Due to increasing spending and more focus on branding, the growth of online display ads are expected to surpass the growth rate of paid search ads in 2014, research from eMarketer has found.

Between 2011 and 2014, the firm estimates that both search and display will see increases greater than the rise in overall online ad spending in the United States, at about 13.9 percent. However, from 2011 and 2014, online display spending is expected to begin growing faster than overall online spending, while the rate of search spending growth falls into third place.

Graph: eMarketer

Driving growth in display advertising will be online video ads, forecast to grow by at least 24 percent each year through 2014. This year, the research group expects U.S. advertisers to spend US$12.37 billion on paid search, and $8.88 billion on online display ads. In 2014, search is still expected to net the most spending ($18.84 billion), but display is expected to get closer to search spending, at $15.92 billion.

Affinity Express's Unmana Datta wrote that it makes sense display ads are catching up, and for three very good reasons:
1. Display ads are vastly more customizable.
2. Display ads are just more attractive.
3. Display ad placement is more flexible.