These days we're constantly connected, shifting from one device to another for communication, shopping and entertainment.

Our research revealed the average person in the UK has three connected devices while 90% of people move between devices to accomplish a goal. These 'sequential screeners' now expect a superb experience regardless of what they're using to browse on, whether PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, hybrid device or television.

Businesses have an opportunity to increase engagement and drive conversions by creating a great user experience that serves consumers across all of these browsing options. To support your business in establishing a winning strategy, today we're launching a new initiative on Think Insights dedicated to making your website work across multiple devices.

Who uses multiple devices? What do they value when they search? How do people prefer to browse when they're using more than one screen? We tackle all of these in one infographic - which also explains three implementation options for developing your website to function at its best across multiple devices.

These new Think Insights pages provide links to loads of useful resources too. A testing tool helps businesses like yours to analyse website load speeds on mobile and desktop. We've also included examples of great multi-device strategies - read how PlusNet grew its sales on mobile tenfold. Baines & Ernst increased mobile conversions 51% and Towergate increase mobile visits 218%.

This launch aims to provide industry-leading best practices, case studies and tools to enable you to optimise your site across screens and devices.

Article by Matt Brocklehurst, Product Marketing Manager, Google

This year lowcostholidays.com, a global online travel agent, wanted to drive awareness of their brand in new European markets. They turned to YouTube for innovative advertising options. ‘We wanted to reach our audience at a different stage of their research, particularly at the top funnel stage, and measure their engagement with our brand,’ explains Claire Goodenough, Marketing manager at lowcostholidays.com.

What did they do? They utilised two distinctive advertising options on YouTube: a bespoke TrueView ad and a Homepage Takeover. 

TrueView:

TrueView ads are pre-roll videos that run on content across YouTube. As the ad starts, the user is presented with a choice of skipping or watching the ad and advertisers are only charged when a user chooses to watch. Consequently users who choose to watch are likely to be more engaged.

The 30-second video that lowcostholidays.com produced was designed specifically for TrueView, in order to take advantage of the features that the ad format offers. In the opening few seconds, the ad invited the viewer to participate in a quiz to win a voucher code applicable to a future holiday. Once ‘hooked’ the viewer was then presented with a range of enticing holiday photographs, and at the end could guess the destination of the photos to win the discount. Annotations appeared throughout the video to encourage users to complete the quiz. lowcostholidays.com tested various targeting options and ensured they were targeting a relevant audience.

Homepage Takeover:

In addition, lowcostholidays.com ran a Masthead Lite on YouTube’s homepage for 24 hours in Ireland, affording massive reach in a concentrated time period. The ad unit consisted of an image banner as well as a video. Careful scheduling helped lowcostholidays.com maximize results. ‘We were able to pick what we deemed the most relevant day in terms of YouTube visits within our market and how it was aligned with our usual visitor behavior calendar,’ Claire explains. ‘Taking over the YouTube homepage for one day allowed us the broadest YouTube reach possible.’

Results:

An astonishing 80% of the Masthead’s traffic was from new visitors.  ‘This was our aim,’ explains Claire, ‘to get broader targeting and reach people who hadn’t heard of our brand before.’

The TrueView campaign also produced excellent outcomes. ‘Our initial objective was to drive brand awareness, which was achieved: our TrueView ad saw a much higher new visitor rate than we normally see,’ reports Claire. ‘Also, it was great that we achieved sales from TrueView at a CPA similar to some of our Search campaigns. Seeing conversions was certainly a bonus. The effort we put into targeting and making bespoke videos for TrueView paid off.’

Next steps:

lowcostholidays.com are extending their reach by testing engagement ads as well as Mobile Roadblocks. Claire adds, ‘after the success we’ve had with YouTube, it’s something we would definitely keep as a constant on our annual marketing plan’.

Click here to view the full case study 

Article by Anna Tong, Industry Manager for Travel

Baines & Ernst is a leading provider of debt solutions in the UK. In dealing in such a complex subject area, the company’s aim in terms of digital is to help users understand its products. And from all accounts, that’s something it seems to be doing better than ever, thanks to the launch of a new responsive web design (RWD) site. On mobiles, pages per visit have increased by 11%, average visit duration is up 30% and mobile bounce rate is down 8%. Most impressively though, mobile conversions are up by 51% since the RWD site’s debut.

When Baines & Ernst first grasped that mobile usage was on the rise, the decision was made to launch mobile-specific search advertising in late 2011, incorporating both sitelinks and click-to-call functionality. Positive results from this led Baines & Ernst to create a mobile-optimised site that launched in the second half of 2012.

While the additional site helped provide a better experience to growing numbers of mobile users, maintaining fresh content on both the desktop and mobile site proved to be an inefficient use of resource. Through testing and research, Baines & Ernst discovered a solution that would satisfy its goals. The main focus was to deliver a consistent user experience across all devices so potential customers could find the right information on any screen. The team initiated the build of an entirely new site incorporating the best practices of RWD.

Using RWD enabled Baines & Ernst to optimise its site experience across different screen sizes without creating multiple websites. By using flexible templates, CSS media queries and JavaScript events, the new RWD site responds to a user’s screen size and orientation, and then adjusts images, layouts and content visibility in accordance. It also harnesses novel device capabilities such as dragging, swiping and other gestures recognised by touch devices. All of this can be layered onto a single repository of HTML content, so while there’s only one content file to be maintained, it can be delivered across all devices.

Since most consumers lack deep familiarity with financial solutions, the company’s online presence is a critical tool for explaining Baines & Ernst products. As more and more consumers are researching these kinds of products away from their desktop computers, the move to an RWD site has proved a very savvy one. Read more of the Baines & Ernst RWD success story here.

Posted by Matt Brocklehurst, Product Marketing Manager, Google

As a company covering more than 200 specialist insurance products for niche markets ranging from holiday homes to private helicopters, the array of information found on Towergate’s website is extensive. Because users need to access this content whenever and wherever suits them best, the company wanted to efficiently optimise site experience across all devices and screens. By adopting strategies to respond to the demands of a multi-screen world, Towergate boosted mobile visits by 218% and tablet visits by 236%.

Towergate’s first move was to rebuild its website using responsive web design (RWD). The result is a device-independent solution that caters for all and is well placed to embrace new smartphones, tablets and other web-enabled devices. The approach circumnavigates the need to maintain separate websites for various devices, offering a significant savings in time and resource.

In terms of digital marketing, Towergate’s goal is the same regardless of device – to drive a high volume of quality leads to the site, who in turn will to either buy online or make contact with a skilled advisor. Not long after the completion of Towergate Insurance’s new RWD site, the company upgraded all of its AdWords marketing to enhanced campaigns in the span of a single afternoon – in total around 150 campaigns across 15 different accounts – and can now make bid adjustments in the AdWords interface for mobile so that the appropriate Towergate ad is automatically served to the right user.

Thanks to the advanced reporting features in enhanced campaigns, Towergate can refine its efforts even further. Performance metrics have consequently made great strides forward. “The new site has given us more confidence to increase bids across all devices, which has led to improvements. Conversion rates tend to fluctuate seasonally, but in general visit to lead rates across the board are on the rise,” reveals Towergate’s PPC Manager, Keith Mowbray.

Read more about the multi-screen success of Towergate Insurance in the full case story here.

Article by Matt Brocklehurst, Product Marketing Manager, Google

Most of us now have laptops at work, smartphones in our pockets and great looking tablets at our disposal and they can all answer nearly any question instantly. To better understand how the multi-screen revolution is changing everyday life, Google commissioned three global studies, each covering more than 35 countries: “The Connected Consumer Study” and “Mobile Purchase Journey” with TNS,  and “Our Mobile Planet” with Ipsos. These studies explore various aspects of multi-screen lifestyles: How many devices do people own? How do people use them together? How have these devices changed their lives?  Do consumers research and purchase differently across different devices? The answers lead to one conclusion: in Europe, the multi-screen world is here now and context is king.

Fast growth of connected device usage: Europe leads the way

The growth in usage of connected devices has grown spectacularly in the two years since Google first commissioned these studies. We all know laptops and desktops were already widespread across Europe, smartphone usage is growing fast and now tablet usage as well. Smartphone usage in the UK has more than doubled in two years, rising to 62%. Meanwhile, tablet usage tripled in the last year rising to 30% from 11% a year earlier. In nearly all the countries studied, people use more than one connected device. European countries like the UK, Norway and the Netherlands lead the way with people using, on average, at least three connected devices. In the United States, the average person uses 2.9 devices and the average in China is 1.4. In southern Europe, where internet usage is slightly lower than northern Europe, people use two or more connected devices. Globally, all countries are growing fast, and many have seen tablet usage double or even triple in the past year.

Be on the screen your customers are using

This explosive growth in multiple device usage has had a major impact on people’s lives. Nearly three quarters of British smartphone users go online with their mobile every day, 80% never leave home without it and 54% search the web from their mobile daily. People use their smartphone everywhere: 85% use it on the go, 71% at work and 72% specified they use them in stores. Two thirds of smartphone owners expect websites to work as well on their phone as on their desktop. So it’s imperative for every advertiser to ensure their website is designed to work across all devices.

Multi-screen buying

Sixty-one percent of smartphone owners use their phone for researching or purchasing products, and while 52% research products on their phone at home, many do so out of home as well: 25% do so on the go, 19% on public transport and 18% in a store. Peaks in mobile product research happen during lunch, just before the evening commute and after dinner.

The research process crosses devices, especially when research behaviour before purchase is intense. For instance, 93% of smartphone owners use their mobile, desktop or tablet to research travel products, while 70% use them to research technology products. While research behavior is different across product categories, it is very similar across devices:  price, quality information, reviews, ratings and location are common topics of research across all devices.

Research on smartphones affects purchases on mobile and elsewhere. For example after researching a travel product on the smartphone, 12% completed their purchase on the smartphone and 88% on the desktop/tablet or offline.  

Google recently launched enhanced campaigns to help advertisers reach consumers across devices in the moments that matter. Enhanced campaigns allow advertisers to easily serve ads across screens from one single campaign, which can be targeted across locations and time frames, for instance only serving ads near shops during opening times. And with the new ‘offer extensions’ feature, advertisers are able to give people close to their stores a special tailored offer, such as 10% off if used in the next 1 hour. To see the full value of ads targeted to mobile consumers, check out the Full Value of Mobile calculator, a new tool that provides measurement tips and benchmarks to understand mobile’s contribution to purchase decisions.

Take multi-screen action

Will you thrive in the multi-screen world? Here are some tips and tricks for success across screens:

• Check your site. Is it optimised for all devices? The web is speeding up, with the average UK site loading 14% faster than last year. Fast and optimised sites are better for users and businesses – find best practices, technical tips, common mistakes and many more insights on how to make your website work across multiple devices.

• Can consumers find you? Try searching from different devices and using generic and branded terms related to your product or service. Did your brand appear the way you want it to? Enhanced campaigns offer an easy way for advertisers to be present on all screens with minimal effort.

• Check the Full Value of Mobile calculator to assess how your mobile advertising drives store sales and cross-device purchases.

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Posted by Ali Turhan, Industry Analyst - Agency Strategy

Suppose that we could have hopped onto a flying sleigh for a quick trip around the world during Christmas. What would we have seen from up high? The twinkling lights of millions of multi-screen homes. This was a multi-screen Christmas season. People shopped online at all times, from everywhere, on all kinds of devices.

Cyber Monday, the first Monday after the Thanks­giv­ing hol­i­day in the US and the busiest online shopping day of the year, provided people with limitless opportunities to shop and save while being constantly connected. Thanksgiving may not be a European holiday and Cyber Monday may not be a well used term on the streets of Paris, Madrid and Milan, but our research proves that Europeans are just as likely to begin their shopping sprees in the week after Thanksgiving as their American counterparts. What's even more interesting - in Europe - is that shoppers were getting a head start with their mobile devices the Sunday before Cyber Monday.

We looked at several popular Christmas present search queries across the US and Europe, and discovered a surge of mobile queries on Sunday 25th November. In the United Kingdom, for example, mobile queries for electronics surged 103% YoY on the 25th when people were using their phones while out shopping. The following day, people turned to their PCs and tablets to take advantage of Cyber Monday deals while at work and we saw PC and Tablet (where we see similar search behaviour) queries grow by 105% YoY for top electronic gifts.

               

These same multi-screen trends carried us into 2013 as people researched how to shed those extra Christmas pounds and get healthier in the new year. On New Year's Eve, people did their research on smartphones while shopping for last minute outfits or getting their hair done. In the United Kingdom, mobile search queries rose 288% YoY on New Year’s Eve for gyms, cleanses and diets. And on New Year's Day, as people sat on their sofas at home recuperating, search queries on PCs and tablets rose 128% YoY for gyms, cleanses and diets.

Advertising implications for businesses
So we know that today's shoppers are constantly connected. We know they move seamlessly between many screens, in the moment, without second thoughts. And on all screens, they search. Now that we know that, what do we do?

One good answer is to think about context. All these new search patterns have created a world of new context-based marketing opportunities. When you know the time of day, a shopper's general location and the kind of device that they’re using, you can guess quite a lot about what they may be looking for and where they are in the buying cycle.

Need help? Upgrade to enhanced campaigns in AdWords to make your cross-device advertising smarter, more powerful and more measurable. Enhanced campaigns can help:

1. Manage your bids across devices, locations and time.

2. Show the right ad creative, sitelink, app or extension based on user context and what the device can handle.

3. Track conversions like calls. And soon, you will be able to track digital downloads, in-store purchases and other cross-device conversions.

Get the context right on the next day of note, say Mother’s Day or Easter. To learn more about AdWords enhanced campaigns click here.

Posted by: Suzanne Mumford, Product Marketing Manager - Mobile Ads

Source: Google Internal Data. Growth based on YoY data.
*Top electronic gifts defined as smartphones, tablets, ereaders, mp3 players.

In previous posts we have highlighted the creative ways that Ocado and LateRooms.com are using Google+. We'd like to share with you two videos from them on why Google+ is working for their brands.

LateRooms.com, a hotel aggregator matching customers around the planet with suitable hotel rooms, is using hangouts to discuss top destinations, providing travel tips to their customers and have experienced a 9%CTR uplift in search as a result of social extensions. See what they have to say...



Internet grocery retailer Ocado has done a series of hangouts with Great British Chefs who cooked for customers and these hangouts were promoted via True View ads on YouTube, which resulted in 167k engaged views. The Ocado YouTube channel views went from 50k to 230k in the space of a week thanks to the hangout, without including the people who live-streamed the event (which numbered to about 60 individuals at any given time). Ocado is also using social extensions and experiencing a 30% CTR uplift in Search as a result.


Posted by +Natalia Cano

With its inherently digital focus, internet grocery retailer Ocado has established itself as an early adopter of new technologies, so it comes as no surprise that the company embraced Google+ as soon as it could – and has already started reaping some tasty benefits.

The opportunity for Google+ to contribute to improved search rankings was a convincing reason to launch the brand’s Google+ page. By adopting social extensions, Ocado ads became instantly more compelling, and click-through rates increased by 30%.

Hangouts are a clever way that Ocado has brought food-centric content to life. The company capitalised on its existing Great British Chefs initiative and used Google+ to produce a live event where the chefs cooked for customers. Ocado promoted the hangouts via True View ads on YouTube, which resulted in 167k engaged views. The Ocado YouTube channel views went from 50k to 230k in the space of a week thanks to the hangout, without including the people who live-streamed the event (which numbered about 60 individuals at any given time).

The experience has led Ocado to consider further possibilities for moving images. They are keen not to use text-based feeds as what they really want is to get people excited about food, and images are a great way of differentiating. In addition to hangouts and images, Ocado has embraced the Google+ badge which appears on the check-out page with the aim of making the shopping experience social through gifting and sharing.

In future, Ocado has plans for more hangouts on the Google+ page, as well as ideas for more video and channel-specific content. The intention is to deliver the sights and sounds – if not the tastes and aromas – of Ocado products straight to users’ screens.

Find out more about Ocado’s recipe for success by reading the full case study here.

Posted by +Natalia Cano

At Google, we're amazed by how the ad industry is using the digital canvas to bring brands and ideas to life. Whether it’s enticing viewers with video, evoking a smile with a mobile phone, or re-configuring the typical ‘test drive.' When digital advertising works, it can not only be informative, but emotional and dazzling. That’s why we've created a space where everyone can see this great work, talk about it, and roll around in it like a big happy dog.



Yesterday we launched the Creative Sandbox gallery. It’s a crowdsourced collection of global campaigns that push the boundaries of creativity and technology from across digital platforms -- a place to flash your brilliance, spark new digital ideas, inspire and be inspired. We're asking the creators to share a little detail on how they made the magic happen and the tools they used to do it, exposing us all to new ideas and new ways to improve our own work.

As with any sandbox, looking and playing are required. Vote to push your favorite projects to the top. Tell other creators what you admire. And if you've done something amazing lately, send it in. We'd all love to see it.

Jump in. Explore. And play.

www.creativesandbox.com

Posted by Justin Joy, Agency Marketing Manager

For anyone with a passion for fashion, the most exciting time of the year is here: Fashion Week. While the runway shows in New York, London, Milan or Paris are still filled mostly with fashion buyers, bloggers and celebrities, with YouTube and Google+, everyone can get a front row seat right from their desktop, mobile phone or tablet.

• From New York, more than 30 fashion shows are being streamed on YouTube Live from the Runway channel, sponsored by Maybelline, giving you front row access from your living room.
• very.co.uk hosted a hangout on air with Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton who presented her Winter Collection with fans. Only 6 people were given the chance to chat with Fearne and ask her questions about her new Collection but there were prizes for everyone: free tickets to join her exclusive London Fashion Week show this Thursday.

• Paris Vogue Fashion’s Night Out: +VogueParis posted “Live-GIFs” of the event on their +Page, where notable guests, models and VIPs had their images turned into GIFs, ready to be shared across the web. Their 3hour YouTube live broadcast, is now available on the Vogue Paris YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Vogueparisfr or on www.vogue.fr.

There are without any doubt an increasing number of EMEA brands Gucci, Burberry, H&M, Hugo Boss with over 1 million followers on Google+ and others such as Versace or Armani who continue to grow on the platform. These brands are all using the photo / image capabilities of G+ to showcase all their latest designs and collections.

We saw this earlier in February with H&M’s David Beckham underwear collection, and now again in August with H&M’s (#BeckhamforHM) behind the scene photo shoot, and continue to see more and more examples of how fashion and retail brands are embracing Google+ to engage with their followers.



Posted by Natalia Cano, PMM Google+ B2B Marketing

New technology is turning the world into a playground, and play into the new business battleground.

Vast entertainment libraries can be accessed at the touch of a button. Video games are moving from teenage bedrooms to corporate boardrooms. Every lunch queue or quiet moment is an opportunity to create, collaborate or compete online with friends and strangers.

And in just a few days the greatest Games of all are coming to London, with 11,500 athletes taking part in a global celebration of sport.

At Google, we know that play is a serious business. It’s why we launched our new online entertainment service, Google Play, and it’s why this issue of Think Quarterly is dedicated to play in all its forms.

We speak with the world’s most playful brands, including the reconstruction of LEGO, the colorful evolution of Crayola and the free-roaming future of Disney. Our Country Director of Brazil, Fabio Coehlo gives readers a tour of marketing’s newest and most fun-filled frontier. We were granted exclusive access to the digital teams delivering the Olympics on both sides of the Atlantic; surfaced the latest research from our UX team on social gaming; and learned the secret to making YouTube videos that go viral.

I hope you have fun reading the issue and follow our Think with Google Plus page.

Posted by Rich Pleeth, Think Quarterly Editor