Less rich media in '08? Despite
the numbers, it's doubtful

A survey conducted by MarketingSherpa asked 420 attendees of the ad:tech trade show which online advertising channels they felt delivered best.

57 percent of respondents said search engine optimization — which improves the organic search position of websites — delivered the best return on investment, beating paid search and contextual ads.

That's another jump for SEO, which rose from 33 percent in 2005 to 45 percent in 2006.

Behavioral targeting also topped the list. 44 percent of marketers said it outperformed all other forms of online advertising. 27 percent said they would increase the dollars spent on behavioral platforms this year.

Email house lists reportedly generated more conversion success than paid search ads, with 47 percent of marketers favoring them (versus 42 percent last year). Other chart-topping tactics included A/B testing, viral marketing via YouTube, and mobile advertising.

Paid search is least popular with marketers. 34 percent called it the best converter, down from 48 percent in 2006. This is partly because more buyers and keyword bidders have entered the paid search field, driving prices up and returns down.

Rich media ads also fell from grace. A paltry seven percent said the return on those ads was the best, down a whopping 75 percent from 2006's opinions.

Read more data on the survey, including marketers' views on viral video and virtual worlds, at MarketingSherpa.