Whereas not too long ago search marketing barely had a seat at the media-planning table, today it is getting more of the attention it deserves, according to panelists at the Direct Marketing Days New York Conference Wednesday.
“We’re no longer just given the last five minutes before lunch” at media planning sessions, said Alan Boughen, a partner at NeoSearch@Ogilvy.
Moreover, search can be the cornerstone of any integrated direct marketing campaign, and marketers are waking up to its ability to work with—and even take the lead from—other media, such as television, they said.
“We can show a direct correlation between running TV ads and getting search impressions,” said Boughen. “It’s not that difficult to sell anymore.”
Added Amy Auerbach, vice president, group account director, Media Contacts: “The results are so proven now that people are saying ‘let me start with search.’”
Still emerging, however, is how people search and how marketers can capitalize on consumers’ search behavior.
For example, Boughen said, research has shown that in researching electronics, consumers will do 20 searches over six weeks. “And then they go to Best Buy and buy it there, which is fine” he said. But this behavior should make marketers think twice about deciding not to buy a key word just because that particular word didn’t convert, he said.
“Search is not about instant gratification; it’s a research tool,” he said. As a result, he added, “if you aren’t in the second search, you may not be in the 20th.”
Not surprisingly, one group that still has trouble getting excited about creating good search ads are agency creatives, the panelists sad.
“It’s hard to get people who go to glorious spots around the world and create TV spots to come down to earth and write search copy,” said Auerbach.
Still, creatives aren’t completely unreachable on the topic of search, said Scott Delea, senior vice president and general manager of e-marketing services at Digital Grit.
“Creatives can at least get interested in search as a research tool into the mindset of their target audience,” he said.
The panel—dubbed “Ad Agencies Speak Out—Adding Value and Measuring Results for Direct Marketers”—began as a discussion on integrated marketing and how to break down barriers between different disciplines.
In order to break down so-called “silos” in clients’ organizations, agencies must break down barriers within their own organizations, said Delea.
“You have to practice channel agnosticism and put clients’ clients first,” he said.
Noah Elkin, vice president of communications for ICrossing moderated the panel.
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