ABSTRACT
The past few years have seen tremendous interest on the part of marketers, media organizations, and advertising agencies in using computer-mediated interactive media to reach and communicate with consumers. The most popular methods involve the Internet, the World Wide Web, and online computer services. United States spending for online advertising is projected to grow from $1.3 billion in 1998 to $10.5 billion in 2003, with global spending for online advertising projected to reach $15 billion in 2003 (Mand, 1998). By February 1995, the number of registered commercial domains (i.e., Internet addresses) topped 32,000, with an estimated 1,500 new companies connecting to the Internet each month (Ellsworth, 1995). According to recent studies, marketers spent $351.3 million to advertise on the World Wide Web in the first six months of 1998, more than double the total 1996 spending (Mand, 1998). Major advertisers include more than 50 of the 200 largest U.S. consumer brands (Jaffee, 1996a).
