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Kris Oser
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