Archive for December 2009

Walmart and Harry Potter

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

My son Ethan, who has been reading the Harry Potter books, requested “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” movie for Christmas. Like most parents, I typed “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie” into Google. Unlike most parents, I became completely engrossed in critiquing the paid search ads.
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Wireless Speakers or Celebrity Speakers?

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

Recently, a retailer was seeking to sell very high-end (>$1500) wireless speakers that were highly integrated with Apple’s iPod™. In developing a product’s marketing strategy, we conducted competitive research starting with some basic Google searches. Unsurprisingly, the Paid Search results included the manufacturer, Apple and a number of high-end electronic retailers.

However, the 3rd Paid Search advertisement was a firm specializing in providing speaking engagements involving celebrities (more…)

Beware of SEM Arbitrage

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Working with many of our clients to establish affiliate marketing programs, Anova Group has observed a segment that simply drains your profit margins. These are affiliates offering marketing programs involving paid search. Many of these marketers are simply playing arbitrage with keywords that are easily managed internally. (more…)