How Understanding Your Customers' Ecosystem Increases Search Advertising Response

Abstract

Years of marketing research has given us well-developed theory for competitive analysis based on consumer and competitor choice behavior. However, there are further insights to be gained from understanding how ad click choices reveal a consumer ecosystem, a complex web of non-competing businesses serving consumers’ diverse needs. Since search engines are situated between businesses and consumers they have an ideal perspective from which to see the ecosystem. This study uses data from one such company to demonstrate ecosystem mapping and how to use it to optimize search advertising.

Keywords: market structure, search advertising, competitive analysis, target marketing, market mapping, consumers’ preferences