Just in time for the weekend, new reading material from Merkle that should be a page turner for those in the advertising and marketing worlds.

A leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing agency, Marklet has just announced the release of its Q4 2017 Digital Marketing Report.

The report analyzes trends across paid search, social media, display, and organic search, while providing highly regarded insights into the performance of major industry players like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Bing, Yahoo, and Instagram.

In support of the research findings, Merkle is hosting a complimentary webinar on Thursday, February 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

As the largest digital marketing investment for most brands, Google search ads helped drive strong year-over-year (Y/Y) online ad spending growth in Q4 2017. Search ad spending on Google grew 23% Y/Y, as retail and consumer goods spending rose 24% during the busy holiday shopping season. Google search ad click growth did slow sharply, although average cost-per-click (CPC) growth spiked to 14%. To the benefit of advertisers, this trend shift was met by an improvement in the quality of traffic that Google search ads delivered.

One of the highlights of the Q4 2017 Digital Marketing Report (DMR) is the investment and subsequent growth of Instagram and Amazon. With strong targeting capabilities and the potential to roll out advertising to features, Instagram spend will likely continue to grow meaningfully for the foreseeable future. Investment in Amazon’s two biggest ad formats, Sponsored Product Ads and Headline Search Ads, increased 64% and 75% from Q3 to Q4 2017, respectively.

Product ads were also instrumental in delivering a turnaround in the performance of the Bing Ads platform. Spending on Bing Product Ads grew 43% Y/Y as mobile traffic was over seven times higher in Q4 2017 than in Q4 2016. Altogether, search ad spending across the Bing and Yahoo search ad platforms grew, even as Yahoo lost its status as the default search provider for Firefox.

“As one of the most highly anticipated and frequently cited sources in the industry, The Digital Marketing Report is an invaluable tool for marketers who continue to refine their digital marketing plans for 2018,” said Dalton Dorne, SVP, Marketing for Merkle Americas. “The Q4 2017 report shows an ongoing trend of digital marketing growth. It outlines with unparalleled breadth of analysis, detail, and accuracy the key drivers of performance for Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other major platforms.”

To learn more, check out Merkle here.

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The report analyzes trends across paid search, social media, display, and organic search, while providing highly regarded insights into the performance of major industry players like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Bing, Yahoo, and eBay.

These in-depth analyses and benchmarks are used by marketers in the development of their people-based marketing strategies and roadmaps.

One of the highlights of the Q3 2017 Digital Marketing Report (DMR) is the continued strength of two of the major digital marketing platforms, Google and Facebook. Google search ad spending growth remained strong, rising to 24% year over year (Y/Y), and Facebook ad spend rose 40% Y/Y, while paid social spend increased 29% overall. The research also explores the impact of several key market developments, such as the strength of Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs), the decline of organic search visits, and Google’s changes as a result of the €2.42 billion fine levied by the European Commission in June.

As has long been the case, mobile devices accounted for most of the Facebook ad spend, with desktop computers accounting for only 30% of spend. November will mark the one year anniversary of Facebook shuttering FBX, its desktop-focused remarketing solution.

Additionally, the provided report summary notes that Amazon ad investment increased significantly quarter-to-quarter across all of Amazon’s ad formats. Sponsored Products Ads are clearly the most heavily-targeted format and accounted for 82% of all Amazon ad spend, though Headline Search Ads and Product Display Ads did grow faster quarter over quarter (Q/Q) in terms of spend.

“Over the six years since its initial launch, Merkle’s quarterly Digital Marketing Report (DMR) has developed a reputation for accuracy and insight in conveying the larger trends that drive performance for Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Bing, and others,” said Adam Lavelle, Global CMO and chief solutions officer for Merkle. “Merkle’s DMR has become one of the most highly regarded and frequently cited reports in the digital marketing industry, providing benchmark data for paid search, SEO, display, social media, and comparison shopping in addition to breaking major developments with special in-depth analyses.”

To learn more, check out the full report here.

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Per the usual order of affairs with these report, the latest offering analyzes trends across paid search, social media, display, and organic search, while providing highly regarded insights into the performance of major industry players like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.

In support of the research findings, Merkle is hosting a complimentary webinar on Wednesday, July 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The Digital Marketing Report (DMR) highlights the continued strength of two of the major digital marketing platforms, as Google search spending growth accelerated to 23% Y/Y and Facebook budgets continued to grow much more rapidly than the online advertising industry as a whole. The research also explores the impact of several key market developments, such as Google’s €2.42 billion fine levied by the European Commission in June, the strength of PLAs, and the mid-quarter change to Google’s Ad Rank calculation.

“While mobile continues to be the main engine of spending growth across digital ad platforms, desktop has been pulling more weight for Google in recent quarters,” the provided report summary reads. “For Facebook, there were no signs of similar renewed strength for desktop traffic, but it didn’t hurt, as overall Facebook spending still grew 56% Y/Y.”

To learn more, check out the full report here.

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This marks Merkle’s second European acquisition of 2017, following that of Spain-based, digital analytics consultancy, DIVISADERO, in April.

“These strategic acquisitions are designed to strengthen Merkle’s foothold as a global people-based marketing leader,” the official announcement reads.

Building a scaled predictive analytics capability in Europe is critical in fulfilling Merkle’s position as the authority in people-based marketing. Founded in 2012, Aquila Insight’s skills in data analytics and the technology used to support the delivery of insight will boost Merkle’s capabilities and scale in the UK and European market.

“The Aquila Insight team has a great approach to building, growing, and delivering impactful results for their clients through the use of sophisticated analytical methods. As we continue to expand our footprint in Europe, predictive analytics needs to be at the heart of our growth strategy, and Aquila will boost our capabilities in this area,” says David Williams, president and CEO of Merkle. “The acquisition of Aquila is an important and exciting opportunity to accelerate our data leadership in the UK.”

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Delivering actionable insights on topics that include search, video, and multi-channel marketing this volume of Dossier features the following articles:

• Preparing for Google’s Mobile-First Search Index
• Advertising with Amazon Sponsored Products
• Loyalty’s Powerful New Role in the Successful Enterprise
• Why Google Shopping Yields Smaller Orders, and Why That May Be Okay
• Say Goodbye to Keywords- Baidu Industry Bidding

“As part of our commitment to sharing our insights and innovation in people-based marketing, we are excited to release version 8.1 of Merkle’s Dossier,” said Mark Ballard, senior research director and editor of Dossier. “As a compilation, it provides practical takeaways for marketers from some of the sharpest minds in the digital industry. This edition features thought-provoking articles addressing a number of important and timely topics, including Google’s move to mobile-first search index, Amazon Sponsored Products, loyalty marketing, and Baidu bidding.”

Marketers can learn more about the 2017 Volume 8.1 Dossier by visiting the Merkle website.

About Merkle

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 25 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. When combined with its strength in performance creative and media, Merkle creates customer experiences that drive improved marketing results and shareholder value. With more than 3,900 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland with 17 additional offices in the US and offices in Barcelona, London, Shanghai, and Nanjing. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

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This year, MMW has learned, T-Mobile and Avocados from Mexico took first and second place, respectively.

The Digital Bowl Report presents a quantitative look at how brands leveraged social media, SEO, paid search, digital media advertising, and email marketing to support their Super Bowl investments.

T-Mobile took home the 2017 Merkle Digital Bowl crown by its show of strength across all focus areas, and particularly excelling in the areas of social media, display, and paid social advertising.

“Modern marketing is about delivering people-based experiences at scale. Super Bowl advertisers that fully leverage the value of their investment by implementing a holistic digital approach and by delivering unique messages across platforms in real time are the real winners,” said Dalton Dorné, vice president, marketing for Merkle.

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The report analyzes trends across paid search, social media, display, and organic search, while providing highly regarded insights into the performance of major industry players like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Yahoo.

In support of the research findings, Merkle is hosting a complimentary webinar on Thursday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The report, we’re told, explores the impact of several key market developments, such as recently released Google products and other contributors to Google’s growth rate; Facebook’s removal of its FBX desktop retargeting platform; the rise of organic search traffic on mobile phones; and the positive growth of Bing Product Ads. In Q4 2016, the data shows that advertiser investment in digital marketing remained robust. The peak of the holiday shopping season delivered particularly strong ad spend and revenue growth for retail brands, but other major industries like travel, B-to-B, and financial services saw strong growth in Q4 as well.

Google’s overall growth was aided throughout 2016 by a rise in Google Shopping ad traffic generated by Google search partners, including Google’s own image search property. In Q4, Google partners generated a larger share of Product Listing Ad (PLA) traffic than text ad traffic for the first time ever. Also, Google’s expansion of mobile ad inventory continued to drive meaningful gains. Still, Google’s largest recent gains have been driven by its move in Q3 to give more device bidding control back to advertisers. As advertisers shifted spend from tablets to the desktop segment over Q3 and Q4, they were ultimately able to spend more overall, while achieving the same return on investment.

Additionally, spending across the Bing Ads and Yahoo Gemini platforms remained down compared to a year earlier. However, Bing Product Ads were one bright spot, as spend growth for the format returned to positive territory.

“In the display and paid social world, Facebook spend grew in Q4, with 59% of all Facebook spend going to ads on phones and tablets, nearly double mobile’s share of paid search spending,” Merkle says. “As a response to the rise of mobile usage, Facebook shuttered its FBX desktop retargeting platform in Q4.”

To learn more, click here.

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Merkle, a major agency in the U.S. for CRM, digital, and search, should accelerate Merkle’s ability to grow as a global agency. The deal is slated to be completed by September 30, 2016.

“U.S.-based Merkle has grown rapidly from its heritage in data and technology, combining a deep understanding of first-party data, sophisticated analytical capabilities, and comprehensive digital media capabilities,” noted the company’s announcement. “As a true pioneer of “people-based marketing,” Merkle is one of the few providers who can deliver data-driven, technology-enabled marketing solutions to large corporations, helping them improve customer engagement, advance competitive positions, and maximize return on marketing.”

Merkle, which offers a wide range of services including data and analytics, marketing technology, digital agency services, and consulting, earned $436 million in revenues in 2015, an increase of 14 per cent on 2014.

Dentsu Aegis’s strategy is to become a 100 per cent digital economy business by 2020 and the addition of Merkle will accelerate this ambition as well as significantly enhance the Network’s global operations.

David Williams, Merkle’s Chairman and CEO, believes the fit is perfect.

“As we considered a new investment partner, we sought a fit that would complement our vision, escalate our brand, and provide growth opportunities for our people, while also valuing Merkle’s unique strengths and culture,” Williams said. “Becoming a part of Dentsu Aegis Network further strengthens our position and allows us to accelerate our goal of being a world-class Global performance marketing agency.”

Merkle’s offerings are a good match with Dentsu Aegis’s capability in media, performance, content, and brand commerce.

“It will become one of the Network’s leading agency brands, and the combination is expected to deliver significant revenue growth opportunities, through collaboration providing new capabilities and benefits to both of our clients,” according to Merkle.

Dentsu Aegis CEO Jerry Buhlmann is upbeat about the future that will result from the move.

“We have long admired the Merkle business, brand and people and are delighted that they are becoming part of our Group, complementing our existing offer to clients and strengthening our competitive advantage at the forefront of the rapidly growing digital economy,” Buhlmann said.

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Markle is also the largest independent agency in the US for CRM, digital, and search.

“This is a significant strategic combination that will accelerate Merkle’s ability to grow as a global agency and provide exciting new opportunities for the customers and employees of both organisations,” a news release emailed to MMW reads.

As part of the transaction, Dentsu Aegis is acquiring a majority stake in Merkle, and Technology Crossover Ventures and certain other shareholders are selling shares. Merkle’s CEO, David Williams, the management team and employees are retaining a significant minority interest. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to complete before the end of September 2016.

“As we considered a new investment partner, we sought a fit that would complement our vision, escalate our brand, and provide growth opportunities for our people, while also valuing Merkle’s unique strengths and culture,” says David Williams, Merkle Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Becoming a part of Dentsu Aegis Network further strengthens our position and allows us to accelerate our goal of being a world-class Global performance marketing agency.”

“Through this process I’ve spent a lot of time with Dentsu Aegis Network’s leadership team,” Williams notes. “Their vision, ambition and perspective on the people-based marketing opportunity align with ours at Merkle. Ultimately this is about doing great work for clients and being part of Dentsu Aegis Network will enhance our ability to be true strategic partners to our clients.”

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Google, if you’re not familiar, unveiled its premier set of four agency partners for the CMU product at the Google Performance Summit, which took place on May 25.

Merkle’s position at the forefront of Customer Match adoption among clients was a key driver in its selection for the roll-out of the new product. Of the four agency partners selected, Merkle is the only company with full data and agency services offerings, placing the agency in a unique position to help clients with their data and media needs.

The launch of Google’s latest product, Customer Match Uploader, allows Merkle to upload pre-hashed Customer Match first-party data files to a secure, authorized API. Google can then proceed with the standard Customer Match audience creation process and deposit the resulting audience in the brand’s Adwords account.

“With our strong heritage in data, Merkle is the perfect match for partnering with Google for the launch of the Customer Match Uploader,” said Ryan Gibson, head of SEM at Merkle. “This unique product allows us to provide greater value to our clients and allow them to reach their individual audiences securely and seamlessly. We look forward to our continued partnership with Google.”

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