Spotlight on Search: Yahoo! Gemini vs. Google Enhanced Campaigns
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DIGITASLBi PERSPECTIVE March 2014 Spotlight on Search: Yahoo! Gemini vs. Google Enhanced Campaigns Mobile is no longer a supplementary feature; rather, it’s a requisite aspect of consumers’ lives. Marketers are catering to on-the-go content consumption and discovery – and search is no exception. A couple weeks ago, Yahoo introduced Gemini, a unified marketplace for mobile search and native advertising. Gemini is accessible through Yahoo Ad Manager, the self-service ad-buying platform debuted by CEO Marissa Mayer at CES. Billing Gemini as the “first and only” tool of its kind, Yahoo says the marketplace will allow users to streamline mobile search and native ad spend, driving efficiency and scale. It’s an approach to mobile that’s very different from Google’s. When Google rolled out Enhanced Campaigns in 2013, it consolidated desktop and tablet paid search campaign management. It also expedited the adoption of mobile search advertising, since advertisers only needed to create one campaign to manage across all three devices. While bidding multipliers could be used to differentiate between mobile and desktop behavior, Google claims that the user behavior strategies needed to be similar; clearly, however, it is also a way to monetize mobile. Gemini, on the other hand, features a separate management interface for mobile and tablet, reflecting Yahoo’s belief that advertisers should have the option to manage unique campaigns for each device (this is Yahoo separating itself from the shadows of Google). Mobile behavior, while usually considered more end-of-the-funnel or short tail, can also have impact at a different point of the consumer journey. Advertisers using Gemini will be able to gauge volume and performance differences between Yahoo and Bing mobile ads, previously impossible under the Yahoo Bing Search Network. What This Means for Advertisers Yahoo has revealed expedited timelines for onboarding advertisers onto Gemini. The first wave of advertisers will be able to use the platform on March 10. Out of the gate, only 1% of mobile search traffic will see Gemini ads, but Yahoo expects to onboard additional advertisers by March 31.Advertisers that leverage the Yahoo Bing Search Network for mobile search advertising and choose not to migrate will risk lower Yahoo mobile traffic levels. At launch, Yahoo Mobile Search Ads will appear only on Yahoo’s U.S. mobile web search across smartphones and tablets. Owned and operated and partner sites will ramp over time. Additionally, Yahoo will be working to create parity between Yahoo Search Ads and Bing Ads. At the outset, advertisers will be able to target and optimize campaigns using geo-targeting (state, DMA, and city level); broad and exact match; and negative keywords. Over time, Yahoo will add additional functionality, including location, call and sitelink extensions; phrase match; day parting; and operating system, device, radius, and language targeting. Whether Yahoo Gemini will be a formidable alternative to Google’s mobile search product is yet to be determined. However, Yahoo’s focus on mobile search is a positive sign for the search marketing industry and for advertisers, as increased competition should result in greater differentiation and innovation. The release of Yahoo Gemini also begs the question of whether broader changes are on the horizon for the Yahoo Microsoft Search Alliance and Bing Ads.
Spotlight on Search: Yahoo! Gemini vs. Google Enhanced Campaigns
DigitasLBi's Kristen Cho, VP/Director, Search Marketing explores the differences between Yahoo's new Gemini marketplace and Google's Enhanced Campaigns.
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DIGITASLBi PERSPECTIVE
March 2014
Spotlight on Search: Yahoo! Gemini vs. Google Enhanced Campaigns
Mobile is no longer a supplementary feature; rather, its a
requisite aspect of consumers lives. Marketers are catering to
on-the-go content consumption and discovery and search is no
exception. A couple weeks ago, Yahoo introduced Gemini, a unified
marketplace for mobile search and native advertising. Gemini is
accessible through Yahoo Ad Manager, the self-service ad-buying
platform debuted by CEO Marissa Mayer at CES. Billing Gemini as the
first and only tool of its kind, Yahoo says the marketplace will
allow users to streamline mobile search and native ad spend,
driving efficiency and scale. Its an approach to mobile thats very
different from Googles. When Google rolled out Enhanced Campaigns
in 2013, it consolidated desktop and tablet paid search campaign
management. It also expedited the adoption of mobile search
advertising, since advertisers only needed to create one campaign
to manage across all three devices. While bidding multipliers could
be used to differentiate between mobile and desktop behavior,
Google claims that the user behavior strategies needed to be
similar; clearly, however, it is also a way to monetize mobile.
Gemini, on the other hand, features a separate management interface
for mobile and tablet, reflecting Yahoos belief that advertisers
should have the option to manage unique campaigns for each device
(this is Yahoo separating itself from the shadows of Google).
Mobile behavior, while usually considered more end-of-the-funnel or
short tail, can also have impact at a different point of the
consumer journey. Advertisers using Gemini will be able to gauge
volume and performance differences between Yahoo and Bing mobile
ads, previously impossible under the Yahoo Bing Search Network.
What This Means for Advertisers Yahoo has revealed expedited
timelines for onboarding advertisers onto Gemini. The first wave of
advertisers will be able to use the platform on March 10. Out of
the gate, only 1% of mobile search traffic will see Gemini ads, but
Yahoo expects to onboard additional advertisers by March
31.Advertisers that leverage the Yahoo Bing Search Network for
mobile search advertising and choose not to migrate will risk lower
Yahoo mobile traffic levels. At launch, Yahoo Mobile Search Ads
will appear only on Yahoos U.S. mobile web search across
smartphones and tablets. Owned and operated and partner sites will
ramp over time. Additionally, Yahoo will be working to create
parity between Yahoo Search Ads and Bing Ads. At the outset,
advertisers will be able to target and optimize campaigns using
geo-targeting (state, DMA, and city level); broad and exact match;
and negative keywords. Over time, Yahoo will add additional
functionality, including location, call and sitelink extensions;
phrase match; day parting; and operating system, device, radius,
and language targeting. Whether Yahoo Gemini will be a formidable
alternative to Googles mobile search product is yet to be
determined. However, Yahoos focus on mobile search is a positive
sign for the search marketing industry and for advertisers, as
increased competition should result in greater differentiation and
innovation. The release of Yahoo Gemini also begs the question of
whether broader changes are on the horizon for the Yahoo Microsoft
Search Alliance and Bing Ads.
DIGITASLBi PERSPECTIVE
March 2014
Contact For More Information Kristen Cho, VP/Director, Search
Marketing, DigitasLBi [email protected] This piece originally
appeared on Adotas.
