Nikon realized significant benefits using SEO at a rate more effective than buying expensive ads on Google and Bing where CPCs in this market segment can run as high as $2.40 per keyword. The campaign integrated keyword research, content optimization, restructuring the Web site using best practices focusing on valuable keywords, and improving navigation to other relevant content on the Nikon USA site. It succeeded in capturing top Google organic rankings at a rate 26 times higher than Nikon's primary competitor. Nikon displaced their primary competitor on Google for 36 percent …

It takes time before some new products catch the attention of consumers. For Volkswagen's launch of the 2012 Passat and Beetle models around the Super Bowl, it took multiple listings in paid search and Facebook campaigns to drive traffic, as well as targeting long-tail competitive brand terms; expansion of distribution of TV spots; football-related site placements like espn.com; and retargeting YouTube VW viewers across the Google Display Network. Web search result impressions for VW during and after the Super Bowl rose by more than 1, 232 percent, compared with the prior …

Gap can tie a 136 percent jump in revenue to automating search engine marketing campaigns, integrating processes with its management system to get the most from bids, and building a system that will enable the company to instantly scale up campaigns as needed. With help from iProspect and Marin Software's tools, automation created 74 percent more product level ad groups, compared with the same period during the previous year, driving up return on ad spend (ROAS) by an estimated 83 percent. The strategy improved speed to market for new products, increased …

Branding Lenovo to reflect its acquisition of IBM personal computers wasn't easy for Covario, but the search agency used paid search on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other engines, as well as advertisements on Google TV Ads to target 18- to 34-year-olds in the U.S., UK and Germany. The results drove up share of impressions by 500 percent, and share of clicks by 55 percent. Visitors to Lenovo Web sites rose 79 percent, with nearly 95 percent of them landing on the page for the first time. Nearly 75 percent came to …

A branded YouTube channel turned into an interactive experience to promote the theatrical release of Dreamworks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 2. Side videos featuring Jack Black came to life as Black asked viewers to drag videos and other page elements inside the main video where Black's adorable animated character, Po, skadooshed (think karate chopped) each item. In addition, more than 30 Easter eggs are hidden inside the branded channel, featuring behind-the-scenes clips of Black. Hint: Look for fortune cookies.

To promote the Season 4 premiere of HBO's True Blood, PHD created a rich-media campaign where multiple videos could be watched without disrupting the viewer's overall site experience. Read: The video stayed put and remained the same size. Changing from clip to clip was seamless: Each clip was assigned a true color to match specific series' characters and viewer favorites. When a specific color was selected, the entire site changed to the same color. Viewers for the season premiere grew 6 percent, up from last year's 3 percent growth.

iPad users who visited the New York Times HTML5 Web site January 18 unexpectedly became detectives when a rich-media ad for the season premiere of USA's White Collar turned actual content into clues to unlock series' videos. The ad ran for one day and featured a virtual scanner in-ad that could be moved throughout the home page to find clues. Scanning copy or images would then reveal a QR code that indicated a video was found and ready for viewing.

Ryan Partnership aimed to establish credibility with Dove Men+Care's target, men ages 25-45, by placing interactive rich-media units themed around the NCAA tournament on top sports sites. In videos, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Bobby Hurley and John Thompson talked about family relationships and memorable NCAA moments - all ways each became "comfortable in my own skin." Users could also take an NCAA trivia quiz and enter a contest for a chance to meet Johnson. Result: high interaction rates on sites where users are typically difficult to engage.

To promote the release of the Toy Story 3 Blu-ray Combo Pack, mOcean targeted the broad audience for Disney's highest-grossing animated film series by creating over 40 advertisements for three different age groups, with varying banner types from simple Flash to more complex interactive quizzes. For example, the adult and general audience versions featured the series' most popular character, Buzz Lightyear, invading the user's screen to deliver news about the Combo Pack. An interactive trivia quiz provided a teaser of the trivia section on the Blu-ray.

Avatar Labs used rich media effectively both to tease new viewers and provide an experience beyond the trailer for presold fans of the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean. On the Yahoo home page, the tease began with the Yahoo logo changed to "Yo ho" and a skull moving across the page. For the Yahoo movies page, fittingly, the takeover was more detailed, with 3-D-like scenes playing. Fans could click on clips ranging from Jack Sparrow's pirate recruitment video to footage of Walt Disney introducing the …