Message from Bill Tancer, GM, Global Research, Hitwise

I wanted to let you know we've taken the liberty to devote the month of June to one of my favorite topics, Brands and Search.

The articles and insights included in this newsletter can get you started with a breakthrough new research method. They review why Search, because of the nature of the dialog consumers have with search engines, is a rich source of insight into what your customers are thinking and doing with respect to your - or your competitors' - brands.

I encourage you to read this month's newsletter thoroughly - but also, if you are in NYC, be sure to attend our Seminar on June 22, at which we'll cover case studies and steps you can begin to take today.

By the way, thanks for your continued support of, and favorable response to our regular newsletter! Would you like to send us any feedback on it? We're always interested to hear from you. Email csm.us@hitwise.com.

Regards,

Bill


Wake up and flex your brand with Search!
A Hitwise Online Marketing Forum - June 22, 2006 NYC

Join us for an energizing breakfast to review new research from Hitwise on how Search can measure your brand's value, revealing the metrics of awareness, interest and engagement.

Hitwise is opening up this topic for discussion to a panel of leaders in the Search and brand marketing space to identify what you can do today. Panellists include:

• James Colborn, Product Manager, Search Strategy and AdCenter Go-To-Market, Microsoft

• Daniel Lizio-Katzen, EVP, Technology and Online Marketing, Spafinder.com

• Cam Balzer, Director of Search Strategy, Performics

• Dana Todd, President, SEMPO

• Rebecca Lieb, Executive Editor, ClickZ

Notes from Hitwise Intelligence

May 22, 2006

Mapquest, Google and Yahoo! Maps: The Brand Issue

First, thanks for all the great comments to my previous posts on the search and portal wars. A comment posted by Ira from Accoona on Friday caught my attention. Ira made an excellent point in noticing that newer or second generation mapping products were getting far less traction in market share of visits than the industry leader Mapquest. Over the weekend, I had the idea of approaching this issue from a different perspective. Rather than using market share data, what about search terms on the leading map brands?

For the full post and more on Search and brands go to the Hitwise Intelligence Blog

Note – Top terms that drove traffic to sites in the Hitwise Food & Beverage – Brands and Manufacturers websites.

Top 10 Retail brand search terms Period – Four Weeks ending 06/03/2006

News In Brief

Featured Articles on Brand Search

Search Engine Brand Management April 14, 2006

By LeeAnn Prescott

Hitwise's senior research analyst explains how to boost searches that lead to your brand's site.

As the search engine marketing industry has grown, so has the volume of information on how to optimize search campaigns. However, little information exists on the role of Brand and Search. According to Hitwise research, Internet users are increasingly searching by brand, with 75 of the top 100 search terms across all categories in February 2006 containing brand names, an increase of 17 percent versus February 2005.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/9097.asp


Managing Brands with Search April 26, 2006

By Kevin Ryan

iMedia's search editor explains how brand perceptions can be controlled with SEM.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/9260.asp


Stand By Your Brand May 5, 2006

By Brian Quinton

You'd think that in a just and well-regulated world, buying your company's brand as a search keyword would at least guarantee that the folks who searched on that brand name would be herded to your sponsored listing, wouldn't you?

http://multichannelmerchant.com/webchannel/seo/5-3-06-Brand-search/


The Value of Branded vs. Non-Branded Search Terms May 24, 2006

By Chris Sherman, Executive Editor, Search Engine Watch

New research suggests that branded search terms offer the highest conversion rates, but non-branded terms, when used properly, can significantly impact the outcome of a paid search marketing campaign.

http://www.searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3608456

Fast Mover - An Inconvenient Truth

www.climatecrisis.net


Position week ending May 20, 2006: 14,743
Position week ending May 27, 2006: 6,277
Positions jumped: 8,466

Increase in marketshare - 122.39%

Al Gore's brand is experiencing a recent comeback with an all new and favorable status. And what better way to do it faster than with a movie! As a result of the release of Al's acclaimed film, "An Inconvenient Truth", climatecrisis.net, its official website saw an increase of 122.39% in the week ending May 27, 2006.

Hitwise demographic data show that visitors to the site are predominantly female (62.1%) versus male (37.9%). Visitors in the states of HI, NM, DC, MA, CTand NY are more likely to visit climatecrisis.net.

Category Spotlight: Food and Beverage - Brands and Manufacturers

This subcategory is for manufacturers of food, drink or alcoholic drink brands. Wineries and breweries are included. Retailers are categorised in 'Shopping and Classifieds - Grocery and Alcohol'. The data below is based on All sites » Weekly rankings for the week ending 06/03/2006 » Ranks by 'Visits'.

Top 10 Food and Beverage - Brands and Manufacturers sites		Average Session Duration
Kraft Foods USA Lifesavers Candystand Pepsiworld BettyCrocker.com NabiscoWorld.com Pizza Hut USA Cheetos Exploration Station Hershey Foods Maxwell House Omaha Steaks		The average session duration for the Food and Beverage - Brands and Manufacturers category during the week ending 06/03/06 was 6 minutes, 40 seconds which represents an increase of 23 seconds compared with last week.

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About this Newsletter

This monthly email Newsletter is designed to provide Hitwise subscribers with analysis of new developments, industry trends and competitive activity. The powerful real-time web intelligence capabilities of Hitwise and a continual flow of additional research findings make this an indispensable business resource.

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Copyright Hitwise Pty Ltd, June 2006