branding

Back in October, when Google offered some tips for the then-upcoming holiday season, they suggested using Google Checkout badges in your AdWords ads. They said that ads that do this have a 10% higher clickthrough rate than those that don't.

Google has decided it would be a good idea to give away Gmail stickers. Some might ask "Why would I want Gmail stickers?" But others are certainly enthused about the idea. You can simply browse the comments on a site like GeekSugar to get that impression.

Do you have a brand? If not, your site is part of a "cesspool." In AdAge Google's CEO Eric Schmidt explains the AdWords quality score and organic ranking algorithms in laymans terms:

The Disney brand, one of the most well-known globally, reaches into the virtual world with a pair of massive multiplayer online games.

The more I dig, the more I’m convinced that a big part of a brand’s success is the quality of its customer touch points, specifically, the face to face ones. Consider this overwhelming evidence: The more emotion there is in an experience, the more vividly we remember it. It’s known as imprinting. So if we have very positive or very negative experiences, we remember them longer and more completely.

It wasn't too long ago I was told marketers (especially for small- and medium-sized businesses) weren't interested in online branding, as a concept. The online marketer relies a lot on search, and therefore, clicks that bring results. Branding? Who needs it?

This is a great sign.  Today there is a very unique event happening throughout the day - the Personal Branding Summit is a telesummit of some top speakers all talking about the topic of personal branding. 

It's official, search advertising isn't just junk advertising (read: direct response, a la junk mail) anymore, it's a key element in branding, or as they call it in San Jose, a "branding vehicle."