24/7 Real Media launches Search Re-Targeting to join up Search and Display advertising
London – September 10, 2007 – 24/7 Real Media, Inc., the leading global digital marketing company, today introduced Search Re-Targeting, a new technique for targeting and serving digital advertising on the company’s media network, as well as our partners’ websites and the Global Web Alliance. It also announced the results of the first UK trial of the service, which increased click through rates of a campaign for foreign currency provider, Interchange FX, by eight times.
For the first time, advertisers have the ability to re-target potential customers that have already shown interest in their products through their search queries on major search engines such as Google and Yahoo!. The Search Re-Targeting process begins with users’ initial search queries on any major search engine. Users who click through the text ads corresponding to their search can then be retargeted via display advertising on all the websites comprising 24/ Real Media’s Global Web Alliance. This combination of search marketing and display advertising provides a powerful new tool for reaching users with relevant messaging as they browse the Internet.
The display ad creative can be modified in line with the keyword or keyword group that was originally queried. The creative can also be directly related to the stage in the buying cycle that the consumer had reached. For example, a month after the original search, when it may appear the consumer is losing interest in a purchase, a creative offering a discount could be served. This new re-targeting option allows advertisers to reach only those users who are potential customers, with a message that is relevant to their search queries. Search Re-Targeting keeps end-users engaged with more personalised, relevant advertising experiences, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions.
Interchange FX has carried out the first live UK trial of Search Re-Targeting over the past month, and is already reaping the benefits of this new integrated advertising strategy. The company ran two identical display advertising campaigns but had 24/7 Real Media introduce its Search Re-targeting into one of them and found that click-through rates increased by eight times as a result.
John Harrison, CEO of Interchange FX, said: “We are now able to serve adverts to consumers based on what we know they are actually interested in buying, so it isn’t surprising to see that our click-through rates have increased by eight times. Using Search Re-Targeting has really taken us beyond previous techniques that we’ve used, such as behavioural and demographic targeting, which have only told us which sites users like to visit.”
Commenting on the new product, Ed Stevenson, UK Managing Director of 24/7 Real Media, explained: “Search marketing currently has a four per cent sale conversion rate. That means that 96 per cent of customers who click through on a search result simply disappear as far as the company in question is concerned. Search Re-Targeting allows these users to be re-targeted with relevant advertising, based on their key word searches, when they revisit sites in our Global Web Alliance or those of our partners. We believe that this ability to integrate display campaigns with search represents an enormous step towards unlocking the Internet’s vast reach and targeting potential.”
Search Re-Targeting is available to advertisers on the Global Web Alliance, a network of over 950 sites serving advertising impressions to 121 million unique users across the world. As part of this new capability, 24/7 will offer consolidated search and media performance reporting, allowing for more sophisticated optimization and greater accountability. 24/7 is already managing Search Re-Targeting campaigns for clients in North America, Europe, and the Asia/Pacific region. Results have shown a marked increase in display advertising click-through and conversion rates, as well as enhanced tracking of conversions from search campaigns on the display side.
Search Re-Targeting compliments 24/7’s full range of targeting options, which include behavioural targeting, contextual targeting, geo-targeting, and traditional retargeting.
“Marketers have seen the tremendous potential of digital advertising and will continue to shift resources from offline media to digital media,” continued Stevenson. “As this transition occurs, marketers will look for partners that can help them across all digital media – from search marketing, to display advertising, to mobile and digital television. Our goal is to provide integrated services and technology to help marketers reach the right consumer in any digital medium in any part of the world. Search Re-Targeting is the latest in a series of innovations designed to realise that goal.”
About 24/7 Real Media, Inc.
24/7 Real Media, Inc. a WPP company, is the leading global digital marketing company, empowering advertisers and publishers to engage their target audiences with greater precision, transparency and ROI. Using its award winning ad serving, targeting, tracking and analytics platform, powerful search marketing capabilities and global network of specialized Web sites, the company has turned the art of reaching audiences across virtually any digital medium into a measurable science. The company is headquartered in New York, with 20 offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, please visit www.247realmedia.com.
24/7 Real Media: The Science of Digital Marketing.
