Understanding an increasingly complex consumer journey

How consumer’s view brands as ‘friends’ in social networks

Understanding an increasingly complex consumer journey

Purchase journeys are more complex

Pre-internet

Discussion with partner

Shop 1 Discussion with partner

Shop 2

Decision

Shop 2

Purchase

Discussion with partner Google

Shop 1

Budget Plasma Screens ‘r’

us.com

Kelkoo

Banner ads

Ebay

Official Brand site

Discussion with partner

Decision

Shop 2

Purchase

Post question on Yahoo answers

Extended network through online communities (messenger / email /

facebook)

Customer feedback

Official editorial vs. User ratings

Associated forums

BlogsConsumer

reviews

Post-internet

Last Exposure

Making sense of the consumer journey

SaleSale

Event type

Affiliate Marketing

SEO

Far more than just the last click

PaIid Search

Display

Understanding the stages of a journey can improve effectiveness

SaleSale

▪ Paid Search ▪ Affiliate ▪ Display ▪ SEO

Last Event

Last Event +1

Last Event +2

Last Event +3

Last Event +4

1. A new way of understanding Paid Search 

Sales increased by 122%

SearchSale

Last Click

Last Click +1

Last Click +2

Last Click +3

Last Click +4

▪ Brand Term ▪ Brand Product ▪ Generic (specific) ▪ Generic (broad)

2. Understanding the role display advertisingJourne

y costefficiency

Journey click efficiency

Most efficient sites

LeastEfficientsites

Conversion rate increased by 13%

3. Only paying affiliates where they add to a sale

1. Affiliate–only

Journeys (+)

3. Other→Affiliate

Journeys (‐)2. Affiliate →Other

Journeys (+)

Sale

Event type

Display Click

Paid Search

Natural Search

Affiliates

Display Impression

Reduced cannibilisation of sales by 25%

Understanding journeys is commercially very powerful

37% increase in total online marketing sales

122% increase in Paid Search sales

Display conversion rates improved by 13%

Affiliate marketing conversions up to 60%

Cannibalisation of sales reduced by 25%

How consumer’s view brands as ‘friends’ in social networks

Objectives

To determine how social network users understand, engage with and/or object to brands within these spaces

To measure the level of acceptance or    rejection of brands within this sector from a quantitative stand point

Objectives

To determine how social network users understand, engage with and/or object to brands within these spaces

To measure the level of acceptance or    rejection of brands within this sector from a quantitative stand point

A quantitative survey of 1,000 16‐35 year old Social Network users in Britain

In‐depth qualitative interviews with 50 Social Network users

Online anthropology forum in MySpace over 8 weeks with 1,500 social network users

A quantitative survey of 1,000 16‐35 year old Social Network users in Britain

In‐depth qualitative interviews with 50 Social Network users

Online anthropology forum in MySpace over 8 weeks with 1,500 social network users

Ad to Friends ResearchAd to Friends Research

How would the consumer do it…If you had your own business and you were going to create a profile to promote it, which of the following criteria would you think were necessary?

If you had your own business and you were going to create a profile to promote it, which of the following criteria would you think were necessary?

You’re in my space Be honest

Be honest20% of social network users want to know the advertiser will keep its promise – just as a friend would 

25% think brands that are dishonest and unclear about what they were doing should not be allowed to advertise in a social network

64% say if they ran a company that had a profile it must be trustworthy and honest

They’re used to getting things for free.

20% of users make friends with a brand because of the ‘free stuff’ that the brand offers.

Freemiums offer digital bounty

offer digital bountyexclusive wallpaper

discount codes

behind the scenes footage

products

ticketsservices

‘After befriending a brand I expect in return things like discounted products, freebies, information, updates on products, vouchers and tickets to events. To add incentive, these things should be exclusive to their MySpacecommunity. We want to feel special.’ Stuart Jenkins, 20, Portsmouth

‘After befriending a brand I expect in return things like discounted products, freebies, information, updates on products, vouchers and tickets to events. To add incentive, these things should be exclusive to their MySpacecommunity. We want to feel special.’ Stuart Jenkins, 20, Portsmouth

15% of social network users say that a brand must have anexciting and attractive profile before they consider making them a friend

‘If a profile is designed badly and looks very basic, I would question whether the brand was really behind it’

Marguerite Pain, 32, Cambridge

‘If a profile is designed badly and looks very basic, I would question whether the brand was really behind it’

Marguerite Pain, 32, Cambridge

look good

look good

Eye Candy

810,000 users think that businesses with badly designed profile shouldn’t be allowed on the network

IM others about the advertiser (34%)

Text their friends about it (24%)

Post comments about it on other websites (28%)

Forward the advertiser to a friend (19%)

Talk about the advertiser on a forum (18%)

Write or upload content about the advertiser on their own blog or website (18%)

Huge opportunity if you get it right

Increase brand preference amongst 16-25 year olds by

creating a partnership between Samsung & Music

Creating a long term relationship with the audience. Adding value to their community

Creating a relationship with Bebo beyond advertising

Musicwith

The Music Homepage on Bebo will be

exclusively Samsung Branded

Samsung’s Home on Bebo.

Backstage access, competitions, polls,

blogs and videos

Beat:A daily music show co-produced by Samsung,

Endemol and Bebo

Samsung Bebo Nights:A monthly live gig for

Beboers held at Gibsons studios

The Samsung Beat Hub on Bebo

The qualitative responses

What it has achieved so far..

Exposure 10,200,000 unique users(that’s nearly everyone on Bebo)

6,250,000 Views of the Beat Music show(Daily Music Video show created by Endemol)

745,000 Samsung profile views (the highest number of advertiser views on bebo – ever!)