Search Feud Squares Off At Search Insider Summit, Revealing A Changing Industry

by Laurie Sullivan, Apr 24, 2012, 11:16 AM

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In five years, what search engine will become your default, and what industry vertical will eventually benefit most from ads integrated with voice search? These and other questions for executives at agencies, platform providers and brands during the search feud game at the MediaPost Search Insider Summit on Monday led by Kenshoo CMO Aaron Goldman, provide insight into the mindset of search engine marketers (SEMs).

Search contestants broke into two groups -- Agency Anarchy, and Misc. Mayhem -- answering questions in a Family Feud style related to a survey of about 100 SEMs that Goldman ran prior to the conference.

The teams: Alan Osetek, president at Resolution Media; Stephanie Ridley, SVP, search director, Starcom MediaVest Group; and David Rifkin, vice president of search at Atrinsic, pulled for the Agency Anarchy team. Craig Macdonald, senior director at Microsoft Advertising; Jen Brady, founder and CEO at Fred & Associates; and Ryan Bruss, manager of search engine marketing at All Star Directories supported the Misc. Mayhem team.

The team played three rounds. The winner could tell Goldman to rap on any topic of their choosing. And while Search Feud appeared to be entertaining, the real value came from the survey data and both teams' ability -- or lack thereof -- to pinpoint the trends.

When asked "Why do you use search engines?," forty-six survey participants said to find things/stuff, followed by 22, information/research/answers; 10, deals/shopping; 7, businesses/locations; and 5, navigation/lazy.

Most people participating in the survey -- 43% --rely on desktops or PCs to search for content, followed by 29, laptops/notebooks; 14, mobile phones; 8, PC/mobile, 8; and 5, tablets.

In five years, what default search engine will you use? Some 77 survey participants said some type of platform from Google; followed by 9, Facebook; 6, not sure/don't know/not created; 3, Google/Yahoo/Bing Merger; and 3, Bing.

Bonus-round questions ranged from what type of device people would search from in the future to the vertical that will most benefit from voice search.

The first bonus round asked: In five years, what device will you search from the most? Sixty-nine survey participants said phone; 11, tablet; 7, not created yet; 5, mined from a chip in the brain; and 2, PC/desktop.

In the second bonus round, survey participants were asked to name a voice-activated mobile application. Thirty-four said Siri; followed by 28, don't know; 15, Google; 6, Dragon Diction; and 1, Meow Meow Fun Games.

When asked what company will profit the most from voice search, forty-seven said Google; 25, Apple; 3, AT&T/Telecom; and 1, Resolution Media, Kenshoo, Jingle, MSFT, GM/Auto, Local.

What industry vertical would benefit the most from ads integrated with voice search? Forty-six said Retail/Restaurants/Local; followed by 37, Travel; 11, Entertainment/Music; 3, Banking; and 2, Automotive.

And if you could pick any living person to be the voice of a search engine, who would it be? Nineteen survey participants said Morgan Freeman; followed by 18, James Earl Jones; 6, Allstate guy/Dennis Haysbert, 2, Alec Baldwin; 2, Alan Rickman; 2, Tim Allen; and 1, Bobcat Goldthwaite.

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1 comment on "Search Feud Squares Off At Search Insider Summit, Revealing A Changing Industry".

1. Larry Kim from WordStream, Inc.
   

   commented on: April 25, 2012 at 2:49 p.m.
   this is pretty funny :)

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