It shouldn't be a big surprise, but online ad revenue dipped in Q1 2009 - five percent, to $5.5 billion, according to the IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Just like every other economic environment, advertising has been hit by the recession. But the good news is that these numbers in no way suggest a drop in the overall marketplace. Quite the contrary, in fact.

As PricewaterhouseCoopers' David Silverman said, "Current economic conditions are clearly challenging. Nonetheless, interactive media continues to consume a larger piece of the overall advertising pie."

More news out of the IAB also references the growing trend of advertisers experimenting with mobile search ads. This market is expected to grow close to 30 percent this year, with Google and Yahoo! leading the way.