Connected Advertising Blog

There was a time, 15 – 20 years ago or more, when media plans consisted of distinct media, each with a life of its own. The only connection they had was their relative impact on TRPs, reach and frequency. If there was one media that appeared to be too expensive, you simple asked where you could make up the TRPs. Perhaps this is a bit of a simplification, but not much. The challenge in today’s environment is that, too often, digital media is viewed through a very similar lens.

When planning digital media, there is a disconnect between the channels. Search budgets are allocated irrespective of display, email is treated independent of social (if there is a social component) and offline activities are seldom weighed when planning online efforts. What the traditional planning process misses is the inherent integration of all these aspects, whether it is intended and managed, or not. It goes beyond leveraging synergies. By ‘disconnecting’ these channels, you run the real risk of undermining their inherent value.

Not too long ago, there was an argument that leveraging the synergies of the digital channels was the sole purview of the national advertiser. With the advances in our understanding of consumers, and the capabilities of technology, this is no longer the case. Consumers are fine-tuning their own experiences on the web and mobile to target localized content. Between geo targeted ad delivery on the internet, re-marketing technology, and GPS enabled mobile devises, local businesses have as much at stake, and opportunity, with integration as do the national advertisers; perhaps more. With each channel, such as display, social or mobile, we can see the connections between channels.

The fact is, people don’t often click on display ads. But, it would be a mistake to assume that this means display is not effective. People who are exposed to display ads, will search for the company or product in the search engines, or type the company website into their browser. In fact, according to a ComScore study there is a 45.7% lift in site visits as a result of exposure to display ads over a 4 week period. If you are not managing your search campaign in synergy with display, you’ll not only miss opportunities, but you’ll also make false attributions.  Your search campaign needs to highlight keywords, ad copy and landing pages that are directly related to the display ads. One of the most dangerous pitfalls in online advertising is creating experiences that diverge from consumer expectations. If your display ads set up expectations that are not experienced through your search, you’ll lose the customer. Unfortunately, when not integrating the two, you’re likely to assume the search campaign stumbled; not seeing the connection to the display program that initiated the search in the first place. By planning from an integrated approach, you’ll leverage the synergies and minimize the mistakes.

Social networks are growing and many consumers see this as the primary mode of communicating online. According to Nielsen, the average user of social media has increased their time in the space by 143%. In total, Americans are spending 210% more time on social networks than a year ago. Email, offline, and even online display advertising can all leverage the power of social media by providing customers with an easy way to become a fan or a follower. Of course, you’ll need to give people a reason. For small businesses, using the social networks can drive customers to the store, running time sensitive offers; Inventory can be move with very targeted messaging; create unique content messaging to niche areas of your customer base. One click from an email, or a display ad, or visit driven by in-store POS can be the start of long relationship with customers. But, it can only happen if you seen the connections between the different media.

Every year it seems like we have more reasons to believe we live in a world of change. Over 2009 and moving quickly into 2010, mobile has exerted itself as a true medium for non-phone two way digital communication. Google is aggressively pushing forward with integrating online and mobile experiences so users can research at their desktop and have the same information available on their mobile. While display advertising is still nascent, location based searches are growing strong. So, you have to managed your location information online. If you don’t, users can easily receive old or even entirely wrong information about your business. Understanding how your address and phone number are managed online is key to developing successful mobile experiences – the two are very connected. Search marketing has also evolved to present click-to-call phone numbers as well as URL. Facebook and twitter have mobile services that let people take the social network with them wherever they are. On the mobile platform, we are seeing the convergence of location information, search, social and display advertising. If you don’t manage the integration of your digital advertising, consumers could very easily have 3, 4 or even more very different experiences with your business, all on the same 3 inch screen.

Integration, and targeted advertising, are available to businesses of every size. I’ve only highlighted a few examples of the inter-connectedness of digital advertising. All are within the control of small and medium size businesses. Whether you take the reins directly, or have an agency handle the heavy lifting for you, make 2010 the year you decide to integrate your digital marketing efforts.

Congress is about to entertain a bill that would regulate the broadcast volume for television commercials.

Rep. Eshoo introduced the H.R. 6209, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM Act) to address loud commercials.

Economy down. Auto sector struggling. 9.4% unemployment. North Korea playing with nukes. Environment & economy dependent on one of the most unstable parts of the world. Families without health care. Kids not reading at grade level in many schools…

Does broadcast volume of tv commercials fit? Of all the things our “leaders” should be addressing, that we as individuals cannot affect, is this even worthy of a conversation?

You know there has always been a connection between search and display advertising results. However, if you talk to the AOL rep, they only know one medium. Ditto with Yahoo!. Throw Ask in there as well. They all have vast display ad opportunities, decent search products (AOL launched Search Market Place – a white label of Ad Words), yet despite much research, including some of their own to support integration, they silo the respective media categories.

Finally, Yahoo is brining them under one roof. Their announcement a couple of weeks ago is a welcome step. In time, our service team will have better access to the display side of the house.  Currently, we deal with different people to buy display and search. There is no connection in the programs internally. This presents a strong disconnect on the side of Yahoo! with our programs. But, this should iron itself out with the new structure.

There is a huge benefit in the self-service search tools, backed by support of the account service team. In addition to a better coordinated program through integrated account teams, I have no doubt that they will adapt the same tool set for managing display programs. This is just one indication that the major players are taking search and display integration seriously.

Some would point to Google as an example of tools already integrated.  However, this is only part of the equation. What gives the others a leg up is the control of and ability to integrate the display and search programs at a strategic level as well as a tactical or tool based level. Google is fine if you just want to throw display ads out to a network, or target some particular sites. But, in their model, no one at Google is an expert in the content sites themselves.

AOL, Yahoo, MSN and (if they care to exploit it) Ask all have the expertise in the content development, user experience and user tracking that can be leveraged in the integration of search and display advertising. A couple of months ago, I mentioned AOL’s search back. This product allows you to target those who searched on a particular keyword (custom), or category of keywords (standard) even if they did not click on your ad. Yahoo has a beta that they closed for further modification that can do very similar targeting. This is the most obvious application of integrated search and display advertising.

Beyond this, they can see the surfing habits of users tracked backwards from specific events, like a particular search. In this, they can develop targeted display based on likelihood to conduct particular category searches. In a longer purchase process, they can target display ads to areas where users tend to go post search on category terms. With the proper modeling, they can utilize their content display programs to target those who were likely to have done a category search on someone else’s search engine.

The bottom line, search and display integration are finally getting a serious look from some of the major companies that have and control both. As search marketers, we need to expand and become familiar with both as well. For years, we have behaved as if search is it’s own little island, acknowledging external impacts, but never really planning with them. That world is over. To continue to be cutting edge search marketers, we now have to understand and be able to work with the display side in a strategic way, if not actually become the display side.

Google’s PPA has launched a litany of articles ranging from an acknowledgement that this is just one more arrow in their quiver, to “Oh no, they are going to put affiliate networks out of business,” and even “PPC is going away.”

For me, it is just another arrow. Unlike PPC, where there were a few so-so players (with many more not so good ones), and they could dominate just by being very good, the PPA world has competition that is quite competent; just as radio sales, t.v. sales and newspapers.  But, this announcement brought to mind the broader guessing game: What’s Google up to?

When the company launched into radio, I though it was far a field. Ditto for t.v.; newspapers, not so much, but still out there. My main contention was and still is that agencies won’t simply step aside as Google develops direct relationships with advertisers, or forces blind buys to media. Advertisers themselves are not necessarily interested in disintermediation either. Well, my perspective was skewed by the nature of my interaction at Google, with the sales and agency relationship groups. While still valid (I believe), I don’t know that it is the relevant perspective.

Google is fundamentally a technology company. The sales side has benefited greatly from the door-opening-great-product, relevancy based PPC Search. They have always said their goal was to make the advertising buying process more efficient. But it was always communicated as something over which Google will have control in the relationship. Media placement decided by Google and the goal of developing direct to advertiser relationships have given me pause. Efficiency is important, relationship control is paramount.

Well, most of the transactions are going to take place with or without Google (SMEs are a different and very viable prospect). But, Google can make them better. By interjecting themselves at all levels, Google can learn what makes the process inefficient at every stage of the marketing communications chain (brand / product awareness down to acquisition), and then offer up the tools to improve it. They become the conduit through which all processes are connected and managed.

Ultimately, I do not see Google owning the advertiser / agency – to– media relationship. But, they may just build the tools on which the agency – media relationship depends. They become the Intel inside the ‘machine.’ Agencies can claim a level of proficiency and acumen as they sell their use of the “Google Media Engine” as part of the tactical implementation of their unique agency strategy skills.

When we sell our skills as agencies, we focus on the strategic abilities we have. Uncovering the unseen, identifying opportunities and ultimately growing our client’s business along side them as no other agency can. Too often though, we get stuck on our media buying prowess. It boils down to efficiency – how much do we get for each dollar spent.

The truth is, any good agency, and there are a lot of them, can, or has access to efficient media buying. It is the minimum price for entry. Nonetheless, we spend a fair amount of time convincing prospects we do this better than anyone. It is a commodity. The real value is in identifying the strategic value of a media and being able to integrate it into the overall objectives.

If Google’s tools can abate this question somewhat and allow us to focus on our truly unique strategic abilities, then they will add a lot to the equation. If, however, they simply try to interject themselves between advertiser / agency and media, I don’t believe it will work out for anyone.

I thought the Google entry into the general media world was approached by the Googlers I met as a bit too simple a process. Almost a foregone conclusion that the agency world and advertisers would jump on the Google express.