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The Malcolm Auld Blog

Tag Archives: PPC

Google does it (again), maybe you should too…

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Malcolm Auld in Advertising, BIG DATA, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Digital, Direct Marketing, Marketing, PPC, SEM & SEO, Social Media

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

branding, digital marketing, direct marketing, Google, marketing, PPC, press advertising

I run a seminar called “Google does it why don’t you…“. In it, I reveal how Google is one of the world’s largest users of direct mail to acquire new customers. Read more here.

Hilariously (or more likely sadly) it sometimes upsets delegates when I reveal the truth. They get p****d off that Google uses proven media channels to promote its business, not just digital channels. They thought the seminar was going to unmask some amazo digi-secrets they can steal.

Well the seminar does share secrets. It reveals that to succeed with marketing in the digital world, you must not just focus narrowly on the digital channels. You risk losing your business if you rely solely on digital. Like Google, you should use a range of different media to grow your business – here’s an example:

Google Red 9300

Google – one of the world’s largest users of direct mail to grow business

To the detriment of the marketing industry, too many marketers have become digi-lemmings (following fashion rather than function) in the pursuit of what’s good for their career, rather than their brands. John Hancock’s brilliant essay – The marketer stripped bare and our nude future – explains it well.

So Google’s latest campaign in Australia should come as no surprise. Here’s one of the full page colour press ads (that’s FPC to use marketing jargon) now running in local suburban newspapers. That’s right folks – Google is running local newspaper advertisements – not a digital platform in sight.

press ad

Google’s FPC local press ads

The campaign is also on bus-sides and posters. And not that long ago Google also ran newspaper ads promoting Adwords. And in an amazing use of commonsense, the ads use sales language to convince prospects to buy. None of this comfy content, written in the vain hope you will read the warm fuzzies and be inspired to open your wallet as a result. Google asks for orders.

google-print-ad

So if Google is using the proven media channels and techniques as well as digital channels, why have most marketers chosen to dump what works, in favour for what in many cases, is yet to prove its worth?

The digital emperor’s new clothes are starting to be seen for what they are.

So if you are using a digi-spruiker who is foolishly directing you to only promote your business in digital channels, please save them from their folly. Fire them and send them on a 101 Marketing Course. They’ll thank you for it eventually.

After all, what’s “Good for the Google” has to be “Good for the Gullible”….

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PPC advertising is much older than you think…

15 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by Malcolm Auld in Digital, SEM & SEO

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

digital marketing, PPC, SEM, SEO

Ask any young digi-marketer – particularly those who have only been in the workforce post the great dot con – ‘how old is PPC advertising‘ and they’ll inevitably say about 10 years. Some may guess at 15 years, or say ‘as old as Google‘.

The fact is, PPC advertising is at least 80 years of age, possibly older.birthday cake

PPC advertising was started by direct marketers before WWII. It was called Pay Per Coupon advertising where the advertiser paid the media owner a commission based on the number of coupons received from ads that ran in that publisher’s print publications.

Then came an amazing new service that transmitted voice over data lines (known commonly as the telephone) and Pay Per Call emerged where media owners were paid commissions on the number of calls received from an advertisement. This grew with the penetration of televisions and phones in homes.

Now in the new century we have Pay Per Click, the latest evolution of PPC, where the media owner is paid when people click on ads on websites. The major difference is the faster speed of measurement and the depth of associated data.

Even the landing page tests of Pay Per Click ads are just versions of the original split-run tests conducted in traditional print and mail media.

Many young marketers don’t study history. They assume that because something is new to them, it is new to the world. It’s an easy trap to fall into – our tertiary marketing education is quite out of touch. The first thing we do when we employ university graduates is give them remedial education to bring them up to date and make them useful.

Young marketers are making expensive mistakes as they learn new technology. Yet if they took time to understand the ways of marketing and what has always worked in all media, their results would improve and their careers progress faster.

That’s assuming of course they are interested in results and careers?!

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PPC advertising is much older than you think…

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by Malcolm Auld in Digital, SEM & SEO

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Tags

digital marketing, PPC, SEM, SEO

Ask any young digi-marketer – particularly those who have only been in the workforce post the great dot con – ‘how old is PPC advertising’ and they’ll inevitably say about 10 years. Some may guess at 15 years, or say ‘as old as Google’.

The fact is, PPC advertising is at least 80 years of age, possibly older.

birthday cake

PPC advertising was started by direct marketers before WWII. It was called Pay Per Coupon advertising where the advertiser paid the media owner a commission based on the number of coupons received from ads that ran in that publisher’s print publications.

Then came an amazing new service that transmitted voice over data lines (known commonly as the telephone) and Pay Per Call emerged where media owners were paid commissions on the number of calls received from an advertisement. This grew with the penetration of televisions and phones in homes.

Now in the new century we have Pay Per Click, the latest evolution of PPC, where the media owner is paid when people click on ads on websites. The major difference is the faster speed of measurement and the depth of associated data.

Even the landing page tests of Pay Per Click ads are just versions of the original split-run tests conducted in traditional print and mail media.

Many young marketers don’t study history. They assume that because something is new to them, it is new to the world. It’s an easy trap to fall into – our tertiary marketing education is quite out of touch. The first thing we do when we employ university graduates is give them remedial education to bring them up to date and make them useful.

Young marketers are making expensive mistakes as they learn new technology. Yet if they took time to understand the ways of marketing and what has always worked in all media, their results would improve and their careers progress faster.

That’s assuming of course they are interested in results and careers?!

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