Baidu.com, Inc. (www.baidu.com/about/en/about.html), the largest Chinese Internet search engine, announced on September 15 that the most expensive online ad in China was generated on September 7. Shanghai SouBu Co. purchased a text link ad on Baidu for over USD 157 per character per day. The old record was held by SINA, a Chinese Internet portal company, which was USD 139 per character per day.
Sheng Bi, Baidu's spokesman, said that the price of that online ad, USD 157 per word per day, was offered by the customer, and that there are still many customers who are waiting in line for that price.
Henry Yang, General Manager at I Research, a well-known Chinese Internet research company, said that according to I Research’s studies, there is a huge market for search engine ads in China, and that it is not surprising that the most expensive online ad in China appeared on Baidu, due to its unmatched market advantages and the high investment return of search engine ads.
