MarketingSherpa has come out with a Handbook and Benchmarks report on Online Marketing based on a survey of 577 advertisers and marketers. Pilgrim does a review and shares some of the insights from the report here are the key takeaways

Industry statistics

• 47% of companies said their search marketing agency was “absolutely worth every penny,” compared to just 15% who said the same of their “media agency.”
• 56% of companies plan to include A/B testing in 2008.
• A huge 28.6% of advertisers spending $100k to $1 million are not doing any kind of ad testing!

Ad strategies

• According to MarketingSherpa’s eye-tracking studies, ads below the fold can actually out-perform those above the fold, if they have better horizontal positioning–that is, placed to the left.
• Want to increase brand awareness? Non-standard ads–such as the “peel back” ad you see in the top right corner of this web site–lead the way with 41% effectiveness of all ads.
• Want to generate direct sales? Paid search ads are still the best bet, with 29% effectiveness.
• Want an ad format that achieves direct sales, product education, lead generation, AND branding? Small display ads–such as small banners or tiles–offer the best advertising mix.