Everyone knows that search ads are for direct response, right? But what if it turns out that search advertising also has a powerful effect on branding?
That's exactly what we learned from a
new meta-study run by Google and Ipsos MediaCT in 2013. We partnered with Ipsos to run 61 studies across 12 verticals, from auto to retail. Here's what the study found: search ads lift top-of-mind awareness by an average 6.6 percentage points.
In each of the studies, 800 qualified consumers ran simulated searches for certain category keywords, like “hiking boots” or “small cars” on their desktop or laptop. They were then shown either a Control search engine results page (SERP) or a Test SERP created for the study, which put the test brand in the top search ad position.
Consumers were then asked to name which brand first came to mind for the category keyword. An average of 14.8% in the Test group named the test brand, while just 8.2% of the Control group named the same brand. That’s a 6.6 percentage point increase or an average 80% lift in top-of-mind awareness.
6.6 percentage points was the average lift, but some vertical-level results were impressively higher. In CPG, top-of-mind awareness was 11.1%, and search ads lifted top-of-mind awareness by an average of 8 percentage points to 19.1%. In auto, there was an average lift of 9 percentage points. Those are numbers any brand manager would be glad to see in the morning report.
What's behind these big increases? In part, simply this: search ads reach people who are already in a highly receptive mindset. After all, they are actively searching for topics related to your business, product or service. If your brand appears front and center in that moment, as they search, there's a strong likelihood they'll remember you.
Or to say it more simply: search ads can help build brand awareness.
There's a lot more on this study - read it now on the
Think with Google site.
Posted by Bao Lam, Search Ads Product Marketing Manager
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