Super Bowl Advertisers Fumble Cross-Channel Integration Again

Reprise Media Releases 3rd Annual Search Marketing Scorecard, Measuring Link Between TV and the Web

NEW YORK CITY - February 5, 2007 - With another Super Bowl in the books, it's time to sit back and review the real winners and losers in Sunday's big game: the advertisers. The interest generated by their commercials translated into millions of searches as viewers around the world "Googled" the products and services they featured. Which companies used search marketing to turn that buzz into measurable Web activity?

On Monday morning, Reprise Media released its third annual "Search Marketing Scorecard," a report that ranks Super Bowl advertisers based on their ability to use search engines as a link between their TV ads and a web presence.

"With the cost of an average 30-second Super Bowl spot reaching $2.6 million, marketers are under the gun to prove the effectiveness of their advertisements," said Peter Hershberg, Managing Partner of Reprise Media. "An effective search marketing campaign can close the loop, making an immediate connection with interested people and directing them to websites that complete the experience in a quantifiable way."

Among the key findings from this year's scorecard:

Improved, But Still Underperforming
In general, Super Bowl advertisers made strides in integrating their offline and online efforts this year, yet there were still a significant number of missed opportunities. Few companies put together all the elements necessary to translate interest and buzz into web activity.
Weak Call To Actions Hurt The Whole Field
Advertisers continued to overlook the value of having a strong call to action in their commercials. While a majority of companies provided URLs during their ads, less than 20 percent actually gave viewers a compelling reason to visit their websites.
All Buzz, No Substance
Companies such as Doritos, Chevrolet and the NFL featured buzz-worthy consumer-generated ads, inviting user participation and interaction with the brand. However, these commercials did a poor job of directing users to online destinations, failing to capitalize on the opportunity to expand the communities they had built prior to the game.
Innovation in Conversation
One exception to this trend was Pizza Hut. Though its commercial was not consumer-generated, Pizza Hut used paid search to link users to a customized YouTube channel instead of its own corporate site, allowing visitors to continue a dialogue about its ads and products.
Auto Makers Still Missing The Extra Poin
Though they purchased a significant number of TV ads, Automotive advertisers were again among the biggest losers in cross-channel integration, with poor visibility across Google, Yahoo! and other major search engines.

The Scorecard evaluates and ranks each advertiser's efforts based on a series of cross-channel marketing best practices. To expand this year's analysis, Reprise Media partnered with Optimost, a technology and services company specializing in comprehensive real-time testing and conversion rate marketing. Optimost provided insight and analysis regarding the effectiveness of landing pages used by Super Bowl advertisers.

"This year companies featured more Web-based tie-ins than ever before, making cross-channel integration essential" said Joshua Stylman, Managing Partner, Reprise Media. "Advertisers that integrate all their marketing efforts should no longer be considered cutting edge. It's expected that brands of this caliber understand their audiences and how they act on information."

To download a copy of the 2007 Search Marketing Scorecard on the Super Bowl and request a copy of a whitepaper about the study, visit www.reprisemedia.com/scorecard.aspx.

About Reprise Media:

Reprise Media, the largest independent SEM services firm in the industry, offers clients a complete managed solution for their search marketing needs focused exclusively on improving their return on advertising investments. The Company delivers services and technology that enable advertisers to manage and optimize their customer acquisition programs through all search, auction-based and category targeted digital media.

The company was named "2006 Agency of the Year: Best Search" by OMMA Magazine, and has been ranked among the 30 fastest growing companies in the country by Entrepreneur Magazine's Hot 100 for the past two years. Reprise Media's clients include USA TODAY, Guess? Inc, Harper Collins Publishing, USA Network and Capital One.

Reprise Media is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and Boston. SearchViews (www.searchviews.com), the Company's award-winning blog, provides daily news and commentary on the Search Engine Marketing industry.

For more information, please visit Reprise Media at (www.reprisemedia.com)

Note:

Reprise Media and FeedCast are service marks of Reprise Media Corp. All other company names or product names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact:

Anthony Iaffaldano
Director of Marketing
212.444.7477
anthony @ reprisemedia.com

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