Right on TimePublished: August 2011 | By Yahoo!
With the help of expert Yahoo! sales assistance, timepiece retailer Bluedial.com finds its transition to adCenter runs like a Swiss watch.
If there’s one thing that watch retailer Bluedial.com understands, it’s time. And that’s part of the reason why it’s so pleased with its transition from Yahoo! Search Marketing to the Microsoft Advertising adCenter platform in 2010: With the ease of using one system to advertise on both Yahoo! Search and Bing, it can save time on account management to make time for selling watches.
The Challenge
Bluedial.com has clocked in years of experience in search advertising, using both Yahoo! Search Marketing and adCenter, even before the Search Alliance transition. “We always had good placement on both Yahoo! and Bing, and we still do,” says Amit Kraidman, CEO and Founder of Bluedial.com.
Given his long history with both search engines, Kraidman wasn’t apprehensive about the transition. Bluedial’s Yahoo! account manager, Monesh Bulchandani, helped Kraidman prepare and guided him through every step of the process. “The transition was done slowly, in phases, and it went as smooth as could be, especially given that we were moving to a totally different platform,” Kraidman remembers. “The transition was phenomenal.”
The Results
For a company that deals with time as a primary part of its business, the hours saved not having to manage two accounts any longer is a blessing. “We’re absolutely spending less time now that we have one fewer account to manage,” Kraidman says.
But the payoff went beyond recapturing ticks of the clock. With Bulchandani’s help, Kraidman used the transition to initiate a review and revamping of his account. “We rebuilt our account from scratch,” he explains, “we’ve been working our campaigns, and we’re still not done, manipulating bids and experimenting with different keywords.”
These tweaks, and the natural benefits of the combined Yahoo!/Bing marketplace, are paying off. Bluedial has seen about a 20% increase in its combined paid search traffic from Yahoo! and Bing after the transition, with conversion rates at least as high as it experienced when the two systems were separate. “It definitely gave us a boost,” Kraidman says. “I’m spending less and getting more. My cost-per-acquisition went down, which is obviously a good thing. And the search results [on Yahoo! and Bing] have gotten way better.”
Kraidman recognizes that Yahoo!’s Bulchandani was a major factor moving through the transition. “Every time I needed something, it was done,” he says. “A couple of months ago, I had an issue with my credit card, and even though it was a weekend and Monesh was out of town, one of his associates called me back. The whole process has been a smooth ride.”
The data’s impact on a brand marketer’s optimal marketing mix suggests that brand advertisers should balance PC and mobile advertising based on their campaign objectives. This nuanced approach can help brands hone their investments to optimize returns. For a new product launch, advertisers should make a blended cross-media buy, relying on mobile to help boost and refresh brand awareness with an existing customer base, and relying on PC ads to carry the weight of providing messaging and driving purchase consideration.
The automaker found the results very satisfying. Said one key marketing manager: “As the mobile space grows and advertising opportunities become more available, we are eager to optimize messaging with this medium. Yahoo! has definitely helped us understand more about the strengths of mobile advertising.”
About Bluedial.com: Bluedial.com is an authorized dealer of Seiko, Citizen, Casio, Swiss Army, Fossil, Diesel, ESQ and Bulova watches, with over 20,000 watches in stock.
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