Social media gets a lot of discussion and even a lot of participation from marketers, but in most cases budgets remain low. One reason for the reluctance to invest more is the old problem of ROI. While some marketers have created successful social media campaigns that they feel they can measure and determine a benefit from, many have still not solved the social success equation. A September 2010 survey by Econsultancy, sponsored by digital marketing agency bigmouthmedia, found nearly half of companies worldwide still said “the jury is out” on the value of social media for their firm. This group still felt they were not able to measure the return on their social media investment—even to put a value on it relative to their other marketing activities.

Other research has also shown analytics and ROI are the single biggest problem in the way of social efforts. Econsultancy’s report also suggested integration with many other marketing channels was lacking. While the vast majority of companies had managed to integrate email and social media, search engine optimization was the only other marketing channel that came close in integration efforts. This could be because social media efforts often naturally help search ones.

Other areas, both traditional and digital, fell far behind.

Research from several other sources, including eROI and StrongMail, indicates large majorities of email marketers have incorporated social elements in their campaigns, sometimes in sophisticated ways. Other digital marketers must similarly find ways to make social a natural fit with their own marketing channels rather than keeping it siloed for greater effectiveness.

Western Europe accounts for 27.7% of global online ad spending in 2010, worth $17.1 billion, eMarketer estimates. In 2014, regional spending will rise to $24.3 billion. Annual growth rates will be healthy, but with the exception of 2012—the year the Olympic Games will be held in London—increases will fall in the single digits.

“The recovery is fragile, but 2010 has brought renewed financial growth and a degree of optimism,” said Karin von Abrams, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Western Europe Online Ad Spending: Leading the Recovery.” “Digital channels, which helped advertisers weather the worst of the crisis, will benefit further as budgets gradually expand.”

Italy and Spain still lag behind France and Germany in the share of advertising going to the web. And while these less developed online markets are now growing more quickly, they are unlikely to ever completely mirror more advanced countries. eMarketer estimates that online ad spending in France, one of the strongest European markets, will reach €1.92 billion ($2.69 billion) in 2010, and approach €2.61 billion ($3.65 billion) in 2014. Estimates of spending and growth in the country vary markedly.

“These variations imply lingering doubts about how badly the French economy as a whole will be affected by imminent austerity measures, rising unemployment and minimal advances in GDP,” said von Abrams. Estimates of online ad spending growth in Germany are similar but somewhat more optimistic. Steady growth is also expected in Italy and Spain, but from a smaller base.

Some of today’s greatest success stories in branding blend ingredients from the three kinds of marketing media: paid, owned and earned. Paid media is advertising inserted next to another’s content; owned media is brand-created content; and earned media is getting someone else to provide content about a brand.

“Each medium offers distinct advantages, and it is important that all work together,” said David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Brand Marketing Online: Paid, Owned, Earned.” “The best approach is holistic, where each channel supports the others, as when paid advertising produces earned word-of-mouth, which stimulates traffic to owned microsites.”

While online has been primarily a direct-response-focused space, the trend toward more brand-focused spending is clear. By 2014 nearly 42% of online ad dollars in the US will be spent on branding.

Within the display bucket, the focus on branding also comes through: Spending on online video advertising—a prime branding vehicle—will rise faster than display spending as a whole, while substantial dollars will continue to go to banner advertising, representing a more economical way to effectively shore up a campaign’s overall objectives.

Video and banners, along with search, make up the major paid-media online formats, with which marketers can spread their messages far and wide. Company websites and blogs, along with in-house email lists, provide the owned component, where marketers have complete control over messages and can offer content that fulfills their overall goals. And while word-of-mouth has always been a key driver of purchase decisions, earned media also has new importance with the rise of social media.

“The mix of techniques required and the advantages marketers get from paid, owned and earned is far greater online than offline,” said Hallerman. “They must learn to construct campaigns that rely on all three types of media to engage with consumers and amplify brand messages. Paid, owned and earned media all contribute to the whole and to one another.”