Commentary

Display Ads Lift Searching

by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, January 5, 2009

According to 12 months of proprietary Specific Media Ad Effectiveness data, by comScore, display advertising significantly lifts Online search activity. The study demonstrates that consumers exposed to display advertising were more likely to search for brand terms (i.e. automotive manufacturer), and segment terms (i.e. vehicle class), than unexposed consumers.

Chris Vanderhook, COO, Specific Media, said "... unique post-campaign reporting tools show how display campaigns impact search, site visitation and engagement..."

The study shows that display advertising has a direct impact on both paid and organic searches and clicks.

Display Advertising Lift on Online Search Activity
*Advertiser Category*	*% Search Lift (Brand & Segment)*
Automotive	144%
CPG	22%
Health	260%
News & Media	144%
Personal Finance	206%
Property & Real Estate	125%
Retail	69%
Travel & Tourism	274%
Average Lift	155%
Source: comScore Ad Effectiveness Data, December 2008

David Hallerman, senior analyst at eMarketer agreed that "There is a connection between display and search ads... often it's not the search ad alone that gets consumers to act, but the context of all the marketing that preceded it."

And complementary data from eMarketer says that search and display ads will retain the highest share of online ad spending formats through 2013, and will be the only formats to maintain double-digit share through that period.

US Online Ad Spending by Format(% of Total $ in Billions)
	*% Total Ad Spend*
*Format*	*2008*	*2010*	*2012*
Search	45.3%	48.7%	47.8
Display	19.6	19.1	19.4
Video	2.5	4.4	8.1
Rich media	8.0	7.9	8.0
Classifieds	13.3	10.3	8.0
Lead generation	6.8	5.9	5.4
Sponsorships	2.5	1.9	1.7
E-Mail	2.0	1.8	1.6
Total (billion $)	$23.6	28.5	37.0
Source: eMarketer, November 2008

For additional information from SpecificMedia, please visit here, or from eMarketer, go here.

advertising, research, search

9 comments about "Display Ads Lift Searching".

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Arthur Koff from RetiredBrains.com, January 5, 2009 at 8:59 a.m.
We, at RetiredBrains.com, have found that seniors are more likely to react to an informational sentence or paragraph as opposed to a tile or banner of some kind. At the far end are pop-ups which are avoided by seniors at all cost.
Well written and descriptive information with links at the end are the most effective way to get older Americans to respond.
Reply

Mark Wellman from Webster Atlantic Corporation, January 5, 2009 at 9:02 a.m.

When I factor in traditional media I find that magazine and print ads in general are key to driving qualified prospects to the web. This seems to be a missing component in this analysis.

Randy Ellison from Targoz Strategic Marketing, January 5, 2009 at 9:35 a.m.

I think this line is the most important part of the story.

“... often it's not the search ad alone that gets consumers to act, but the context of all the marketing that preceded it.”

It is never just one element of a campaign, but the total mix that make campaigns successful.

Paul Beatty from GG Publishing, January 5, 2009 at 9:41 a.m.

At last....The print to Web connection is coming to life.
The power of print has never been better. Print drives more buyers to sellers Web site than any other medium.
The readers search products and services....they stopped using bingo card ten years ago.Vertical search is the new response system.Publishers of print must get back to lisening to their readers and advertisers.... 2009 is the year of the "brand".PRINT-WEB-EVENTS.

Frank Strazzulla from Target Media Sales, January 5, 2009 at 2:52 p.m.

Problem (especially with younger, electronic-oriented media buyers) is that they think that if they get their information via electronic means, their customer (or target) gets it that way also...which is dead wrong when dealing with an older target...

Search engines assume you know what you are looking for (therefore, they have largely wiped out the magazine directory sector)-however they are not suited to sell a product that the prospective customer does not know they need (yet)...same with banner ads on web sites...

Print is still the best way to do this...

Paul Beatty from GG Publishing, January 6, 2009 at 9:37 a.m.

Display Ads Lift Searching
Every "print" publisher and salesperson should take this research with them on every call.Print is the driving force to digital and events. Measuring the print to Web connections represnts the opportunity of a lifetime.

Erin Martin from School Family Media, January 6, 2009 at 11:17 a.m.

Please clarify. By display ads, you mean online banner ads, yes? Or do you mean print ads? I assumed you meant online banner ads on sites. Please confirm either way. Thanks.

Leslie Van Buren, January 6, 2009 at 12:54 p.m.

This study refers to ONLINE display advertising, including banner ads like Erin first commented.

If you follow the link to the eMarketer article, they refer to display advertising and comment on the percentage of online advertising budget they predict display advertising will comprise through 2014 Also from eMarketer's site: "Research and Analysis on Digital Marketing and Media, Objective Analysis of Internet Market Trends."

Jason Luis from Doremus, January 6, 2009 at 6:39 p.m.

I’d like to see the study. The results are too vague and and here are just some of the questions I have:

How how much was spent to see the lift in each category? How many impressions were served for each category?

What does “% of Search Lift” mean? For example, does this mean search query volume or search clicks? This makes a difference since paid search is a function of many things including budgets and click through rates.

Also, correlation does not equal Causation! IE, These verticals can be advertising more during the study because we know that there are more people in the market for those products at that time.

I'd recommend creating formal testing process to see results for your specific clients before making any big bets.