MUMBAI: Unicast which provides online advertising solutions globally has released the aggregate results of an informal year-end survey conducted among its expansive base of advertisers and agencies.

The survey showed a strong commitment to online advertising in the coming year.

Over 70 per cent of the respondents indicated plans to increase online ad spending in 2005 while the remainder stayed constant. The survey also shows that in less than one year, online video has become as important as other online tools such as Flash and search.

88 per cent of the respondents said that video is at a minimum, equally important, while the remaining 12 per cent consider it more important than other online vehicles.

Respondents noted that the greatest opportunity for video lies in education to the advertiser. "The challenge is getting clients to understand that online
video is simple to incorporate and has great potential for both enhancing brand imagery and gaining click through rates. "

Unicast senior VP Allie Savarino said, "A year ago, online video was a miscellaneous line item on an advertiser's budget. Just ten months later, the World's top brands -- traditional, blue-chip advertisers -- consider video to be as important, and in some cases more important, than other online advertising vehicles and have identified it as a primary catalyst for their increased budget allocation to the Internet.

"Formats such as Unicast's Video Commercial have created an opportunity in the marketplace for video. However, this survey shows that as our customers gain more experience and refine their needs, we will need to continue to advance our technology and expand our services. Unicast's mantra for 2005 will be to dig deeper."