Awards winners prove the benefits of search

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 | By Will Cooper

The winning entry, Totaljobs.com, saw its average cost per click decrease by 30%, with cost per applicant also dropping significantly, by 42%, thanks to work by its agency Agenda21.

Likewise, a search campaign for Littlewoods Direct by Unique Digital has helped the retailer increase online sales by 44% in the six weeks to 2 January, with the web now accounting for 56% of the group’s total sales.

Much has been written, not least by new media age, about search’s changing role in a brand’s marketing strategy. Its use as a branding tool, with examples from Orange and the COI, is well documented, as is its increasing role in offline media.

However, scrape everything away and search will always be, at its heart, about numbers. It’s the most trackable, transparent marketing tactic around and you can’t be anything but impressed by Totaljobs’ and Littlewoods’ results.

What’s notable about both is they’re in incredibly competitive markets – recruitment and etail – and ones that have both been hit by the recession. However, both companies have used search wisely to grow their businesses as others in their field struggle.

Congratulations to all those shortlisted.