Bad news for some, good news for others. According to Nielsen Online, while the overall display ads market registered a 27 percent drop in the first half of 2008, compared to last year, some other sectors actually thrived. On of these sectors is the automotive market, where companies spent $301 million, 45 percent more than in the first half of 2007. Other companies that invested more in display ads were consumer goods brands (32% increase), entertainment brands (47%) and hardware and electronics advertisers (19%).

“The good news is that we saw large gains from brand advertisers including Anheuser-Busch, Unilever, Toyota and General Motors, among others, which bodes well for the future,” said Jon Gibs, Nielsen Online’s vice president, media analytics.

In the past, I’ve heard some people saying that with the automotive industy going downhill, less money will be spent into online advertising, but apparently it’s the other way around, the big companies realizing that one of the best ways to keep on track is to invest more in advertising. What can I say, except that it’s great news for all of us car blog owners, and especially for our wallets.

MediaPost (Via Marketing Pilgrim)