Anne Summers show search can be sexy

You might think of paid-for internet search being a pretty dull and unsexy bit of marketing. However, I saw a different side of search on the We are Squared digital marketing course I'm doing, with two great case studies on Anne Summers* and Snickers.

* For non-UK readers, this is a chain of mass market (slightly tacky!) lingerie shops

The Anne Summers campaign involved buying keywords related to depressing, negative news stories and then responding with upbeat, provocative ads. For example, searching for "BA strike" on Google returned a paid-for result saying "The planes may be grounded, but you can still join the mile high club!"

The Snickers campaign tapped into an insight that people make spelling mistakes when they are hungry, as part of their "You're not you when you're hungry" campaign I posted on here. Snickers bought keywords based on the most often mis-spelt words, responding with ads suggesting the mis-spelling was due to being hungry, and proposing Snickers as a possible solution.

A few conclusions from these two examples:

1. Tap into insight about the consumer and how they search online, such as Snickers' understanding of mis-spelling when you are hungry

2. Speak in your brand's tone of voice, such as Anne Summers' provocative ads

3. Link to your communication campaign, as Snickers did by building on the "You're not you" TV campaign