IAB: Best year ever for digital advertising?

Will 2010 be the best year ever for interactive advertising? If the numbers released today by the IAB in conjunction with PwC for he first half of the year are any indication, this year is one for the record books.

For the first half of the year, US internet ad revenues totalled $12.1B, the best recorded number ever for the period, reflecting 11.3% growth over the same period last year.

Q2 was even rosier when broken out. Revenues of $6.2B reflect the second-highest quarterly results ever, and a near 14% increase over Q2 2009.

Want still more good news? OK, here goes:

-- Display grew 16%

-- Paid search was up 12%

-- Sponsorship revenue +32%

-- Digital video up 31%

-- Impression and hybrid ad pricing models up 4% and 6%, respectively.

-- Q2 revenue of $6.2B is closing in on Nielsen's extimates for cable and broadcast TV revenues for the period ($6.6B and $6B, respectively).

Sherrill Mane, the IAB's SVP of industry services, was almost giddily optimistic. "Internet advertising growth is outpacing the rest of the media market," she stated, "All the other media are growing at far slower rates. We're definitely leading and outpacing the total market."

Calling this year a "stellar first half," She continued: "If you look at the data and display related formats…those are growing by leaps and bounds. An influx of brand dollars is moving this way."

PwC Partner David Silverman was equally buoyant: "The underlying fundamental growth for the industry is still there."