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Jupiter Communications projects online advertising revenues will reach $16.5 billion by 2005. That's the good news. The bad news is the analysts believe that the rapid growth will lead to an explosion in clutter, with users receiving in excess of 950 Internet-based marketing message per day, per user, in five years.

Patrick Keane, director and senior analyst with Jupiter, says marketers will turn to more quantifiable media, such as the Internet, to acquire new customers. "The battle within this cluttered environment will be to capture the attention of online users," he adds.

Jupiter also says that, according to an executive survey, approximately 73% of marketers plan to increase Internet advertising spending in the next 12 months while 37% will increase their cable TV budget.