nd it was thought nobody bothered to look at those corporate websites. As it turns out, these draw more traffic than the websites of prime time TV shows and magazines. A case in point is the combined monthly traffic of unique visitors to the P&G; and Unilever websites, which stands at a whopping nine million, according to ComScore Media Metrix. The jump in traffic is being attributed in part to old-fashioned web display advertising and e-mail alerts. Corporate sites are getting a leg-up and their numbers are vying with those of many consumer and general interest sites.

More exciting is the news that the visitors may well be influencers. Recent research by VNU's Nielsen BuzzMetrics using Nielsen's Homescan consumer panel showed that 33 per cent of creators of consumer-generated media (in the form of video or blogs) also provide e-mail feedback to companies or brands via their websites, and 13 per cent participate in brand or company blogs. Their engagement with corporate and brand sites is much above the average numbers for the general population. These visitors are also more likely to recommend products.... more