Affinity Segments Targeting on GDN - The Results

In the previous blog post entitled ‘Improved Affinity Segment Targeting on GDN’, we explained that we were going to test the new Affinity Segments by creating two ad groups on the Google Display Network. One ad group would target niche interests using standard interests and the other ad group would be set up using the new Affinity Segments. Both of the ad groups were set to target users with the same interests. We wanted to test whether or not Affinity Segments would increase reach and drive a larger scale of high quality traffic to the website, or if the smaller audience of the more familiar standard interest ad group would provide better results.

Nate Elliot from Forrester Research explained in a recent Affinity Segments webinar that affinity data is most suited to discovery, not purchases. It can also allow us to find the audience most likely to be receptive to our messages. Google collect its affinity data from many sources to provide a detailed insight into a person’s lifestyle and allow advertisers the ability to reach users based on their online activity. The data for Affinity Segments is collected from a variety of sources including YouTube views, cookies, Google+ shares and Gmail data.

For our campaign we wanted to build awareness for a property development and wanted to target affluent growing families within a 20 mile radius of the development. We therefore chose to target the below Affinity Segments and the equivalent interest groups in the ‘other categories’ section.

- Savvy Parents

- Golf Enthusiasts

- Avid Investors

- Outdoor Enthusiasts

- Performance and Luxury Vehicle Enthusiasts 

The Results  

It has been two months since we began testing Affinity Segments on the Google Display Network and the results have been positive:

• The Affinity Segment ad group saw a 33% increase on impressions compared to the standard interest ad group.
•  The Affinity Segment ad group has driven 935 clicks to the client’s website which is 58% more than the standard ad group
•   The Affinity Segment ad group has a higher CTR of 0.29% compared to 0.24% in the standard interests ad group
• The Affinity Segments ad group has had 3 view through conversions

Not only has using Affinity Segments increased reach, it has also driven more traffic to the website and has even provided three view through conversions.

Initially we were concerned about the increase in impressions; we were worried that it may have meant an increase in irrelevant users being served our ads and therefore reducing CTR. However, it is very positive that instead we have not only seen an increase in impressions, but also an increase in CTR. This leaves us with the view that Affinity Segments do indeed allow us to reach our target audience on a larger scale and have allowed us to expand our reach without diminishing the quality of our audience.

We are very positive about Affinity Segments and are looking forward to the future. We have already begun testing Affinity Segments with similar campaigns and are seeing positive results. The data Google collects and collates can only get more sophisticated, allowing us to continue to improve targeting and increase brand awareness for our clients.