Aegis Group Tuesday upgraded its global ad outlook just a smidgen, in large part because of increased ad spending in Asia, but U.S. ad growth estimates (4.5 percent in 2005 and 5.0 percent in 2006) remaining unchanged; however, it said fundamental shifts are taking place in advertising demand among major media, with traditional slowing down and digital media accelerating, MediaPost reports. Aegis CEO Robert Lerwill notes that online adspend has already overtaken radio's and says Aegis expects it to catch up with outdoor this year.

Aegis, the parent of Carat and other media networks, is "seeing some interesting shifts in the allocation of advertising budgets," according to Lerwill, citing Carat's research: "Television's share of advertising spend is leveling out and newspaper's share of advertising is declining, with budgets shifting to the internet."

Another fundamental shift in worldwide adspend is the deceleration in Western Europe and a corresponding acceleration in Asia, according to Aegis.