Sites like Facebook and Twitter could spell the end of traditional online marketing.

Parcel delivery firms may cease to use traditional internet advertising and use social media exclusively to market their services online.

According to Tim Gibbon, co-founder and editor of the Social Media Portal, social media is already becoming engrained into brands' marketing strategies and could spell the end of online advertising.

A new report from Connect Insight found that just 17 per cent of internet users regard online advertising as impactful or appealing.

"Given how the impact of online advertising was perceived - largely intrusive and annoying, through a period of ineffectiveness, online advertising may be avoided altogether and a focus on social media channels adopted instead," said Mr Gibbon

In the last five years, Mr Gibbon went on to say, there has been a "huge shift" by agencies and brands to embrace social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Some firms, for example, are already trying to take a more seamless approach to marketing by integrating URLs to their Facebook or Twitter accounts into receipts.

Posted by Rob Elliott

Article Added: 27/09/2010 16:40:44