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THINK WORKSTHe GOldeN SummeR

September 2012

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Welcome!There’s a nip in the air which means Autumn is nearly here. As we start the new ‘school year’, the mind turns to challenges and opportunities ahead and, dare I say it, the holiday season.

Even if you’re not quite ready for Jinglebells, why not catch up on the latest developments in digital below. Our September newsletter covers everything from the impact of the BBC Olympic multi-screen coverage on advertisers, to “the end” of SEO as we know it. We also give practical advice on display advertising for mobile and look into website optimisation to improve conversions.

Hope you enjoy it; let us know your thoughts.

mObIle

BBC raises the bar on multi-screeningLondon 2012 was celebrated as “the first truly digital” Olympic Games. Perhaps I’m biased, but for me the most moving part of the opening ceremony was the appearance of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the web.

It seemed to be the moment that the world was stamped ‘digital’. The words “this is for everyone” beamed out above the glow of smartphone screens in the audience. Soon athletes entered the stadium, phones in hand, snapping pictures and posting social messages. An audience all around the globe watched on TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones. Very often they watched on two, even three screens at once.That was what was so exciting about the ground breaking multi-screen service pioneered by the BBC. Fans of the Games were treated to coverage of every single event, broadcast over the air and online simultaneously, with services optimised for all screen sizes. For the first time, a worldwide audience was exposed to a service that was fully integrated across TV, mobile, tablet and desktop.

For the first time, a worldwide audience was exposed to a service that was fully integrated across tV, mobile, tablet and desktop.

insideP1 BBC rAISES THE BAr On muLTI-SCrEEnInG

P4 IT’S THE End OF SEO AS WE knOW IT…

P5 APPS VS dISPLAy In mOBILE AdVErTISInG

P6 CASE STudy: SPEnCEr’S SOLICITOrS

P7 CASE STudy: EFFOrTLESS SkIn

P8 LATITudEIn THE nEWS

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mObIle BBC raises the bar on multi-screening

The numbersThe BBC reported the record breaking visitor number of 55 million to their to their Sport site. A massive 106 million requests for online video were served. The BBC Olympics app was downloaded 2 million times by Android and iPhone users. 33% of visitors arrived from smartphones and 8% from tablets. In other words, over the course of the Games, two in every five BBC website visitors were coming from mobile. during Olympic weekends almost half of all BBC Sport visitors came from mobile and tablet. “Our aspiration was that what the Coronation did for TV in 1953, the Olympics would do for digital in 2012,” said Phil Fearnley, General manager, news and knowledge, BBC Future media.

The BBC set a new standard for every other online service to follow.

prediction versus realityIn our most recent ‘Think Works’ mobile report (Q2), we predicted that the Olympics would be the catalyst that propelled multi-screening behaviour into the mainstream. There were uncertainties, however, when it came to the benefit for online advertisers. While the service from the BBC brought a massive audience online, that same audience was using a service that has no commercial advertising. The question was whether these users would engage in other web services while online, or would Olympics-themed services dominate their attention?

We found that some of our Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns benefited. Sports betting adverts saw mobile click proportions similar to those reported by the BBC. On Wednesday 1 August, the proportion of mobile clicks increased in time with the biggest televised team GB events of the day, suggesting pronounced multi-screening behaviour:

l 11am – 1pm: Team GB Rowing

l 3pm: Bradley Wiggins

l 6pm: Andy Murray vs Marco Baghdatis

l 8pm: Team GB vs Uruguay Football

Weekend 28–29 July

n desktopn mobilen Tabletn TV

39%

9%

4%

48%

30 July to 01 aug

30%

7%

2%

61%

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

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mObIle BBC raises the bar on multi-screening

The outcome headlinesl Sports advertisers’ betting

services clearly saw a benefit from the Olympics due to a high degree of relevance to the broadcast action.

l The benefit of the Olympics only applied to websites that were in some way relevant to the event.

l retail PPC campaigns saw opposite trends to Sportsbook, with the proportion of mobile clicks falling whenever key events were broadcast.

What can advertisers learn?The takeaway learning for online advertisers here is that relevance is still king. As marketers, we are used to improving relevance between our search marketing ads and keywords, and we work hard to put our display ads on the most relevant placements. The trends during the Olympics highlight that we now need to think hard about the relevance of our products and ads on other screens. The BBC pulled it off; now the rest of us must follow.

Ben WightmanHead of PPC

Sportsbook: % ppc clicks by device

Retail: % ppc clicks by device

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

01-Aug

Sum of mobile Sum of tablet

20%

18%

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

01-Aug

mobile Tablet

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

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THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

Search engine optimisation, as we know it, is dying. While you were once able to attract a relatively high amount of traffic to your website by using relevant keywords and buying links, this type of approach to SEO is now quickly becoming extinct. In fact, adhering to this type of optimisation will not only see rankings sink, but could result in websites disappearing off the search engine results map permanently. As technologies continue to change and develop, new forms of interactivity with search will continue to have a greater and greater impact on SEO.

SeO

it’s the end of seO as we know it… and i feel fine

Adhering to this type of optimisation will not only see your rankings sink, but could result in websites disappearing off the search engine results map permanently.

There are several changes at play that are driving optimisation practices towards a new direction:

1 Google has recently reviewed its privacy policy and, as a result, information on users is now shared across, and gathered from all, Google’s

platforms. This means Google is now able to gather data on what users search and purchase, where they are located and at what times, pulling all this into a personal profile. Google personalises search results for each individual based on this information. In fact, it has been said that the Chrome browser is able to identify an individual based on their browsing habits fairly quickly, even if they are on a computer they’ve never used before.

2The way information is consumed is also changing. Whereas in the past the consumer might have watched TV, then searched for

a product or a service via their desktop, the 2012 consumer will ‘multi-screen’ via tablet device, smartphone and even a laptop while watching TV. This means content across all types of platforms needs to be different while still reflecting the time and place it is most likely to be seen, in order to reach the consumer.

The focus on SEO is, as a result of these changes, shifting from visibility to relevance and quality of content.

the focus on SeO is shifting from visibility to relevance and quality of content.

This means that search results vary between individuals, making ‘ranking number one’ an issue of the past. Creating a user experience that reflects user intent is vital for a successful SEO strategy. The closer you are to being in line with someone’s intent, the more likely they are to listen to the message – persuasion can’t be demanded. It is only when you stop optimising for search results and start optimising for people that you will get better results.

James LoweryHead of SEO

It is only when you stop optimising for search results and start optimising for people that you will get better results

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mobile is one of the fastest growing advertising platforms of 2012, giving advertisers new opportunities to connect with consumers. As a device that can be used for anything from playing games to banking, the mobile phone is a highly engaging communication channel that generates high response levels in consumers.

So, the key issue every advertiser should consider is not if they should advertise across mobile but how they should do it – through mobile web or across applications?

A recent Flurry report states that consumers are now spending an average of 94 minutes per day on apps and 72 minutes on mobile web browsers. This has prompted advertisers to spend 54% of display advertising budget on apps and 46% on browser ad space.

using a mobile app to advertise a product or a service might be a tempting idea but there are several issues that need to be considered before taking your campaign mobile:

ad visibilitySome apps only allow limited time of advertisement screen time, which can have a significant impact on display advertising effectiveness.

brandingThe lack of comprehensive coding standards is also a significant concern, making some display ads hard to incorporate into apps.

ReachApps need to be downloaded to be used which may cause user frustration and delay.

The key issue however is app retention. According to statistics released at the IAB mobile Engage event in may 2012, the majority of app developers lose up to 96% of their audience after the first 12 months. While there are some exceptions, such as banking apps, which generally have longer shelf-lives than gaming apps for example, this is a major consideration for those looking to buy app advertising space.

dISplay

Apps vs mobile in display advertising

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So which mobile channel is better for display advertising?The answer is not straightforward by any means. There are a number of factors, such as the type of target audience, the nature of products and services, available budget, campaign goals and required features that should be considered before making a decision.

The following tips act as a rough guide:

mobile app advertising:l Apps are generally more appealing to younger audiences and heavy smartphone users so it’s important to think about the target audience

l Costs for ad creation for different mobile handsets are often high – budget is a huge consideration

l Apps provide good advertising opportunities for campaigns aiming at branding and Crm enhancement by using highly engaging contents – thinking about the campaign objectives is crucial

mobile web advertising: l Effective in direct sale and lead generation by reaching a wide range of audiences

l A better solution for smaller and medium sized businesses with restricted budgets due to more affordable costs

Before choosing from mobile advertising options, it’s absolutely crucial to have a mobile optimised website. Having a mobile website is the first step to building a mobile presence online, and enables display advertising to reach the widest audience possible. mobile apps can be developed in the later stages of the campaign to target a niche market and accomplish more specific goals.

Holly WildeHead of display and Performance media

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

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about Spencers SolicitorsSpencers Solicitors is a leading and innovative uk-based personal injury solicitors firm. Their lawyers aim to secure comprehensive compensation for their clients.

The challenge The key call-to-action for visitors on the website is ‘Enquire Online’. Spencers Solicitors’ main focus is for visitors who have been injured to read the firm’s site content to discover whether Spencers Solicitors can help. They also want to make it very simple for injured people to make an enquiry by submitting the form.

The objectives were to:

1 make the website as conducive as possible to generating enquiries.

2 Achieve a conversion rate uplift on the ‘Claim Enquiry’ page.

3 Improve the high bounce rate on the ’Claim Enquiry’ page.

4 Improve the performance of the ‘Claim Enquiry’ page as a landing page.

The SolutionThe conversion analytics team analysed customer behaviour through aggregating views, as well as studying individual user’s sessions. The findings showed a high bounce rate on the claim enquiry page. We also noticed the interaction rate (number of visitors who at least start to fill-out the form) was only 23%, which was lower than we expected given the fact that most visitors had shown intent by originally clicking on the ‘Enquire Online’ link. In addition, Latitude noticed unusually high levels of interaction with Spencers Solicitors’ website accreditation logos, highlighting the need to make these more prominent.

cONVeRSION aNalyTIcS

spencers solicitors’ conversion rate bolts up

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Latitude advised Spencers on a number of changes to improve the website’s conversions. These included making sections on the enquiry page more prominent in order to draw the visitor’s attention to certain parts of the claim form. There were also changes in website copy to make it more persuasive, clear and concise.

CASe StUDY

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

The ResultsWith these changes to the Claim Enquiry page, Spencers Solicitors experienced a remarkable increase in performance, including:

l 55% improvement in the conversion rate of the enquiries submitted through the site

l 17% bounce rate improvement when the page was used as a landing page.

l 39% increase of average visit duration

the conversion analytics team analysed customer behaviour through aggregating views, as well as studying individual user’s sessions.

darren HerbertHead of Conversion Analytics

The Resultsl PPC conversions rate up 103%.

l ROi rises from 266% to 416%.

l Average CPA reduced by 39%.

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about effortless Skin Effortless Skin is a leading uk supplier of skincare and “cosmeceutical” brands.

The challengeAs part of their long-term digital marketing strategy, Effortless Skin invited Latitude Express to take on the management of their PPC account in February 2011. Effortless Skin already had a very strong grasp of running their Adwords campaign in a cost-effective and efficient way. The objective was to increase their online revenue and continually drive their rOI from the paid search channel.

The SolutionThe first step was to take a fresh approach to every campaign by running a comprehensive Search Query report. Latitude Express eliminated keywords that provided zero rOI, and optimised the campaign’s ad groups into more tightly grouped themes.

Latitude Express then ensured that every ad group was targeting dedicated landing pages. Each advert was updated to deliver stronger uSPs and call-to-actions in an effort to stand out from the competition.

laTITude expReSS

effortless PPC conversions

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CASe StUDY

Latitude Express delivers exceptional digital marketing services and results for ecommerce businesses with lower marketing spends. As part of Latitude, a leading uk digital agency that works with uk and international retail, gaming and leisure brands, Latitude Express gives your business access to big agency skill, knowledge and contacts at a significantly lower cost. We are digital marketing specialists; this means that we don’t dabble in other areas of marketing and web development. We are the ecommerce experts.

ABOUT express

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

Kevin spinksSales and Account director

Since partnering with Latitude express, the campaigns have been improving every month. their knowledge and professionalism is second to none, and we have been more than delighted with the resultsstephen elldredTechnical director

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As well as touching on ‘the death of SEO as we know it’ James also discusses the relationship between language, technology and search and explains the power of neuro-linguistic programming.

read more

James Lowery

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laTITude IN THe NeWS

Latitude’s Head of seO James Lowery sat down with Figaro digital Magazine to discuss the future of search engine optimisation.

IN-depTH

dIGITal NeWS

UK leads the race in europemobile technology is revolutionising the way we live and developing at breakneck spend. read more about the growth of mobile and tablet devices in our ‘Think Works’ Q2 mobile report.

download report

mObIle maRKeTING

IN meNa 26 SepTembeR 2012

dubaI, uae

fRee SemINaR fOR maRKeTeRS aNd buSINeSS leadeRS

RSVpMeNA@latitudegroup.com

fINd OuT mORe

quIcKSTaTS

£465bn is the estimated consumer spend per year on digital and physical goods through mobile devices by 2017

14%growth per month pre-roll video advertising inventory available for real-time bidding this quarter

£3bnof retail sales will be influenced by social media by 2014.

fuTuRe GazING

Are you ready?The challenge of managing digital advertising across multiple devices, let alone multiple channels, has never been more relevant. in our Q2 Mobile Report we highlighted the dramatic

growth in the volume and value of visitors from tablet devices and how catering for these prospects could be more important than those from smartphone.

The need to prioritise will continue as we witness the launch of GoogleTV here in the UK and the potential launch of Project Glass in 2013/14, where some of

Google’s functionality will be overlaid directly onto your retina! Agencies and advertisers need to agree ways to better de-dupe activity across these platforms so we’re chasing incremental opportunities and not cannibalising marketing spend.

Are you ready for the challenge? We are.

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

“the language people use when they search is evolving. It’s now much more similar to the way we actually talk.”

Part of the Callcredit Information Group

GeT IN TOucHTo talk about your digital marketing strategy, contact us nowe: info@latitudegroup.comT: 0845 212 223www.latitudegroup.com

Search

Analytics

Social

Affiliate

Display

Academy

abOuT laTITudeLatitude digital marketing has pioneered the use of digital channels in the uk and internationally for ten years. Areas of expertise include search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), social media marketing, online display advertising, affiliate marketing and conversion analytics. The agency works across a range of sectors including retail, gaming, travel and leisure with clients such as Post Office, bet365, run2Sport, Effortless Skin and Haven Holidays.

latitude – exceptional results from the brightest minds in digital.

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THINK WORKS THOuGHT leadeRSHIp SpaRKING excepTIONal ReSulTS

THINK WORKS | THe GOldeN SummeR | September 2012

Latitude is an international agency with native speakers in 15 different languages managing campaigns in 157 countries. We deliver the thought leadership series “Think Works”, which brings cutting edge knowledge and ideas via reports, seminars and email updates to clients, contacts and the wider industry.

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