Google CPA: An Answer to Click Fraud?

Google ran a limited test of the so-called pay-per-action service in July 2006 with a handful of advertisers and affiliated online publishers on whose sites the ads run. This test only involves 75 Google's AdWords advertisers and 75 affiliated U.S. publishers, who allow Google to place ads on their sites relevant to the context on their pages. The feedback was positive enough to warrant a broader trial. On Mar. 20, Google said it would begin a broad new advertising trial for pay-per-action service.

TV, Print Trigger Online Searches

A recent article on BrandWeek by Joan Voight had some insights for online searches. Traditional advertising plays a key role in prompting consumers to search for merchandise online, according to a study by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) and BIGresearch.

Roughly half of the consumers told researchers they take cues from TV, magazine and newspaper ads to determine when and where to shop online.

In order of preference, 47% said they turned to magazine ads, followed by TV commercials and newspaper ads at 43% each. (Respondents could choose more than one medium.)

In-store promotions motivated 27% to search for products online. When it came to coupons, far more women than men used them for online guidance, at 42% of women versus 29% of men.

The survey findings seem to reinforce the evidence that many marketing agencies are collecting, which indicates online and offline marketing programs work better than online-only or offline-only campaigns.

Lesson learned: When it comes to advertising, retailers always need to be careful not to put all of their eggs in one basket. Shoppers use the Internet as a resource before determining which items to buy and where. According to the survey, 92.5% of adults said they regularly or occasionally research products online before buying them in a store.

The study surveyed more than 15,000 consumers in November and December 2006.