It is 2012. Google was founded in 1998 and launched AdWords (Google’s paid search platform) two years later. “Impressions”, “clicks”, “CTR”, “CPC”, “average position” are now part of the vernacular. However when you don’t understand something, you fear considering the option. There has been lots of jargon and a serious lack of expertise in the search space for some time. Perhaps this is the reason why search was the responsibility of the display team to manage and try to integrate into the rest of the media mix.
Today we all have a much better understanding of search; we get how it works, we know how highly targeted of a medium it can be. We have an influx of client case studies demonstrating its cost efficiencies in terms of lead generation and acquisition. Search ‘hubs’ have since emerged in agencies as well as boutique, ‘specialised’ search companies. Search is well and truly coming into its own right.
However as Search comes into its own, it is fair to say there is a tension between Search and Display; a love/hate relationship if you will. Why? Because they are constantly compared as they compete for advertising dollars. Often, because both are ‘online’ mediums, marketers group them together and forget about their uniqueness and individual features and benefits. Display, for instance, aims to engage users and have them spend maximum time on content-related sites, while search tries to deliver the user to their desired destination in the least amount of time. Search ads are text based and somewhat ‘boring’ when compared to the large, flashy, interactive formats available in display ads, however; search ads are generally much more targeted, relevant and are directly related to a user’s query. These two disciplines definitely deserve to have their own place in the marketing mix.
Moreover, with the rapid advances and innovations in technology, the growth of data and precision of targeting – why are we still attributing all the tremendous efforts we put out into the last click? This model is getting far too old and should be made redundant. Combining search and display campaign data is crucial this day and age in order to deliver better ROI for clients. Technology such as Media Mind’s channel connect looks at click path attribution and demonstrates how one channel (ie. search and/or display) influences the other. Soon enough we will be able to take these findings further, and start seeing correlations between what time and how a TVC triggers interest online, so that all mediums get recognised throughout the consumer journey and for scoring that conversion.
“Younger sister” maybe but perhaps not for long, that is if this perception is still lingering around at all. Search and display will always be ‘related’ in that they will always influence one another but they need to be seen as separate disciplines that each play a vital role in the overall consumer experience. How we then measure the impact via click path analytics and attribution modeling should also be a core aspect of channel planning for clients today.
Yana Portnoy
Search Manager
Mindshare
THE ADNEWS NGEN BLOG: Is search still seen as the younger sister to display?
23 April 2012