A number of sources (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8280557.stm and http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/30/internet-biggest-uk-advertising-sector) have recently reported on findings that online advertising has overtaken TV advertising in the UK.
Although this has been a growing trend for some time now, many in the industry had not expected online advertising to overtake TV advertising until late 2010.
It’s likely that the current economic climate has contributed to accelerating the process. Businesses looking to make more effective use of their marketing budgets, increasingly look to be taking advantage of the increased value, accountability and measurability of online advertising such as email marketing, display ads and of course search marketing.