...one of the most interesting developments at Google, from an advertiser/sales perspective, is that where a year ago, the company didn't have a dedicated person handling consumer packaged goods marketers within its Vertical Markets Group, it does today. This move reflects the fact that even the toughest categories are throwing a few dollars behind search marketing. ConAgra, Procter & Gamble brands, and others are moving into the space.
Not surprising, but I've never seen this in the real world.
Then, I haven't searched on "soap" or "dog food." These are branding companies. I'd love to see how they use Adwords and Adsense.
They comprise Holiday Inns, InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza,....
The "big boys" are very slow on the search up take. One day they will feel the pain of kicking themselves in the shins when they finally realize what they have been missing.
In the meantime, us smaller folks can reap the benefits :)
They aren't "branding" ads, though. In fact, most of the time the airline's name is only in the URL. Usually the ads are very response-oriented, as in "Book online and save $10."
I agree that many of the big guys have been slow to pick up on search and contextual "content ads" marketing, but that's likely to change. There was a time not too many years ago when sales-promotion and direct-response agencies were nibbling at the big advertising agencies' market share; the big agencies responded by buying out the specialized agencies or creating their own "integrated marketing" divisions. It probably won't be too long until the top 10 ad agencies are pitching online text ads to their clients while behaving as if they'd invented the concept themselves. :-)
Media agencies handling big accounts tend to purposefully delay the process because:
1.they are not too comfortable with this rather new ad mode
2.they are very comfortable and sure with the conventional mktg modes they are using currently
3.their clients have not yet started demanding
4.whats the money that they can make out of this-they are not very sure
But,ad modes as strong as paid search,are too powerful to be neglected for long.
The media agencies are to blame for the lack of big companies in PPC generally. The one big company I saw was using Trade Doubler tracking URL's instead of their brand URL, which in itself would have counted for 1 or 2% CTR.
We refuse to work with media agencies who may want to take all the glory in return for trying to get a good deal from you. In time the fortune 500's and FTSE 250's will start to get the message, and the media agency should suffer at that time.
Branding can definately be achieved using PPC.
Branding can definately be achieved using PPC.
Maybe it's time for CPM+CPC: a base rate per thousand for display of an ad (with its associated branding benefits) plus a click payment for each lead.
For the reasons that Udayan goes into I think many ad agencies have been slow on the uptake but my sense now is that the floodgates are open, the percentage of budget going to paid search is definitely increasing, and PPC is pretty much always part of our online media pitches these days.
good one, europeforvisitors.
It's indirectly incorporated in Adwords, by their CTR function. (since, you pay more to get "clicked" on a less popular ad, for the same position).
Anyone see the BIG guys do anything with Adwords?
Yahoo bidding on Google, espotting and others in Europe [webmasterworld.com]
I work for a big US advertising agency and can tell you that almost all of the 'big boys' are beating down our door to buy AdWords and other PPC traffic.
One of my ad agency clients has been telling me about Google's aggressive attempts to get them to enroll in a pretty heavy duty AdWords program... actually too expensive for them. ;) I haven't yet had a chance to catch up with them about the details.
