Some CMOs acknowledge that the internet is good for direct response and useful for promotions, but they can't see online as a branding vehicle, but brands can use the internet to connect emotionally with consumers-- particularly with broadband, which enables new and highly engaging forms of branding.

Perhaps due to the rise in broadband (67 percent of -- or 52.2 million -- online U.S. households are on broadband), branding as an online objective is increasing relative to direct response:

Did you know that...

• 38 percent of all online advertising dollars today go towards branding efforts?
• 67 percent of all U.S. households will be on broadband by year-end 2006, and over one-fifth of internet users regularly watch video content online today?
• Broadband video allows us to reach our audience with the sight, sound, motion and emotion of television, but with better measurement, more granular targeting and opportunities for interaction and viral sharing?

And online video elicits powerful brand engagement:

When it comes to capturing attention, the internet is second only to TV, beating magazines, newspapers and radio (according to a 2006 Burst Media study).