Flashy, Targeted Ads Fuel Boom

"'We're seeing this bifurcation in online marketing,' said Nate Elliott, an analyst at Jupiter Research. 'Rich media is about creating a more positive brand image. Keywords are about direct marketing and accountability.'

So far, it's accountability that's generating the bigger bucks. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, keyword search ads accounted for a staggering 35 percent of all online advertising spending in 2003, by far the largest chunk of any category. Rich media made up 8 percent of spending, the bureau said."