Interestingly, these companies are also moving beyond banner advertising, discovering new and novel ways of making the web work for them.
For many advertising-savvy marketers like Volvo there is the realisation that, unlike other mediums, the internet offers one obvious advantage now that the hype has died down: it allows consumers to interact fully with a brand, while also offering marketers the opportunity to learn more about their target markets as Volkswagen is doing with its China initiative.
Indeed, research has shown that the web plays a major role - through its research capabilities - in consumers' purchase decisions especially when it involves expensive or complicated products such as insurance and cars.
For now, traditional marketers are also putting greater emphasis on building up their consumer database for future product pitches - both on and offline.
Sports brands Nike and adidas, in particularhave been exceptionally strong performers in this area. At the end of the day, the buzz from an internet campaign travels much further. As the Blair Witch Project demonstrated, the world wide web is so named because of its incredible efficiency in generating global public interest. But whether online or offline, it's ultimately a strong idea which cuts through that provides the fuel to fire up interest in a brand.
