“Will we ever be capable to put search advertising and marketing technique within the driver’s seat?” That is nearly each search marketer’s dilemma because the group continues to stay on the mercy of Google’s algorithms and updates.
SEAT S.A, the Barcelona-based multinational automaker a part of the Volkswagen group have innovated a testing mannequin that’s driving development for its manufacturers, SEAT and CUPRA within the European market. Whereas SEAT is the younger, cool and concrete model that gives automobiles with placing designs and a number of other mobility options – CUPRA is an unconventional model, which is outlined by its progressive design and the efficiency of its electrified fashions.
We spoke with Corinne Calcabrina, International Media Supervisor at SEAT S.A, Sophie Santallusia, International Paid Search and Programmatic Director, and Alejandro Sebastian, International Search Group Lead at PHD Media Spain to debate the ‘Efficiency innovation program’ (SEAT S.A’s testing mannequin) and its worth add to the companies.
A quick-paced business
Digital is a fast-moving sector and search is at all times reinventing itself with new codecs and everchanging methods to create and handle accounts. The groups at SEAT and CUPRA had a number of ache factors:
1. Staying on-top of all improvements and adjustments within the business
“We would have liked to grow to be first movers who actively capitalize on alternatives that seem. To make sure this our groups wanted to benefit from search area dynamics, apply greatest practices, and achieve a technological and intelligence edge over the competitors.”
– Corinne Calcabrina, International Media Supervisor at SEAT S.A.
2. Bettering visibility of the workforce’s arduous work
“Whereas we have been placing all these efforts, we wished to enhance our workforce’s visibility. Whereas we’re busy changing into the very best performing channel, at all times reinventing, working in direction of outcomes and efficiencies, we frequently miss the glitter of different channels. Including an official scope and framework means we get to report and showcase our achievements.”
– Corinne Calcabrina, International Media Supervisor, SEAT S.A.
3. Sustaining efficiency and bettering effectivity
“As the very best performing channel on a last-click attribution mannequin, we have been additionally dealing with a number of challenges. The pandemic lockdowns and microchip shortages made search efficiency enhancements a continuing, ongoing must-have. This meant lowering the associated fee per click on (CPC) and bettering the associated fee per acquisition (CPA) have been at all times core causes to develop such a testing mannequin.”
– Corinne Calcabrina, International Media Supervisor, SEAT S.A
Placing testing within the driver seat: The SEAT and CUPRA Efficiency innovation program
The SEAT S.A testing mannequin, ‘Efficiency innovation program’ was designed to align with the inherent love for innovation that runs on the core of SEAT and CUPRA manufacturers. The testing mannequin was constructed centrally to keep up model deal with the energy of paid search – bettering value efficiencies and accelerating efficiency.
Corinne and her workforce at SEAT S.A and their company, PHD Media reviewed model methods for SEAT and CUPRA respectively, their efficiency, and native wants. They created a framework that gives construction, helps the manufacturers broaden their market share, and ship central visibility on the testing outcomes. They created particular testing roadmaps, based mostly on quarterly objectives that align with native markets based mostly on their wants and methods.
“We then utilized our assessments, sharing the speculation (highlighting outcomes from different markets) of what we hope to realize after which making use of the take a look at into the principle technique.
“We had a transparent timeline and roadmap. We at all times take a look at and be taught. This permits us to have a particular place with companions, permitting us to at all times be a part of the alphas and betas, testing new codecs, at all times making an attempt to enhance outcomes on the identical time”, Corinne shared.
To facilitate consistency the SEAT S.A workforce organized assessments all year long pacing one take a look at at a time for an advert group or marketing campaign to keep up effectivity and achieve clear observations. The roadmap was created on these elements:
- Priorities for markets based mostly on the affect and workload
- Modifications that Google makes to advert codecs or completely different options that it sunsets or iterates
The search advertising and marketing grand prix: knowledge, automation, and visible optimization
SEAT S.A and PHD Media began differentiating methods by key phrase sort and outlined them for every advert group. Key phrases have been segmented based mostly on model and non-brand search, their position, and their respective KPIs. This knowledge was then used in the course of the public sale bidding. Synthetic intelligence (AI) was used to phase audiences and goal adverts that have been prime of the funnel. Comparative insights from these assessments have been later fed into the enterprise to tell the path of technique.
To enhance the press via price (CTR) and decrease CPCs, the SEAT S.A workforce targeted on including visuals to adverts, bettering ad-copies, and testing new extensions. In addition they decreased CPAs through the use of bid methods and the system’s AI to get the very best of their budgets.
To grasp their visible affect on audiences SEAT S.A used picture extensions for every advert throughout all their campaigns. Google displayed these photos based mostly on a number of elements like clicks, content material, and key phrase triggers to optimize the very best performing ones.
From an information perspective, in Search SEAT S.A used Google Search Advertisements (SA360) to handle and monitor their Google Advertisements and Bing Advertisements respectively. The info units tracked all of the core necessities of paid search:
- Key phrase conversion efficiency
- Advert copies
- Viewers knowledge via all of the customized bidding choices out there in SA360
Outcomes
The ‘Efficiency innovation program’ mannequin has helped SEAT and CUPRA obtain one in all their greatest assessments which catalyzed their search efficiency by way of the associated fee per go to (CPV), one in all their principal KPIs that signaled prime of the funnel conversions. The price per go to (CPV) improved by 30% and value per acquisition (CPA) improved by 37%.
SEAT S.A (SEAT and CUPRA) at the moment are geared up with new methods to infer and analyze conversions on a market-to-market foundation.
Sharing intelligence throughout various markets
After finishing the testing part, the SEAT S.A workforce and their world companion PHD Media reported on outcomes and observations. Sharing their learnings and insights with different markets has empowered different groups to profit from the information and experience derived from the profitable take a look at prototypes. Specializing in parts that drive outcomes has allowed the groups unfold throughout to be challenged and has facilitated fixed studying whereas embracing adjustments and new options. The SEAT and CUPRA groups at the moment are strongly positioned to outperform the competitors.
Gearing up for a cookie much less future
Going cookie much less will convey difficult instances and affect the search channel. SEAT and CUPRA plan to counter this with the usage of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to keep up efficiency and goal the appropriate viewers. Opening as much as new visible codecs like Discovery campaigns and MMA/MSAN from Bing will even take an essential place inside search sooner or later, because the core of search may evolve with extra automation, much less granularity and management.
Higher deal with measurement and a privacy-first future
The workforce is testing ‘consent mode’ with GA4 and ‘enhanced conversion’ to estimate the attrition attributable to privateness tips. They’re additionally targeted on figuring out and designing a danger contingency plan for the paid search parts that they received’t be capable to take a look at within the close to future.
“We’re testing all the brand new options and options that Google is bringing to the market by way of privateness and cookie much less capabilities. Notably, our testing is targeted on deploying the total suite of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), site-wide tagging, consent mode, and enhanced conversions.
Moreover, we’re additionally testing new viewers segments that GA4 permits inside a privateness first ecosystem on our paid search campaigns. We’re seeing some constructive and promising outcomes.”
– Corinne Calcabrina, International Media Supervisor at SEAT S.A
SEAT S.A and PHD Media are actively targeted on Google options for mapping markets and audiences which are privateness compliant and relevant for focusing on segments.
They’re additionally working in direction of gathering and connecting first celebration knowledge like CRM audiences and buyer match options.
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