Google and Digitas Collaborate to Drive Original Mobile Marketing Insights and Research

NEW YORK, May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Integrated brand agency Digitas and Google today announced their plans to deliver mobile marketing insights and usage research in a new collaborative project.  The collaboration combines original Google and Digitas search and marketing data to forecast trends, inform investment strategies, and drive increased adoption and deployment of mobile-optimized websites.  Google and Digitas have announced the first output from the collaboration -- specific trends from Mother's Day 2011 -- with more in-depth mobile insights to come in the coming months.

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"The mobile frontier is here and now, and we have a responsibility to our clients to drive an advanced point of view on navigating this terrain. Fundamentally, this starts with foresight and a progressive company like Google," said Colin Kinsella, President, Digitas N. America. "We are both data-inspired organizations, who understand that data is the spotlight that turns opinions to insights and drives a smart, strategic marketing agenda. I'm thrilled we'll be able to give these first looks to our clients."

Consumer's Go Mobile for Mom This Mother's Day

The first output from the Google-Digitas collaboration is a look at mobile trends around Mother's Day, the second largest U.S. consumer spending holiday(1).  Initial findings are below.

• On Mother's Day 2011 (May 9th), 33% of Google search queries on the term "flowers" came from mobile devices.
• Mobile search queries for "flowers" both on Mother's Day 2011 and in the week leading up to the holiday increased by over 100% compared with the same periods last year.
• In the week prior to Mother's Day desktop searches for "flowers" increased from Monday to Friday, then declined on the weekend, while mobile queries steadily increased all week and maxed out on the weekend.  While this is in line with general mobile/desktop usage trends, on the weekend of Mother's Day, the increase in mobile searches on "flowers" was much higher that usual, as last minute shoppers scrambled to find a bouquet for mom.
• Google searches on "mother's day gifts" were relatively consistent across mobile and desktop suggesting that perhaps flowers were the last minute purchase of choice for many Mother's Day shoppers.

In order to reach the mobile consumer, many businesses are developing mobile-specific strategies.  "Mobile is critical to our long-term goals of reaching customers and building relationships," said Rich Lesperance, who heads online marketing at Walgreens. "Our shoppers are busy and on-the-go, and mobile is the gateway to provide them information, access and service when they need it. This is especially true for last minute shopping around important holidays like Mother's Day."

"The data is clear - people are using their mobile devices to find, shop and buy," said Jason Spero, Director of Google Mobile Ads.  "But users are ahead of businesses right now.  Businesses are not always ready to engage them on mobile. By working with Digitas to combine our insights and experiences, we hope to help marketers embrace mobile and provide their customers with a positive experience on this critical platform."

"There are over 5 billion mobile phone units bridging the human network across the planet. The reach of mobile devices is unprecedented and the possibilities it brings for brands to connect people with people is exciting," said Laura Lang, global CEO, Digitas. "With this collaboration, our collective mission is to take a bold step towards realizing the potential of mobile marketing in creative and surprising ways."

The Google-Digitas project will look at a range of mobile trends over the course of the year to better understand how the advancement of mobile technology and smartphone adoption has impacted consumer behavior.

CHART 1: Relative to last year, Mother's day shoppers looking for flowers relied more heavily on mobile.

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About Digitas

Digitas, the top global integrated brand agency, builds active brands for some of the foremost companies in the world.  With a deep understanding of their client's customer's passions and behaviors, the agency combines media creativity, technology, creativity, analytics to ignite emotional bonds between people and brands. Digitas counts Agency of the Year honors from the BtoB Magazine, Festival of Media, OMMA Magazine, Promo Magazine, and Les Agences de l'Annee, France, and has been named to the Advertising Age Digital A-List among its many awards.

Digitas also operates the brand content platform, The Third Act:, producers of first and most well renowned event on digital content, NewFront; the healthcare marketing brand, Digitas Health; and, Prodigious Worldwide, the world's only standalone, global digital productions company.

With sister agencies Starcom MediaVest, ZenithOptimedia, Denuo and Razorfish, Digitas is a member of Publicis Groupe's VivaKi—a global digital knowledge and resource center that leverages the combined scale of the autonomous operations of its members to develop new services, new tools, and new partnerships.

Publicis Groupe [listed on the Euronext Paris Exchange - FR0000130577 - and part of the CAC 40 index] is the world's third largest communications group. With activities spanning 104 countries on five continents, Publicis Groupe offers local and international clients a complete range of advertising services. Web site: www.publicisgroupe.com

www.digitas.com | Twitter: @Digitas | Facebook: Digitas Fan Page  Blog: Digitas Distillery

(1)National Retail Federation survey, April 2010

SOURCE Digitas