The Digital Lookout

Microsoft is aiming to prove the branding influence of paid search ads by tracking the impressions and allocating them back to repeat searches, website visits and subsequent purchases.  The branding influence of search has long been debated with many believing that there is a branding benefit to be had by appearing high on PPC listings which comes as a hidden benefit to the pure direct return which is often associated with paid search channel.

True branding connoisseurs I’m sure would argue that it isn’t possible to build a brand experience, and certainly a significantly positive one, through 3 lines of text.  But the fact of the matter is that a searcher on a generic term will scan the paid search listings (as well as the natural search results) to see who is appearing before deciding which PPC ad to click.  So there is surely some conversion attribution to be had from PPC impressions which could then ultimately result in a brand term search and conversion.

This is what Microsoft are aiming to prove.  Presumably using similar technology to that which is used by adserving software, placing a cookie on the users computer upon impression which remains in place to allow the tracking of future actions.  This technology wont be able to track through to conversion without placing code on the advertisers sites but some may be willing to do this for greater visibility of the impact of paid search impressions on the buying cycle.

The timescales of such a cookie can be all important in this form of tracking in order to gauge its accuracy.  Adserving softwares track post impression conversion up to 90 days after the original viewing which is pretty excessive in my view.  this is far longer than the normal buying cycle even for a considered product and so it will be important for Microsoft and any advertisers participating to set a realistic timescale in which the impression could have an impact.

The results should be interesting and could lead to more emphasis on PPC if a branding impact can be proven.  By allocating both a direct return and a brand impact Microsoft will be hoping that advertisers will be willing to increase CPCs and inflate the cost of sale they are willing to pay, obviously resulting in more revenues for the search engine.  I’m sure most advertisers will take some convincing though so the results will have to be pretty impressive.

Google has this week launched into closed beta testing its new media planning and buying tool, to be know as Google Adplanner.  The web based software enables media planners and buyers to build schedule’s for their clients using Google’s placement network.  The functionality looks pretty neat with the ability to filter the sites based on demographic and geographic factors and the ability to see all the volume information currently available through the adwords interface.  In itself the adplanner tool is only useful for the placement network and so has limited use to the every day media planner.  But you have to assume that somewhere along the line this functionality will be rolled out across non google sites, and if incorporated with double click adserving technology, will transform Google into an adserving and media planning provider.  One to look out for as Google tries to strengthen its grip on non search related markets.

Google has announced that it will now be accepting 3^rd party ad serving tags for its placement targeting network in the US and has plans to roll this out in the UK in the near future.  This is a big step for them and no doubt is linked to the double click acquisition in some way.  The Google Image ads network has long been a no go area for media planners due in no small part to the fact they didn’t accept 3^rd party tags.  This announcement could mean a big growth spurt for the network as it should attract more advertisers which in turn should attract more publishers and also publishers of a higher quality.  I would argue that Google needs to clean up their network a little in order to improve quality but you cant dispute the fact they have a large number of sites on board in a large number of verticals which could be tempting for the niche advertisers trying to build an effective media plan.  There’s no doubt the ability to select individual sites, the flexible pricing and now the acceptance of 3^rd party tags makes Google a viable option for future media plans and one good media planners should investigate.

Google this week announced the launch of a free adserving solution which is to be known as Google Ad Manager.  According to the release notes this will be a free service allowing the serving of ads across the Google network but also on third party sites.   This is an interesting development from Google and Im sure the fact the announcement was made a couple of days after the Double Click purchase was approved is no coincidence as the platform will undoubtedly harness some of the Double Click technology and.  But what does this mean to other adserving providers in the market?  Are they about to see customers leaving in their hoards to move towards this free platform? I doubt it.  If we take Google Analytics as a case in point then we can see what is more likely to be the result.   Google Analytics provides a stripped down version of many of the bigger tracking solutions which is great for smaller advertisers/website owners who want to know what an idea for what results are coming from their online activity without the complexity and in depth analysis capabilities of a full analytics package.  Many small to medium size companies use it because it is free and serves their needs.  I am expecting the same will be the case with Ad Manager.  I can’t see it holding all the sophisticated functionality of the top ad serving solutions but how many smaller advertisers actually fully utilise the capabilities of adserving? Not many I would argue.  Functionality such as retargeting, ad optimisation, message testing, are available within all the big suppliers, but are rarely used due to the necessary investment of time and resource.  So a stripped down version will appeal to these advertisers as it provides what they need for no cost.  For the advertiser/agency which fully utilises the functionality of their adserving tool, AdManager will not have the same appeal and so these people will stick with their current solution and be happy to pay a price for the increased functionality. Another reason people may stay away is the potential IP you are giving away to Google.  If you run and Adwords account, use Google Analytics, have a Google Site Map, a Google Product Feed, and then and Ad Manager solution, you are essentially telling Google everything you do to promote your website online.  Is this the sort of information you want to hand over about your company?  Another question to ask is how long is it going to be free for?  Google Analytics is going to be a chargeable service from next year and the same could be planned for Ad Manager.  It will be interesting to see how many people stick with Analytics when it is no longer free. So is Ad Manager going to change the face of adserving? I doubt it.  In fact the more interesting proposition is the suggestion by Google that it plans to make DoubleClick free in the future, but that’s a post for another day!