We uncovered how to help shoppers make purchasing decisions in our office 365 database Decoding Decisions research, and now we’re applying these insights to search ads. We ran 96,000 simulations with 12,000 shoppers across 12 products to understand what makes brands—and their ads —stand out on a search results page.
►Be present where people are searching:
The new research mirrored something we saw in our original findings: up while people are searching. This may seem obvious, but to isolate the impact, we simulated search results when we used identical ad copy for both the shopper’s favorite brand and second-favorite brand.
The effect is significant. For example, when shoppers in our study were searching for moisturizers, we entered their second-favorite brand into the search results and it immediately captured 31% of ad clicks—despite being third on the page and appearing below their favorite brand.
Bottom line: You don’t need to appear at the top of the page to be considered—just being present can make a difference.
►Applying behavioral science principles to search ads
A wrapped gift, thumbs-up and stars, and a peacock show how the behavioral science principles of the Power of Free, Authority Bias, Framing, Social Proof, and Costly Signaling apply to Search ads.
In our research, shoppers were shown three different ads on a simulated search page that resembled one in the real world. It featured ads for their favorite and second-favorite brands, along with a fictional brand in the same product category.
We used the following five principles of behavioral science to modify the ad copy, in an attempt to shift consumer interest away from the favorite brand.
1). The power of free: Free items, deals, and coupons with a purchase can be a great motivator.
2). Authority bias: When brands, products, and services are endorsed by experts and trusted sources, they stand out from the competition.
3) Social proof: Reviews, recommendations, and highlighting a popular option within a relevant reference group can be very persuasive.
