The predictions for 2008 that didn’t happen

There were many predictions for the online world in 2008 and while many of them happened, just as many if more did not.

To highlight this fact, Advertising Age has provided its top ten list of ‘predictions that didn’t come true’ for the year.

First up was the estimate that the online advertising sector would see growth of 29 per cent over the course of the year.

Many still held that this would happen regardless of the economic downturn.

Their thinking, according to the website, was: “Even if the economy takes a dive, online ads won’t. In fact, online will benefit from a recession, as marketers move spending from TV to cheaper, more measurable media.”

However, the Internet Advertising Bureau’s figures revealed that there was just 15 per cent growth in first half of 2008 and 11 per cent in the third quarter.

Among the other things that the soothsayers got wrong was that marketers would be able to harness YouTube and Facebook and that mobile advertising would become huge.