7.1     INTRODUCTION

*pg 210* Has online advertising spend overtaken TV? The Ofcom report mentioned in the first research snapshot covers all communications media (as well as the Internet) and so makes interesting reading. It is available for download on The Communications Market 2008. June '09 saw a breakthrough for online advertising when - for a couple of top programmes - online showings commanded higher advertising rates than they did on prime-time TV, see Loyal 'Simpsons' Fans Fetch Higher Ad Rates on Web. Another breakthrough came in September '09 when it was announced that for the first six months of the year the Internet overtook television to become biggest advertising sector in the UK.

Perhaps an example that online advertising is 'getting its act together' is this research - Online Consumers Most Receptive to Ads in Evening. This kind of data has been commonplace in offline advertising for ... well, ever - but it has taken a while to move online. One comment I would make on these findings, however. The last sentence states that 'Social networking in particular has a high level of receptivity' - which I find odd given that all of the social media sites are losing money because [virtually] no one is clicking on the ads on their pages.

This paper from IBM - Beyond advertising: Choosing a strategic path to the digital consumer - is a bit complex, so I have made the link to an excellent analysis of it - the full report in pdf format is available from the report.

Don't forget there are also online advertising sections on my own website in tips, hints and advice and interesting articles.

*pg 215* Engagement mapping: Take a look at this interesting article.

In the text I mention 'pay-per-call' as an advertising model, this article - Locals Only Pay-For-Call: Moving Clicks To Live Sales Leads - covers it in more detail. Note that the examples in it are mainly B2C - the model is also used in B2B where products are rarely purchased without some kind of contact before an order is placed.

Much is written about the effectiveness of online ads but this reseach shows it in a new light, suggesting that just because users do not click on an ad does not mean they are not responding to it. On the same subject is this article (make sure you take a look at the report [The Silent Click: Building Brands Online] on which it is commenting), and this one - Display Ad Success Beyond the Click - which says online banner ads help sell consumer packaged goods. All of these are important as it seems that clicks on banners are reducing, see Display-Ad Clickers Nosedive 50%.

I say in the book that lead generation is one of the three key online advertising objects, and this article - Cost-Per-Lead Figures Vary by Vertical - considers how much it costs to obtain a lead. It also includes different definitions for a 'lead', with basic being data like a user's name, e-mail address and postal address, whilst premium data including additional information such as telephone numbers and social networking usernames.

*pg 221* Social media has few friends in advertising: Here is some more research which supports that mentioned in the book - SocNet Ads Not Relevant to 81% of Millennials.

*pg 223* Girls like gaming ... : A couple of articles on The Nielsen Gamer Study - one and two.

Which type of ad is most effective will normally depend on the objectives of the ad campaign, however this - Article-Based Ads Generate Most Action, Pop-ups Least Inspiring offers some advice. Note that what this article refers to as 'article based ads', in the book I refer to them as ads that are 'within textual content'.

*pg 226* In-text advertising: An example of poor practice.

This article - Is Display Catching Up To Search? - lists the advantages [and advances] of banner ads.

*pg 228* The pop-up now leaving ...: For another example of how pop-ups can work, check out the entry on my blog about them - pop-up ads aren't all bad.

In the text I list a number of different ad formats - here are some new ones.

*pg 228* The Interactive Advertising Bureau's website has a list of guidelines including recognized a banner ad sizes, pop-up guides and rich media packages.

For the newcomer to the subject, PPC advertising can be confusing - so here is an excellent video from Google's Hal Varian - Google explains how search ads rank and cost. Although I have included this video in this section, the same model is used for Google's network ads [the next section of this chapter].
As an aside to this link, in chapter 3 we considered the use of video in website content. Although this is actually hosted on YouTube, it is an example of how video can be used to explain or demonstrate a product - the Modeller's Stand, perhaps.

For marketers - and marketing students - segmentation is [probably] at the route of everything they do. Here's a straight-forward article on how to apply that concept to PPC advertising.

On the subject of branded keywords, see Paid Search Ads & Trademarks: A Review Of Court Cases, Legal Disputes & Policies.

The title of this article - Should I buy PPC ads if I rank organically? - is an oft-asked question. Its writer offers one answer, but make sure you read the comments - not everyone is of the same opinion.

*pg 237* Search engine advertising as a competitive advantage: Another example of reacting to the misfortunes of a competitor is this: Statistics from HitWise (www.hitwise.co.uk) showed that when airline Flyzoom went bust in August 2008, visits to the sites of competitors who provide transatlantic flights surged - as, no doubt, did searches on appropriate keywords. Savvy online marketers might have been able to pick up more than their share of that 'distress' business with a well executed search engine advertising campaign. For another example of this concept, see You Say 'Tomato,' I Say, 'Whole Foods': Use Paid Search To Get Your Message Out!

Far and away the most popular ad network is Google's AdWords, and this - The maximum effect - advice is direct from Google, including a DIY-type worksheet.

Pros and Cons of Online Ad Networks does what it says in its title - and is supported by research.

March 2009 saw Google launch its latest network advertising innovation - a form of behavioral targeting called Interest-Based Advertising. The concept is that the websites that a user visits are used to target ads on subsequent sites that feature Google ads. For example, someone who visits a sports site regularly will see more sport-related ads. There are 30 top line categories and around 600 detailed categories that advertisers can choose from. Furthermore, users can select their own categories to determine the ads that they will see.

*pg 247* Parasites copycats and spammers: Read How Merchants Can Recognize and Fight Affiliate Fraud.

Why affiliate management is so important is a tale of how affiliate marketing can all go wrong if you don't manage it properly.

Mini-stat - affiliate marketing.

The gist of this article - UK vs US affiliates: Similarities and differences - is reflected in its title. However, it does end with some of the key problems of the concept, as does this one - Affiliates: Trusted Allies Or Conniving Cannibals?. This one - Is It Time to Affiliate? - on the other hand, is more positive.

*pg 248* Not using a landing page damages the chances of online ads meeting their objectives: Here's some examples of bad practice - miles away with this email & landing page , bad-[or no]-landing-page practice, PPC landing page waste, and you'd think an airline would know about 'landing' pages?

*pg 250* Google's guide to landing page and site quality and business models to avoid.