Persuasion On The Search Results Page & Why Ad Agencies Don’t “Get” Search

There has been a lot of debate in 2007 about whether of not Traditional Ad Agencies “Get” Search and it seems like we have not seen the end of it yet. Here is a recap. The initial statement that Ad Agency don’t “Get” Search came from Gord Hotchkiss, which was soon followed by a counter argument article, Some Agencies DO ‘Get’ Search by Mike Margolin. Chris Copeland add to the discussion this week with his article titled “2007: The Year Traditional Agencies ‘Got’ Search” and criticize Gord’s point of view by saying that persuasion happens in search. Ouch! Please take a minute to read the last article from the series: Persuasion On The Search Results Page. Gord hits the problem right on the head.

This whole debate reminds me of a discussion I had a few months ago with a top executive with one of the largest advertising agency in Canada which I wish I could name. The individual (and everyone else around the table) wanted to call a Search Marketing business “Intercept”. I tried to convince them otherwise by saying that search marketing is not about changing or altering the course of user intent. We rather reinforce, support user intent but we never work against it. Here are some more thoughts.

Definitions:
Intercept: To stop, deflect, or interrupt the progress or intended course of: intercepted me with a message as I was leaving.
Persuade: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action.

Do you see how similar those 2 definitions are?

The Ad Agency Model is based on persuasion
According to many, and this is the point Gord makes in his latest jab on how we can’t persuade on the search result pages. Since the traditional Ad Agency model is based on persuasion, most people who work in Ad Agencies are trained to think that they need to persuade their audience. They want to attract their target customers’ attention while they are doing something else. That is called interruption advertising. They want to change, re-orient customers’ course of action. Even when they (ad agency execs) go online, they still want to persuade their audience. They are trained to do this. What I have been telling them for years, “You are no longer targeting them, you are being targeted” (and your message should be changed accordingly). The persuasion model no longer exists. RIP. Then again, who consciously wants to admit that their business model was based on the false hypothesis that consumers want to be targeted and persuaded. The whole Ad industry is shaking. You either want to persuade your audience or you use user intent without making any attempt at changing their course. Pick your side.

Over the holidays, I had a spirited discussion with my friend Mario Beaudoin and his lovely girlfriend Manon Gartside about why there is a lobby against search marketing and how dichotomous the advertising market becomes. Like Al Gore said in his movie which is one of my favorite quotes: “You can’t make someone understand something when his/her salary depends upon not understanding it”. This issue became clear and resemble in a lot of ways other scenarios we have seen in history: “Search Marketing is to Traditional Advertising what the Electric Car is to Conventional Cars”. You either want to keep running your SUV with little regards to the environment or you join environmentally-friendly organizations and market your business with search marketing. Unfortunately, there are more people in the first category. Sometimes, you just can’t be on both sides and this debate is a symptom of this reality. Coldplay had a good line in one of their songs: ask yourself, “Am I a part of the cure or am I part of the disease”.

Ultimately, the marketplace will decide who get it and who don’t.

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Comments

1. Search is now attracting BIG money. Radio is struggling. Newspapers are failing. Television has been limping along for far to long.

   As broadband pursues the future of broadcast entertainment, aka television, the abilities of search and direct target marketing will encompass everyday activities in ways most cannot even imagine yet.

   Agencies better understand the future of mainstream marketing or else they will become as extinct as the VHS tape.

   Posted by Affordable SEO - Terry Reeves on 01/03 at 09:15 PM

2. Thanks for your comment Terry! Since this debate heats up, it proves how divided the situation is. Otherwise, I guess there would not be any debate on this question. Keep commenting on my blog. Thanks!

   Posted by Alex Brabant on 01/04 at 09:44 AM