Click Through Rate
November 27, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
One of the most common questions our sales team are asked is what sort of click through rate should I expect when running a display campaign with Gourmet Ads?
Well there are a number of factors in answering this question. Typically our clients see click through rates (CTR) of anywhere between .19% and 3.8% (yes you read that correct). This because we try to only to run relevant advertising campaigns with in each vertical. Our aim is that food goes with food and wine goes with wine. On occasions we do have clients who actually want to reach a wine audience.
In our experience, some of the factors that contribute to high click through rates include;
- clear messaging|
- engaging creative
- strong branding (brand or product)
- video or flash animation
- proposition or call to action
Finally, the click through rate isn’t always an accurate measurement for the success of an advertising campaign. Recent industry research indicates that branding is just as effective in creating brand recognition as in actually clicking on an ad. We’ve previously written a blog on this topic called Its not always about the click which is well worth the read.
It’s not always about the click
November 25, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
Online advertising is often referred to as the perfect advertising medium because it has the ability to track impressions, clicks, transactions, conversations rates and virtually any other metric a marketer could require. But for companies that don’t actually transact online, say for example products in the grocery aisle, it’s not always about the click it about gaining market awareness or branding; harnessing the power of online.
Brand marketing is marketing your brand as wide as possible to gain attention or market awareness. The aim is to reach as many consumers as possible and the success of a brand marketing campaign is to make sure that the creative is memorable. Not only does it have to be memorable, but they need to engage with the creative somehow. This is so when the consumer goes to the supermarket or grocery store they will have brand recognition with your product.
A memorable brand marketing campaign can be achieved by running a typical TVC in an island ad space (300×250) or engaging them via a viral game or challenge online. The creative will be different depending on the target demographic and obviously the product. Younger consumers are more likely to engage with a fun flash game, whereas beer consumers would see appeal in a superbowl styled TV commercial to gain attention or for a laugh.
So what should the strategy for a food, wine, beer or FMCG company be when developing their brand marketing company? Well it’s rather easy and straightforward;
- Develop advertising creative which engages your target consumer.
- Ensure that it’s memorable.
- Undertake a wide reaching media buy – purchase millions of impressions
So if you can’t refer to the “clicks” or online metrics of your branding marketing campaign, how do you measure the success? Easy, take a look at the increase in sales of your product.
If you need help with your media planning for your branding marketing campaign, then contact us.
2009 Media Planning
November 18, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
For many food and wine companies 2009 media planning is well underway and the trend we’re already seeing is increased online budgets across the board. Many of the companies we deal directly with in the food, wine, beer, tourism and kitchen appliance industries are all looking at online as a cost effective channel to achieve growth in this economic downturn.
It seems that this increased online trend is rather consistent around the globe, especially in both our major markets of the USA and Australia. We believe the increased activity with 2009 media planning is because many companies are reducing their outdoor, print, TV and radio campaigns and are finally shifting over to online.
So how can we help your 2009 Media Planning? Gourmet Ads can help you or your advertising agency develop your 12 month plan to target your audience online throughout the year. By booking media in advance (either 6 month or 12 months) allows us to offers significant discounts on CPM rates, increasing your return on investment.
If you have a Request for Proposal (RFP) or just want to learn more about Gourmet Ads, then simply request a media kit and one of our sales team will be in touch.
Vertical Advertising Increases ROI
November 13, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
Times are tough, economically speaking, and most people are being more aware of their spending habits. Everyone wants to make the most of their money and advertisers are no exception. Advertisers want and need to get the highest ROI (Return on Investment) possible for every ad they purchase. The latest statistics suggest that the best way for advertisers to increase their ROI is through vertical advertising online. Gourmet Ads is a vertical advertising network for food, wine and beer. Its all we do!
Vertical advertising is actually the internet advertising world’s name for the most highly targeted and effective advertising you can get. When using a vertical advertising network to market a product its all about relevancy; such as wine is advertised specifically on websites about wine. A food product, such as low-fat cooking spray would be advertised on a page that specializes in low-fat cooking or even just food in general. Overall Vertical advertising provides a highly qualified click.
Every advertiser knows that with traditional forms of advertising you basically throw your ads out in front of a large group of people and hope that a certain percentage of them are in your target market. But, with vertical advertising all of your advertising dollars are being focused directly on your target market. Vertical advertising provides significant ROI because only people who might be interested in your product see your advertising.
With consumers tightening their belts and decreasing their spending, it is more important now than ever to get a good ROI and create a strong brand image with consumers. Advertisers need their product to be at the forefront of the consumer’s mind every time they make a purchase in order to survive the tough economic times ahead. Historically it has been the companies that understood targeted advertising and the importance of branding that not only survived, but thrived during the worst economic times. In this day and age, vertical advertising is the best way to get a good ROI and increase brand awareness.
To find out more about how vertical advertising can work for your product? Contact us today for information on developing your vertical advertising campaign.
Landing Pages and Conversion Rates
November 12, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · 1 Comment
Today we are going to take a moment to discuss the importance of landing pages and their effects on conversion rates. First of all, let’s go over the vocabulary: A landing page is the first page a customer sees when they click on your advertisement. Your conversion rate is the percentage of the viewers to you website that take a desired action which might be purchasing a product or signing up for your newsletter. Even those companies, who have no intention of selling their products directly online, such as breakfast cereals and ice cream manufacturers, need to have effective landing pages in order to make the most of their online marketing campaigns.
A landing page should usually not be the same as the company’s homepage in most cases. In order to prompt a viewer to action and achieve high conversion rates the website needs to be as specific as possible and make the desired action very clear. A great example of an effective use of landing pages to increase (and track) conversion rates would be a potato chip brand that places an ad. When a viewer clicks on the advertisement they are directed to a landing page all about that brand of potato chips. The call to action on the landing page encourages the viewer to “click here” to download a coupon for the potato chips. Since the person was interested in the potato chips when they clicked the ad, the conversion rates are likely to be quite high. Many people will likely download the coupon and buy the chips on their next shopping trip.
There are several ways for a company to judge the effectiveness of their landing pages and increase their conversion rates. One of the most effective ways is through the use of split testing. Split testing allows a company to create two or more different versions of landing pages and send a segment of their clicks to each one. Then they can view the conversion rates for each landing page version and choose the most effective one. The companies with the highest conversion rates make a habit of regularly split testing their landing pages and making various tweaks and adjustments, because the market is ever changing and there is no guarantee that what worked last month will still be as effective this month.
So how effective do you think your landing page is? Feel free to leave a comment below.
FMCG Advertising Online
November 11, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
For many years FMCG advertising online was virtually non-existent because these products could rely on a combination of print and media ads coupled with in-store promotions to create brand awareness and maintain their market share. But, with so many supermarkets selling their own private labels (house brands like Woolworths Select ) that compete with the top name brands, they are less likely to give fair advertising space in-store for these products. These days, FMCG advertising online helps products like toothpaste, breakfast cereal and dishwasher detergent find alternative ways of branding their products. Highly targeted ads that appear next to recipes are a great way to get a message out to the person who does the majority of the grocery shopping in a home.
FMCG Advertising Online Targets Your Specific Audience
With FMCG advertising online the ads can really focus in on the people most likely to buy particular products. For instance, turkey cooking bags can appear next to recipes for roasting the perfect turkey. A toothpaste that fights tooth stains might do well next to a recipe for blueberry pie or cranberry sauce. And since everything that is cooked means dishes to do, dishwasher detergent can be placed next to just about any recipe with great results.
The reality in this day and age is that if a product isn’t online it almost doesn’t exist in the minds of most consumers. Smart placement of FMCG advertising online where people in the target market are most likely to see it, can have a strong influence on the brand a customer chooses when they walk into a store and are faced with the choice of a brand name or the house brand.
For more information on advertising your FMCG products online or to request a digital media plan for your FMCG campaign, contact us
Advertising Next to Recipes
November 10, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Wine Selectors Island Ad (300 x 250 ) next to a Red Wine Shallot Sauce on Best Recipes website
How much more targeted can an ad get than to be a food ingredient placed directly next to a recipe that calls for that ingredient? Branding is everything when it comes to marketing food products and the most effective way to brand your product is to use the most targeted advertising possible. Think about how many people choose a brand because they are making a specific recipe. I’d be willing to bet that Campbell’s sells more Cream of Mushroom soup during the holidays than any other brand. Why? Because for years they have placed the recipe for “Green Bean Casserole” right on the package. People decide to make green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner and they immediately think, “Campbell’s”.
This same branding phenomenon can work for any food product at any time of year. The goal is to make your brand synonymous with the recipes your product can be used in. The great thing for today’s online advertisers is that more and more people are turning to online recipes for their cooking needs. In fact, according to a recent report by Nielsen’s Net Ratings, at least 60% of people who shop online also use online recipes. This means that the audience for your ingredients is not only extremely targeted, it is also huge! Many people have a computer in or near the kitchen and it is extremely convenient for them to just hop online and search for a recipe, much easier than remembering which cookbook it is in!
Many of your target group of consumers will not only search online for a recipe, they will also run straight to the store to get needed ingredients right after viewing the recipe and they will usually print the recipe to take with them. That means that if your product is advertised next to the recipe your brand will already be in their hands when they make a purchase decision. How much easier does it get than that?
If you want to find out more about advertising next to recipes or for a digital media plan, contact us.
Marketing Culinary Tourism
November 9, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, culinary tourism is defined as “the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences”. What this means is there is a particular audience of people (learn about our food audience) who are willing to travel the world in order to sample and experience authentic international cuisines.
Then there is another audience of people who want to create authentic international recipes at home for a virtual culinary tourism experience. In either event, tourism organizations (including national, state and regional tourism boards) as well and culinary associations and tour operators can benefit from targeted vertical advertising on food related websites. Fine cuisine and travel go hand and hand and a targeted marketing campaign can help drive that point home to these potential gourmet travelers.
Culinary tourism is considered a subculture of cultural tourism and certainly food is a major component of any culture. This trend in culinary tourism can be used to encourage travelers to visit other states or even foreign countries on a quest for the best food experience in the world. If a person wants the best steak they may travel to Texas, the best barbeque in Louisiana and no visit to New York city would be complete without sampling a piece of New York style pizza. Overseas, a trip to Singapore wouldn’t be complete without sampling Singapore chilli crab, butter chicken in India, chicken stay in Malaysia, peking duck in China, sushi in Japan, quesadilla in Mexico, Maori cooked hangi in New Zealand and the best pasta would require a trip to Italy, of course. The list is endless when it comes to culinary tourism.
Targeted ads on food websites can help make the tastes and smells of international foods so real to viewers that they can hardly wait to get their flight booked and their bags packed. Culinary tourism brings to mind the taste of a freshly baked croissant served at a sidewalk café in France first thing in the morning with a cup of café au lait. Think of any trip you have ever taken and a food memory is sure to come to mind.
The Gourmet Ads network of food and wine sites offers national, state and regional tourism boards as well as tour operators the ability to target our audience of food and wine enthusiasts. We provide the ability to position your messaging which will encourage travelers to visit and experience your destination.
Contact us for a digital media plan to promote and marketing your destination.
Recipes using Rich Media
November 7, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Sample Rich Media Advertisement
Recipes using rich media and featured online provide an excellent opportunity for smart product placement by food and kitchenware manufacturers. Imagine flash videos in a medium rectangle 300 x 250 island advertising space where a cook or chef prepares a recipe using your featured product or products.
The product being demonstrated could be a food ingredient, cooking utensil, cookware or kitchen appliance. This rich media advertising is then supported by branding ads in other locations on the page. People love making recipes they have seen on video and almost unconsciously choose the same brands they saw used in the video. After all, using another brand may not produce the same results and consumers want their recipe to be perfect.
Using rich media to create recipe videos has another advantage over other types of ads: it comes across as “friendly advice” rather than a blatant sales pitch and that makes potential customers more at ease and more likely to purchase your brand. Let’s face it, competition in the food market is tough and you need to take advantage of every possible angle if you want to survive. Recipes featured in rich media cooking videos offer a valuable service to customers while branding your product as the best choice of ingredients when preparing the recipe.
Another advantage of recipes using rich media is that they make a firmer impression in a customer’s mind. The customer is seeing and hearing about the product and is more likely to remember the brand used than in one-dimensional ads alone. The rich media and online ads can also be tied in with in-store displays to further solidify the branding of your food product, utensils or cookware.
Recipes cooked in rich media presentations are sure to leave a favourable impression on potential customers and increase your ROI for your online advertising. If you would like more information on having your product featured in a rich media recipe demonstration contact us today.
Thanksgiving Advertising
November 5, 2008 by Benjamin Christie · Leave a Comment
Many food companies know that a large percentage of their annual profits are made during the Holiday Season. That is why your Thanksgiving advertising campaign is one of your most important campaigns of the year, especially if you are selling foods that are typically high sellers for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, like turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, cream of mushroom soup and pumpkin pie amongst others.
Taking advantage of targeted advertising next to online recipes for holiday favorites is a great way to get your brand at the top of every shopper’s grocery list this year. When a consumer goes online to look up recipes on how to roast their Thanksgiving turkey, will they be thinking Butterball, Norbest or Honeysuckle White? That all depends on whose ad is cleverly placed right beside the roast turkey recipe.
More and more consumers are turning to the internet for their recipe needs; especially their holiday recipe needs and smart advertisers are taking advantage of this trend with their Thanksgiving advertising in order to create brand awareness during the critical holiday sales rush. Ideally, companies should get their products placed four weeks before the big holiday as many shoppers have already begun to stock their pantries in preparation for the big event.
While these relatively new Thanksgiving advertising opportunities are great for the popular holiday food items featured in online recipes, they aren’t the only products that can benefit from these highly targeted ad campaigns. There are many other activities that correspond with holiday celebrations such as watching the “big game” on TV, beer companies can capitalize on this and even less glamorous, but necessary events such as washing the dishes. Your dishwashing liquid, scrubbing sponges or dishwasher detergent can make a play for the millions of dishes that need to be washed after each holiday meal.
And, of course, Thanksgiving advertising is also important in gearing shoppers up for their Christmas purchases as well. Foods and other items that will sell for Christmas meals will need to be well placed by Thanksgiving, but other products, such as holiday gifts or sale events can also make a strong impression when placed next to food ads over the holiday season.
So if you’re selling a product in the lead up to Thanksgiving, it’s essential to run your Thanksgiving advertising online, contact Gourmet Ads for a customised media plan which targets consumers.
