The Daily Interview: Can Web Advertising Turn Its Fortunes Around?

David J. Moore CEO 24/7 Media

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Believe it or not, the World Wide Web and Michael Jackson have a lot in common these days.

Once red-hot wunderkinds, both have seen the public turn against them, cursing the empty hype and disappointment all while guiltily admitting to having been caught up in it at one point. Today's overly witty, irony-drenched dot-com freebie may one day seem as ridiculous as yesterday's red leather jacket with buckles, belts and zippers.

The Internet's chorus of backers has dwindled as investors demand business models that work, revenue streams that are real and a balance sheet that has dollar signs in the earnings column, not goofy metrics like "eyeballs." Advertising sales, once seen as the major source of online revenue, have dried up as advertisers have either gone out of business or pared down expenditures to the bare minimum while the economy cools. ...