Category Marketing

Branded Display Ads Close Search Gap in 2011 and Beyond

According to a recent eMarketer forecast, growth in spending on online display ads will outstrip that for paid search through 2014, though search will continue to take the greater share of dollars. In 2010, both search and display will see increases greater than the rise in total US online ad spending, estimated at 13.9%. But between 2011 and 2014, the study projects online display spending will grow faster than overall online spending, while search spending will lag slightly behind.

US Online Display & Search Ad Spending Growth (% Change)
  Ad Spending Change
Type 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Online Display -3.4% 13.9 10.5 14.4 10.4 12.5
Search 1.4% 15.6 9.9 13.6 10.2 10.8
Total 4.5% 17.0 14.0 19.2 12.8 17.0
Source: eMarketer, November 2010; (Display includes banner, rich media & video; search includes paid listings, contextual links, paid inclusion & SEO)

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The Brand Says It All

According to a recent study by the Custom Content Council in partnership with ContentWise, branded content initiatives are considered by marketers to be more effective than any other leading form of advertising and marketing. The study shows that content spending is the second highest ever per company.  Print represented 43% of the total spending, while electronic and other accounted for 35% and 12%, respectively. The number one reason for using branded content is customer education and retention, says the report. Keith Sedlak, Chair of the Custom Content Council, says that “… the 2010 numbers illustrate a spending level that is nearly 100% above 2008… 68% of companies surveyed continue to shift their ad dollars to branded content… there was a 20% increase in companies surveyed this year versus last year that plan to grow their branded content budgets.”

Reason for Using Branded Content and Its Effectiveness:

* 66% of marketers think branded content is superior to direct mail and 63% think it is superior to public relations
* The primary reason to deploy branded content initiatives is to educate customers, according to 54% of the companies surveyed, followed by customer retention (23%)
* The leading secondary reasons were customer retention (35%) and educating customers (27%), though brand loyalty factored in at 26%.

Spending as Part of the Media Mix:

* 29% of the average overall marketing, advertising and communications budget funds were dedicated to branded content. This is the second greatest ever (first was 32% in 2009). 

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Paid Search Ad Copy Research Study

In early 2008, the AdGooroo research team set out to create an algorithm which could identify the top performing ads in any industry without relying upon panel data or having access to competitors campaign reports. The algorithm was refined and patented.  Using it, they analyzed over 5,500 popular keywords to determine what techniques the best search copywriters were using to boost their clickthrough rates. Thier findings are outlined below.

Why Study Ad Copy?
Because no comprehensive study of PPC ad copy has ever been published (to the best of our knowledge).

While countless articles have been written on this subject, no one has (to our knowledge) assembled a database of ad copy to determine what, if any, best practices can be gleaned from analyzing this data systematically.

They set out to do just this. They structured their study with two goals in mind. First, they wanted to identify the most effective ads currently being displayed on Google. Second, they wanted to examine these ads to determine if there were general rules that search marketers could follow to write better ads.

Methodology
The best way to measure an ad’s effectiveness is to simultaneously measure its clickthrough rate against other ads, keeping average position and keyword the same. However, this is a challenging task due to a lack of publicly available clickthrough rate data.

They solved this problem by relying only on measurements that could be easily observed and standardized across keyword and position. If these measurements are chosen properly, they should serve as a suitable proxy for clickthrough rate data. It is then a simple matter to apply them to a historical archive to determine the most effective ad copy.

A database containing most of the world’s ad copy was readily available via AdGooroo. They devised a complex algorithm that analyzes past impression data to determine which ads are the most effective. This method eliminates about 95% of the ads which they know aren’t top performers. The remaining ads can then be easily split tested to optimize your clickthrough rate.

How you can use this special report. 
They’ve included a list of these 17 general best practices: Read the rest of this entry »

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“Super Cookies” – New Web Code Draws Concern Over Privacy Risks

By TANZINA VEGA

In the next few years, a powerful new suite of capabilities will become available to Web developers that could give marketers and advertisers access to many more details about computer users’ online activities. Nearly everyone who uses the Internet will face the privacy risks that come with those capabilities, which are an integral part of the Web language that will soon power the Internet: HTML 5.

The new Web code, the fifth version of Hypertext Markup Language used to create Web pages, is already in limited use, and it promises to usher in a new era of Internet browsing within the next few years. It will make it easier for users to view multimedia content without downloading extra software; check e-mail offline; or find a favorite restaurant or shop on a smartphone.

Most users will clearly welcome the additional features that come with the new Web language.

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Proven Halloween Promos: 6 Ideas for Campaigns

by Adam T. Sutton, Senior Reporter

Halloween is coming up! Children will be marching up and down your block dressed as ghouls and goblins in a matter of weeks. You should start receiving party invitations anytime now.

For marketers, the lead-up to the haunting holiday can boost sales before the year-end crunch. And for the last two years the dark day has been a bright spot in a spooky economy.

Halloween retail sales reached a record-breaking projection of $6 billion in 2009, up 4.2% from $5.77 billion in 2008, according to industry market researcher IBISWorld.

Do you have any Halloween promotions planned for your email marketing? Take a look at six proven ideas we’ve pulled from MarketingSherpa case studies and how-to articles for some inspiration.

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