Nicholas Carlson of Business Insider, writing for Advertising Age, noted that "desperate times … call for desperate measures" and that the recession has contributed to internet marketers becoming more innovative in the ways in which they promote their brands to consumers.

 

Citing Hulu's brand entertainment selector - which allows customers the freedom to choose what types of ad they see and how many - he said that this increasing prevalence for new channels promises a future that does not involve the banner.

 

Mr Carlson went on to observe that banner marketing is "lousy" because it cannot tell a story, is "interrupting and obnoxious" in its attempts to engage people and is reliant on mouse clicks.

 

Last month, figures from The Kelsey Group revealed that, in the US, digital and online advertising has overtaken traditional methods within small and medium-sized enterprises for the first time, with a four per cent year-on-year rise in August to 77 per cent.