The latest numbers from the Interactive Advertising Bureau as reported by Cnet show record-breaking results for online advertising sales in Q4 2003. Ad sales of $2.2 billion for the quarter topped the best previous results from the height of the dot-com boom (Q4 2002, which were $2.12 billion) and represent an increase of 38% over Q4 2002. Given that advertising sales across all media were up in the quarter and are projected to grow 6.9% in 2004 (as projected by Bob Coen of Universal McCann), one can safely predict that the rising tide of all advertising will raise the online advertising sales' boat in 2004. Add to the overall trend the ongoing shift from print to online, especially in the B2B space where print advertising has been lackluster at best, and the forecast of smooth sailing for online ad sales growth is a good bet. Throw in the fact that major advertisers, notably car companies like Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and of course Mitsubishi's SuperBowl ad, are having great success with multi-channel campaigns that use TV ads to drive viewers to a Web site, and it becomes difficult not to be jubilantly optimistic about the prospects for online advertising. But, is the outlook all bright skies and smooth seas? Unlikely. There are bound to be some choppy periods while search engine paid listings and contextual ad programs work out some kinks. These are still very new programs that will undergo some growing pains as they try to serve a range of business marketers who don't want to be glued to their computers checking on their bidding position and budget balances. Corporations that publish on the Web are also in early stages of figuring out how to create a Web site that is designed to work in harmony with its online advertising tactics so that the Web site responds appropriately to various types of visitors, who may be coming to the site to research the product offerings, buy a specific product, find the address of the company, or look for jobs posted on the site. But, it looks as though we're heading for a fun and interesting year, full of new advertising opportunities for content-rich Web sites that offer appropriate ad locations for the fleet of advertisers ready to hand over their dollars.