Consumers rule the internet, EU advertisers told

The consumer is the boss on the web and about to end fifty years of rule by mass media, TV, publishers and phone operators.

This was the key message of the first ever pan European congress on digital marketing held in Brussels this week.

The meeting came at a bright point for the industry with online advertising revenues shooting up by 35% last year, reaching globally $6,9 bn in 2006.

In Europe, the UK accounts for by far the largest share (39%) of online ad expenditure, acc...