With US retail ecommerce spending projected to rise as much as 13.2% to $135.35 billion during this holiday season, it’s no wonder that brands are investing so much in their paid search programs to capture the surge in traffic.

And while brands and their marketing departments are working overtime to drive sales, new BrandVerity research has brought to light some important findings and hidden risks brands need to be aware of when it comes to the journey consumers are taking online to find the perfect gift.

In order to give brands a better understanding of the search experiences their consumers are having this holiday season and beyond, and how they are impacting brand perception, we commissioned a research study of over 1,000 US consumers, balanced against the US population for age, gender, region, and income. Here’s what we found.

Having worked with thousands of brands, we are very familiar with the challenges digital marketers face owning brand protection in paid search. You have a lot on your plate, and while combating online trademark infringements by third-parties or partners helps protect your margins, it is one set of tasks on an already long list of responsibilities.

Good news trademark holders! Google has recently updated its Google Ads Trademark Advertising Policy, giving you simplified global control of your trademarks.

In July 2019, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that Amazon’s advertising on Google using the branded term “Ortlieb” was a trademark infringement because the Google ad led to a list of results on Amazon that included competitors’ products. Some commentators and bloggers erroneously concluded that the German court was in effect banning brand bidding. Others downplayed the impact or didn’t fully understand the nuances of this decision.

On your way to CardCon? Or are you already in Washington, DC attending FinCon? This is our third year attending CardCon, and we are really looking forward to this conference, the premier event for credit and credit card media. The agenda is packed with interesting sessions and roundtables.

I caught up with Christi Olson, Head of Evangelism for Search at Microsoft at the leading search conference MozCon. In her presentation, “What Voice Means for Search Marketers,” Christi provided an overview of Microsoft’s 2019 Voice Report and offered suggestions on how to prepare for the growing prevalence of voice search. Her presentation focused on voice search usage and how to adapt your strategy to take advantage of voice search adoption.

While MozCon focuses on SEO and organic search, Christi’s presentation raised many questions for those of us interested in paid search and brand protection. Christi was kind enough to answer my questions.

When I speak with prospective customers about the benefits of our paid search monitoring solution, one thing I commonly hear is: “We don’t need automated software; we are already monitoring and remediating issues manually.” Another common refrain is: “Our agency handles all of that.”

Did you know that today marks 50 years since the Stonewall Inn Riots that catalyzed the LGBTQ+ Liberation Movement? To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the BrandVerity Seattle office honored the history of Pride and a few of its heroes.

Having worked with many different types of companies on their paid search compliance strategy, I’ve seen my fair share of program abuse. Paid search abuse takes many forms and involves a variety of bad actors, including trademark abusers or affiliate program violators.

With the rise of referral programs that reward users for referring new members, a new type of abuse has emerged. Referral programs are a useful means of acquiring new customers and users. By encouraging word-of-mouth with incentives, companies can accelerate growth at a reasonable and consistent cost. Referral programs are also a great way to transform loyalists into full-fledged brand ambassadors. With the opportunity to gain some extra perks, these star customers can bring on a lot of incremental traffic and revenue.

Compliance managers at credit card issuers, networks, and publishers have the unenviable task of keeping their programs compliant in a constantly changing space. Every time a credit card issuer changes a rate, for example, there is a risk that webpages across the ecosystem of content housed on the web, will be out-of-date. The risk for non-compliance is high and the consequences range from frustrated or misinformed customers to fines and legal action taken by regulatory agencies. Every word published—by the issuer, by a partner, by an affiliate, or even by a consumer—creates an opportunity for risk.