Creative PPC

April 20th, 2006

With the Pay Per Click market reaching maturity, we are starting to see more creative ads written and keywords bidded on. There is currently research going on into the value of PPC ads which are just viewed and not clicked on, so a reversal in the copy writing technique - how to get your message over, without attracting a click. Personally I’m skeptical as to the value of a “view” of a paid advert, at least in the SERPs - can you remember the last PPC ad you saw?

Honda’s “element” PPC campaign bids on terms such as “Platypus“, which obviously are much cheaper than their mainstream keywords. The marketing campaign carries the tagline “see a Platypus in its element” and they have constructed an entire game around this idea. The game involves driving the Honda around an island and stopping to talk to several different animals. For instance, stopping to talk to the platypus will compare the diversity of a Platypus to the diversity of their Element. Although it may not appeal to all, it intrigues you enough to follow the course and be spoon fed information about their product, which sticks in your mind. Rather than viral, it is simply a more interactive method to deliver information to their consumer, I expect to see many offshoots of these kinds of campaigns.