Mazda creates an ambitious search strategy that creates a new … · 2014. 1. 15. · Mazda3.ca, a...
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About Mazda Canada • Distributor of Mazda vehicles in Canada • Subsidiary of Mazda Motor Corporation • Head office in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with regional offices in Montreal, Vancouver, and Richmond Hill • www.mazda.ca Goals • Generate new traffic • Drive conversions • Impact other auto manufacturers’ search campaigns Approach • Built comparative Mazda3.ca website • Ensured appropriate linking and no duplicate content with Mazda.ca • New creative for each competitive nameplate and adgroup • Implemented remarketing pixels Results • Over 70,000 clicks in the months since launch • Consistent impression share of around 65% per campaign • Search conversion rate increased almost 200% when two ads were present • 10% lower cost per acquisition The Mazda3 launched in 2004 and towards the end of the decade had reached the top spot in small car sales in Canada. By 2010 however it had slipped to fourth position, and the following year Mazda Canada recorded a drop in website traffic. The digital team’s challenge was to help the Mazda3 regain market share. Goals included generating new traffic, driving conversions, affecting other auto manufacturers’ branded search, and creating an impactful, unique customer experience throughout the search process. Two ads are better than one On a Google search results page, each domain can only display one ad. Mazda, working closely with their Search agency Catalyst, wanted to take up additional real estate on competitor searches while moving other automakers to the side results. “Our goal was to target buyers looking at Mazda3’s competitors in a very direct and effective way” said Dave Klan, VP of Marketing at Mazda Canada. Using a mix of historical, internal and third party data, the team created Mazda3.ca, a site presenting comparisons between Mazda3 and its competitors in the compact car segment. An optimization exercise eliminated duplicate content and created an effective linking strategy between the new site and Mazda’s existing site. Having two separate domains – Mazda.ca and Mazda3.ca – meant that two ads could appear on search results at the same time. “The tactical plan was designed to capture new traffic and make it harder for competitors to generate ROI on their search investment. Not only were tens of thousands of buyers actively removed from competitors’ funnels, but other competitors had little chance of capturing competitive clicks. We played this like a chess game, so we were always a few moves ahead” — Ira Kates, Account Supervisor, Catalyst AdWords campaigns were implemented on the direct competitive set with ads that called out the Mazda3’s features and advantages. For example, if the Mazda3 had 20% better horsepower than another model searched for, a comparison ad would appear. New copy for each competitive nameplate and ad group was created, with an emphasis on avoiding repetition with Mazda’s main brand marketing. In all, over 2,000 new pieces of ad creative were written. When displays Search Ads on Google, powerful ad extensions in the form of sitelinks are reserved for high quality ads. By presenting Mazda creates an ambitious search strategy that creates a new set of customers for the Mazda3 Case Study | AdWords
Transcript of Mazda creates an ambitious search strategy that creates a new … · 2014. 1. 15. · Mazda3.ca, a...
About Mazda Canada•Distributor of Mazda vehicles in Canada•Subsidiary of Mazda Motor Corporation•HeadofficeinRichmondHill, Ontario,withregionalofficesinMontreal, Vancouver,andRichmondHill•www.mazda.ca
Goals•Generatenewtraffic•Drive conversions• Impactotherautomanufacturers’ searchcampaigns
Approach •BuiltcomparativeMazda3.cawebsite•Ensuredappropriatelinkingandno duplicatecontentwithMazda.ca•Newcreativeforeachcompetitive nameplateandadgroup• Implementedremarketingpixels
Results•Over70,000clicksinthemonths since launch•Consistentimpressionshareofaround 65%percampaign•Searchconversionrateincreasedalmost 200%whentwoadswerepresent•10%lowercostperacquisition
TheMazda3launchedin2004andtowardstheendofthedecadehadreachedthetopspotinsmallcarsalesinCanada.By2010howeverithadslippedtofourthposition,andthefollowingyearMazdaCanadarecordedadropinwebsitetraffic.Thedigitalteam’schallengewastohelptheMazda3regainmarketshare.Goalsincludedgeneratingnewtraffic,drivingconversions,affectingotherautomanufacturers’brandedsearch,andcreatinganimpactful,uniquecustomerexperiencethroughoutthesearchprocess.
TwoadsarebetterthanoneOnaGooglesearchresultspage,eachdomaincanonlydisplayonead.Mazda,workingcloselywiththeirSearchagencyCatalyst,wantedtotakeupadditionalrealestateoncompetitorsearcheswhilemovingotherautomakerstothesideresults.“OurgoalwastotargetbuyerslookingatMazda3’scompetitorsinaverydirectandeffectiveway”saidDaveKlan,VPofMarketingatMazdaCanada.
Usingamixofhistorical,internalandthirdpartydata,theteamcreatedMazda3.ca,asitepresentingcomparisonsbetweenMazda3anditscompetitorsinthecompactcarsegment.AnoptimizationexerciseeliminatedduplicatecontentandcreatedaneffectivelinkingstrategybetweenthenewsiteandMazda’sexistingsite.Havingtwoseparatedomains–Mazda.caandMazda3.ca–meantthattwoadscouldappearonsearchresultsatthesametime.
“The tactical plan was designed to capture new traffic and make it harder for competitors to generate ROI on their search investment. Not only were tens of thousands of buyers actively removed from competitors’ funnels, but other competitors had little chance of capturing competitive clicks. We played this like a chess game, so we were always a few moves ahead” — Ira Kates, Account Supervisor, Catalyst
AdWordscampaignswereimplementedonthedirectcompetitivesetwithadsthatcalledouttheMazda3’sfeaturesandadvantages.Forexample,iftheMazda3had20%betterhorsepowerthananothermodelsearchedfor,acomparisonadwouldappear.Newcopyforeachcompetitivenameplateandadgroupwascreated,withanemphasisonavoidingrepetitionwithMazda’smainbrandmarketing.Inall,over2,000newpiecesofadcreativewerewritten.
WhendisplaysSearchAdsonGoogle,powerfuladextensionsintheformofsitelinksarereservedforhighqualityads.Bypresenting
Mazdacreatesanambitioussearch strategythatcreatesanewsetof customersfortheMazda3
Case Study | AdWords
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extremelyrelevantcontentevenoncompetitorsearches,Mazdawasabletoachievehighadrankandqualityscores.Normallycompetitivecampaignshavedifficultyrankinghighenoughtoincludesitelinks,butthiscampaignstrategyaimedtohavetheseextensionsappearonallMazda3ads.
TheprojectincludedkeywordexpansionbasedonbestconvertingkeywordsandnewareasthatMazdawantedtoreach.Theteamusednewbidmanagementtoolstohelptrackandattributetrafficmoreefficiently,aswellasGoogleTagManagertostreamlinetheworkload.RemarketingpixelswereimplementedontheMazda3sitetocontinuetheconversationwellafterthesearch.
IfyoubuildittheywillcomeThestrategypaidoff,recordingaconsistentimpressionshareof65%percampaign.“Thecomparepageperformancewasamazing.Lowbounceratesandhighrateofreturn,”saysIra.“TeamMazdaSearchwaselatedthatMazda3begantorankorganicallyoncompetitorsearchesalmostimmediately.”
Intermsofsearchperformance,thecampaignregisteredanincreaseinconversionratesofalmost200%whentwoadswerepresent,whilemaintaininga10%moreefficientcostperacquisition.Keepingalargeendeavourlikethisefficientwasthemaingoal,andbyworkingcloselywiththeGoogleCanadaAutoteam,MazdawasabletomaximizequalityscoreandconversionratewhilekeepingCPCincheck.
Theprojecthasgeneratedover70,000clicksinthemonthssincelaunch,andmillionsofsearchimpressionshavegottenMazdaonnewconsiderationsets.“BydeliveringthousandsofpotentialbuyerstodealersacrossCanada,thecampaignhashadabigimpactonCanadiansales,”saysMichaelTsang,InteractiveMarketingSupervisoratMazdaCanada.“Infact,themonthsdirectlyfollowingthecampaigns’launchwerethebiggestyear-over-yeargainsforMazda3since2009.”
About Catalyst•Withmorethan14yearsofexperience helpingtheFortune1000achieve theirsearchgoals,CatalystCanadaisan innovativeleaderinSEOandpaidsearch.•catalyst.ca
