There was a packed house with 130 attendees at today’s Search Marketing Best Practice event hosted at SES London.
The panel discussion presented by the IAB Search Council tackled a number of key issues, offering thought leadership on intellectual property ownership and trademark use and offering advice on how to select the right search agency.
Chairing the event, Jon Myers, head of search at MediaVest outlined the role of the IAB Search Council, a panel which consists of senior search experts from search engines, agencies, technology providers and the UK’s top advertisers. A key role for the Council is education said Myers, as “search is very, very complicated”.
“A very, very complex job”
This was an idea picked up by the session’s first speaker Gavin Ailes, deputy managing director of The Search Works. In his discussion of intellectual property rights, Ailes addressed the issue of ownership of keyword and campaign data. “It’s a very, very complex job to set up a search campaign,” said Ailes. “A search campaign never stays the same, it’s always changing”. Given this to be the case, Ailes warned companies to be aware of the value of their keyword and campaign data – especially if they were looking to change their search agency.
In cases like these, Ailes argued that the intellectual property rights to that essential data are unofficially held by the search agency. However it is generally seen to be best practise that this data will be transferred intact once another search agency has been chosen – as long as the client has paid its invoices of course. It was recommended that advertisers speak to their agencies directly, and in the event of any concerns, discuss options in their contracts to change levels of access to campaign intellectual property.
“Trademark protection is a big deal”
Next up, Mike Teasdale, planning director at Harvest Digital discussed some of the rules and issues around trademark use in search. Teasdale began by pointing out that search is now a £2bn industry with more than half of pay-per-click (PPC) spend going on branded search terms. As a result, argued Teasdale, “trademark protection is a big deal”.
However from a legal point of view, the search engines maintain a certain distance from any trademark issues. Rather, trademark disputes are the responsibility of the advertiser. A key driver of this trend came on May 5, 2008 when Google announced that it would no longer enforce trademark restrictions on keywords. “Is this a return to the wild west?” asked Teasdale.
According to Teasdale, a landmark case is currently making its way through the courts and could be a game changer for the search industry. In December 2008, Interflora sued Marks & Spencer / Flowers Direct for sponsoring the word 'Interflora' as a search engine keyword. For Teasdale, “that’s going to be the one to watch.”
“An extremely busy market”
Finishing the session was Paul Mead, managing director of VCCP Search, who offered some valuable insights and practical advice for clients looking to choose the right search agency.
“This is an extremely busy market” said Mead, explaining that there were over 100 agencies in the UK offering search services. Given that this market includes media agencies, specialist agencies, affiliate marketing specialists and technology vendors, how do clients go about making the right decision? Mead argued that there are eight “killer questions” that can help clients make the right decision.
1 People – Who is going to work on your account? For Mead, “people are always the most useful tools”.
2 Technology – What are the agency’s technical capabilities? Are they using proprietary or third party software?
3 Track record – Mead argued that clients should always be looking for “more of a Stig than a Maureen from Driving School”. Does the agency have any accreditations? Can they offer you any case studies?
4 Size / Type – Clients should always be aware of how they fit with the agency. There are key decisions to be made based on whether the agency is a specialist or generalist and whether it is international or UK only for example.
5 Transparency – Where does the agency stand on Intellectual Property? Do they have references?
6 Contract / Commercials – “There are lots of ways to skin a cat,” said Mead, arguing that there are also many ways to pay. Clients should always examine how services are priced and how restrictive the contract is.
7 Clients – Who does the agency currently work for? What do they do for them? Can you talk to their clients?
8 USPs – What makes the agency different? Is there anything extra that appeals to you?
To conclude, Mead argued that there are several key principals to be followed into any successful pitch process: be open and honest during the process; be realistic; choose a long list of agencies; give feedback; and – “most important of all” – allocate enough time to do the process properly.
Commenting on the discussion, Jack Wallington, chair of the IAB's Search Council, said: "Search is a phenomenal advertising tool at the forefront of every UK marketers' campaigns, making it all the more reassuring to see so many of them attended today's event to further their best practice knowledge."
For more information see the search marketing section of the IAB website.
For more information on the IAB Search Council, click here.
To access the Search Help Centre (PDF), click here.
For information on selecting a search agency (PDF), click here.
