The consumer goods sector is now the second biggest spender in terms of online advertising and accounts for 14.8% of the total spend. Retail is the third biggest spender, accounting for 12.4% of the total adspend (IAB/PwC adspend survey 2011).

The key task for FMCG and retail marketers is not necessarily about encouraging consumers to make an immediate purchase, either online or offline. It’s about getting their brand front-of-mind and setting themselves apart from the competition with a great product and even better advertising creative.

Through our recent research project Building Brands Online - which focused on campaigns for new instant coffee brand Starbucks VIA, Nestle cooking sauce Maggi So Juicy and GSK energy drink Lucozade - we’ve seen how brands can do this online in a cost effective way.

In this section, you’ll find regular news and blogs, alongside research and case studies, designed to demonstrate how FMCG and retail marketers can better use the internet to build their brands and communicate with their customers.