Read our 2012 Predictions magazine with contributions from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and more. Then watch the video where Greenlight's Directors discuss their search and social predictions for 2012.

1. the
magazine
jon baron | tagman
“2012 the year when attribution will
move from being a topic of
discussion to a mode of reporting.”
See inside for Microsoft, Yahoo! and
Google’s predictions for 2012.
miki clarke | debenhams
“The online channel is a major traffic
driver for Debenhams. In 2012, our
challenge is to continue achieving
more with our budget.” Read more
from Santander, BSkyB and Dreams.
adam bunn | greenlight
“It’s time to stop thinking of SEO
as a bubble, and time that SEO
becomes more than SEO, more than
just links.” Read more articles from
Greenlight’s Directors.
Predictions for 2012 Edition
november 2011 | Issue 02
original cover illustration by Arnold Bryant

2. THE GREENLIGHT BOARD
Andreas Pouros | COO
Andreas has been involved in search for 11 years, joining Greenlight in 2003.
He is an expert in both business and technological principles and directs
Greenlight’s client services and implementation teams. Andreas also plays a
pivotal role in product development and business growth strategy.
1
Alicia Levy | CMO
Alicia has worked in digital marketing for 12 years and joined Greenlight
in 2003 to set up its paid search division. As Managing Director of
Paid Search, Alicia was at the helm of Greenlight’s PPC technology launches
including the multi-award winning Adapt. In her current role, Alicia provides a
strategic lead in product development, marketing and training.
Warren Cowan | CEO
Warren has worked exclusively in the search marketing industry for over 13 years
and founded Greenlight in 2001. He has developed unrivalled search knowledge
and a unique perspective on the growth and movement of the industry, whilst
actively directing and driving the company’s 100 strong team in its global growth
and product development.

3. FOREWORD
Andreas Pouros | COO
Another similar prediction, one that was inarguably
made but apparently misunderstood, is attributed to
Ken Olsen, the founder of Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) who said, in a meeting in 1977 of
the World Future Society in Boston, that “...there is no
reason why anyone would want a computer in their
home”. He apparently meant computers that controlled
everything in the home, not PC-type machines. Sounds
like a poor attempt to cover up a blunder to me.
It obviously came to pass that both of these alleged
predictions were exceptionally wrong; not only would
every person on Earth want a computer in their home,
two billion of them now exist and if that were not
impressive enough, many of us also own portable
adaptations for vital tasks like playing Plants vs.
Zombies whilst commuting into work. If Thomas
Watson had said that only five people in the world
might not want a computer, he’d have been vastly more
accurate.
So predictions are funny things - even the experts can
get them wrong and routinely do.
That said, the Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine once
said that more predictions are correct than we might
immediately assume, but it’s the ‘when’ that they miss
the mark on. Greenlight’s own predictions this time last
year for 2011 are a good case in point. Whilst most of
our predictions for 2011 actually came true - from the
emergence of display type ads being tested in Google’s
results to QR codes making their way into above the
line advertising - several of our predictions haven’t, but
may quite feasibly materialise in the next 12 months,
such as our prediction that Google and Bing will offer
some type of ‘app search’ functionality in their search
results.
Upon reflection therefore, the first rule in making
predictions seems to be that you should only predict a
year ahead, two years tops if you’re interested in being
right, otherwise you’re making it incredibly easy for the
universe to effortlessly embarrass you down the line.
The second rule I’ll appropriate from Alan Cox, the
renowned British computer programmer, who
said that if you’re intent on making
predictions, you should...
make lots of them, because that way some of them
will actually come true. And the third rule would be to
make sure your prediction isn’t immortalised in print,
otherwise it might be difficult to convince people that
you were ‘misunderstood’.
With these rules in mind, we asked a reassuringly-sized
group of notable experts to share with us, and with you,
their predictions on what they believe will come to pass
in the world of search and social in the relative
short-term, i.e. the next 12 months. To that end, in the
pages that follow, we have contributions from some of
our own experts, as well as those that constitute the
fabric of our sector – Google, Yahoo, Tag Man and
Microsoft. Last but not least, we have contributions
from those at the frontline of online commerce -
Catherine Daniel at BskyB, Miki Clarke at Debenhams,
Matt Reid at Santander and Gary Robinson at Dreams.
Covering off the third rule - making sure there’s no
physical evidence of our predictions - is a tad more
difficult, particularly with all these computers
everywhere. So contributors, thank you for your
contributions, good luck and no pressure!
On behalf of all at Greenlight, we hope you have a
prosperous holiday season. - AP
2
Possibly my favourite prediction of all time is attributed to Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM in the
1940s. He allegedly stated that there was a global market for ‘maybe five computers’. Computers at the
time were the size of entire homes, let alone capable of sitting discretely on your coffee table, so you can
see how he’d have come to that statement, if indeed he actually made it.

4. 3
We asked some of our clients and partners to put pen to paper and tell us what they think 2012
will bring. Read contributions from Debenhams, TagMan, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Santander,
BskyB and Dreams and find out what they think the key industry trends in 2012 will be for search
and social. Amongst other important themes, find out what our contributors think will happen in
the year ahead for Google Shopping, Augmented Reality, Apps and Multi-channel strategies.

5. 4
Catherine Daniel
Display SEO and PPC
“An essential for 2012 is a
multiple device, cross channel
strategy. Customers are
consuming content/products
across numerous platforms and
engaging with brands across
many different channels.“
Consumers don’t consciously think
that they are switching channels and
many may consume several at once
or in a very short timeframe. In the
space of a day a customer might see
a Sky Bet ad on Sky Sports, Google it,
register via a PPC link on their laptop
pre match, check out predictions on
Twitter or Facebook, then later search
on their iPhone, come through an
organic listing and bet live in play
using their mobile. It’s important
that the strategy is aligned across
all of these touch points to make the
users’ device transition as smooth as
possible.
Products such as Google+ that work
to integrate digital channels will
become increasingly difficult to
ignore. An aggregation tool that can
monitor sentiment, influence organic
and paid search, pull in articles from
across the web, allow users to share
content and stream videos and also
act as a social media platform could
become very powerful, very quickly.
As social media channels become
more powerful and start to genuinely
influence other above the line spend
(notably PPC and SEO), I think we will
start to see social media budgets
become more of a business
opportunity, rather than an
afterthought. As a result social media
will no longer be allowed to be
something brands are sure they
should do but are not exactly sure
why. It will instead need to be a
measurable activity that delivers
return on investment.
Miki Clarke
SEO Manager
Miki Clarke SEO Manager at
Debenhams, shares a snapshot
of the exciting things this
leading high street retailer has
been up to - from Google
Shopping to Augmented Reality,
and why in her view, 2012 will
be the year of exploring new
ideas in search and social.
2012, will be the year of
exploration and experimentation in
search and social. The online channel
is a major traffic driver for
Debenhams and as we head into
2012, our challenge will be to
continue achieving more with our
budget. Both search and pay per click
(PPC) are becoming more
competitive. This year, Google has
made frequent updates to its
algorithm. This meant we had to
change our marketing
strategies and tactics to line up with
them - just one of the other
adjustments we have had to
routinely ‘build in’ to ensure we
maintain our competitive edge and
convert on what is already a limited
pool of demand.
User signals and retargeting to
engage and convert
User signals are becoming more
important for natural search and
with the paid quality scores, bounce
rates are something we are focusing
on. We are looking at ways to better
engage users once they get to our
site and improve these, by increasing
conversion rates whilst we have the
prospects’ attention.
User signals and social will continue
to grow in importance as people’s
engagement with brands develops.
Google+ is one approach to trying to
ramp this right up and getting brands
on board – this is something which
I expect Google will really push and
start to incorporate into its algorithm
more.
Retargeting, an area still in its infancy,
is proving hugely effective and a
channel where results can clearly be
seen. It is one we will continue to look
to develop. However, a lot will rest on
the final outcome of the recent EU
privacy rulings surrounding
cookies which could significantly
impact retargeting activity. It’s a hot
topic, one we will continue to follow
closely in 2012.
Google Shopping – where local and
mobile search are heading
Debenhams was one of a limited list
of launch partners of Google Local
Shopping which launched back in
September. I expect it to take off and
become more widely used by both
brands and consumers in 2012.

6. 5
Retailers provide Google with an inventory feed which
shows local stores and corresponding stock availability.
Searchers using Google can then return a list of retailers
with the corresponding number of products and items
- they have in stock. At the moment Google Shopping is
still very much a hidden feature in Google. It is very hard
to track whether people actually go into the store and
buy something on the back of having seen availability
online. However, this will continue to be
developed and ways of getting this data will be
established.
Google Shopping currently works well for White Goods.
With clothing however, there are different options and
variations that need taking into account such as sizing
and colour. But overall, this is the foundation of where
both local and mobile search are heading - Google trying
to map against searches and the physical world through
the browser, perhaps leading to a greater emphasis on
‘reserve and collect’. Ultimately, if a checkout service is
provided within this, then all you need is Google!
Additionally, this approach is potentially addressing the
all too familiar green issue – sourcing locally is better for
the environment all round, surely? And this result will
leave retailers happy too.
Augmented Reality, Multichannel Retailing and
Experimentation
2012 will be the year when we see multichannel retailers
growing at a faster pace than pure-play. Data suggests
that retailers who have embraced it are profiting from it
and capitalising. There will always be certain products
consumers will want to physically see or try on before
purchase, so multichannel is the way forward.
For Debenhams, next year will see a lot more
experimentation, particularly in the areas of mobile, and
use of data and learnings - using evidence of what the
customers like best and running with that.
We have also tested augmented reality with our virtual
pop up store, combining geolocations with augmented
reality via a clever little app designed by GoldRun which
runs on iPhones or iPad2 devices, incorporating
geolocation know-how. Shoppers were able to view ten
party dresses (only available at a particular location),
virtually try them on, order them and get them delivered
to an address of their choice. So we for one are trialling
all sorts, and this is set to continue.
In summary, retailers like Debenhams will be investing in
mobile and other channels that work – it’s going to be a
year of exploring new areas.
TagMan Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder
Jon Baron discusses his predictions for managing
complexity in today’s online marketing world and
the future for attribution.
One of our predictions for 2012 would be ‘complexity
managed’- that’s to say managing the complexity and
vast array of new tools available. The last couple of years
has seen an explosion of technologies and services, all
of which deliver advertisers greater efficiency in their
online marketing activity (Data Management Platforms,
Exchanges, Demand Side Platforms, Ad Verification,
Online Customer Service, Attribution Management,
Retargeting etc.). 2012 will be the year advertisers start
to make sense of all these new services - not only in their
minds, but also technologically - using platforms like our
own (TagMan) to house and integrate them to build a
single view of their online audiences, delivering a
managed approach to actually acting on that view.
We also envisage 2012, as the year when attribution
will move from being a topic of discussion to a mode of
reporting. In other words, more advertisers will plan their
spend and optimise their campaigns based on attribution
analysis of consumers responses to marketing and
non-marketing channels (direct to site, online chat, call
centre activity from web). Using this, we should, for
example, expect to see the bidding of search and display
start to work in harmony. In general, display has the most
to gain as full channel attribution analysis will
demonstrate that banners do work as an upstream
channel, which will redefine development in the display
sector away from its current uncomfortable chase for the
Jon Baron
Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder

7. 6
“I’m going to start my
prediction by winding back the
clock a bit, to July 2009, when
Google launched its so called
‘brand algorithm update’
(officially titled ‘Vince’ for the
trivia buffs amongst you).”
search for can tell search engines
about the strength of a brand,
because the strength of a brand
directly influences those searches.
What is the best means of
influencing brand perception online?
Right now I would argue social media.
At the same time, more and more
marketers are cottoning onto the fact
that social media can dramatically
catalyse SEO campaigns, by
increasing the speed of accrual and
volume of natural links pointing to a
site, as I wrote about at length in the
last issue of Greenlight’s magazine.
All of this is known information, so
here’s my prediction: next year, the
confluence of user signals influencing
search engines perception of brand
strength, and everyone being on the
“social media helps us build links”
bandwagon, will make 2012 the year
of social link building.
You could argue that this has already
happened, but I don’t think I’m alone
in believing that collectively we’ve
barely begun to scratch the surface of
what’s possible when SEO and Social
are properly integrated. Sure, people
have been creating infographics and
promoting them virally for two or
three years (to the extent that many
infographics these days are starting
to seem a bit “me too”), and the idea
of link bait of all stripes has been
around for considerably longer. Don’t
get me wrong, that kind of activity is
still important as part of a campaign,
but what I’m talking about are full
blown, off the wall campaigns that
integrate innovative content,
competitions, blogger outreach,
social, PR... the lot. In fact, why stop
at online? Make TV shows! Throw
events! I know from some of the stuff
being planned with our clients that
we will be, and I’m very excited about
it.
It’s time to stop thinking of SEO as a
bubble, it’s time that SEO becomes
more than SEO, more than just links.
It’s SEO = Digital PR. SEO = your
brand. Next year marketers who
think like that when planning their
campaigns will win, and those who do
not will be “also-rans”.
This update attempted to
incorporate user search behaviour
and click patterns directly into the
algorithm, so that searching for
keyword X, not finding anything of
interest, then immediately searching
for a particular Brand Y, would help
Brand Y rank for keyword X even
in the absence of the usual ranking
signals. As it happened, at the time
Google turned this new algorithm
element up too high, resulting in too
much emphasis being put on user
search behaviour and causing some
very strange search results, such that
Vince was rolled back in fairly short
order.
What does any of this have to do
with SEO in 2012? Well, even though
Google bungled the implementation
of Vince I think the intention was
pretty clear: what users
last view. Also, clients who start to
examine the mix between paid and
natural search will find ‘target
busting’ efficiencies in both - if
Google lets them.
Adam Bunn
Director of SEO
Matt Reid
Head of e-Marketing
“The media landscape is ever
changing, but the next few years
will see significant developments
in how organisations buy and
plan their media to meet
consumer demand.”
Investments in more traditional
awareness channels, be they TV,
Outdoor, Sponsorship or indeed
digital display, are all valid and
important parts of media plans. But
many companies are going to have to
think hard about these, as there are
significant changes in the way that
brands are perceived, and the product
evaluation process for customers.
We have seen a phenomenal growth
in price comparison sites. Now, these
companies themselves represent
some of the biggest budgets in the
UK, some passing the
eye-watering £100 million mark.

8. Equally, customers have less in their pockets, and are
demanding more. Often this includes turning online to
look for vouchers, best buy prices, or just the latest
discount offer. The proportion of full price paying
customers at Zizzi’s and Pizza Express, for example, is
decreasing each year.
The key question is where is this heading? Whilst price
comparison is growing, I think this is just a sign of things
to come. Many of the items we buy and use are
relatively commoditised – the exceptions become less
every year – perfume, Apple hardware, and some items
of clothing remain dominantly brand oriented in the
purchase process, but these are at risk of being
compared if the distribution sources cannot be
controlled.
Arguably, only Apple truly falls outside this at the
moment – with manufacturing, pricing and distribution
clearly locked down and controlled. This stacks up whilst
differentiation is there, although many will argue that
this is not sustainable in the long term.
Google have tried a lot of things, and arguably only
succeeded in a few well documented ways. It’s ability
and capability is at the heart of the changes we have
seen. This is the ability of a customer to see what the
best results for their needs are.
Growth of comparison, coupled with real time customer
input and feedback will commoditise many brands.
Value for a business is hard to find, and will not get
easier.
For a company in the UK, spending more on awareness
will not necessarily improve things, and is harder to
justify as budgets get tighter.
What will help businesses to succeed, is to realise that
times have changed and to accept that there is still much
more to come.
“Search is about to change quite radically. For
more than a decade, search has been stagnant:
the core product has not changed much. Users
have changed radically in that time frame. Even
though the kind of content users consume is
different, search engines are still focused mostly
on web pages.”
One aspect of all the major engines’ Search Results
Pages that has remained constant over the years are the
blue links. In 2012, we could start to see less and less
real estate being taken up by plain blue links, as engines
move further into the realms of rich results.
This supports the belief that 2012 will bring an
innovation arms race, more competitive than it’s been
for a long time. Yahoo! and Microsoft are expected to
execute the Search Alliance in the UK next year, and this
should bring with it a range of product innovations from
both companies.
It’s difficult to write predictions for 2012 without
mentioning mobile. Advertisers will see increased
consumer confidence in purchasing big ticket items
through their mobile devices, especially considering the
2011 impact of tablet computers. In the first six months
of 2011, UK mobile web users grew by 25%, but this was
over-indexed by the 40% growth in mobile searches
(ComScore 2011). So 2012 may perhaps not quite be
the fabled ‘year of mobile’, but then what exactly are we
expecting when we say that?!
Some other predictions worth a thought are:
4 Innovation in new ad formats will result in rich ad
adoption increasing. Continued on page 9
Simon Turner
Search Business Strategist
7
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9. 8
Greenlight’s Online Search & Social Interaction Platform (GOSSIP)
The GOSSIP platform:
Is a managed solution designed to allow global organisations to respond to the search and social
demands of modern online business.
Provides a home for all your media assets – press releases, videos, Twitter and blog posts, guides,
surveys, forums, polls, widgets, graphics, podcasts, promotions, voucher codes, and much more.
Empowers marketers to engage more effectively with journalists, social networks, and consumers by
giving them direct, rapid publishing power for the first time.
Responds directly to the very real danger that big brands will be left behind due to their relative
inability to be dynamic in the online search and social spheres.
Essentially, brands are often great at being corporations, but need GOSSIP to build leadership in the
fast-paced world of real time search and social media.
Greenlight’s solutions are used by many of the world’s best known brands to enhance their performance
why don’t you join them?
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4
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10. 9
4 Consumer behaviour will
be more influenced than ever
by their online social
environments. This may mean
more research before purchase,
and higher bounce rates.
4 There are around one million
mobile and tablet apps in the
Apple and Android stores.
App search currently available,
is akin to web search back in
1996 – unreliable and
unstructured. Advertisers want
it to be easier for consumers to
find their apps, so we’re
likely to see advancements in app
search. Yahoo! seem to be leading
the way in this particular space.
“2011 has been a busy year for
the search industry with
Google acquiring Invite Media
and Teracent.”
As we head into 2012, Google is
about to officially launch its
DoubleClick Search V3 platform -
DS3 - a bid management programme
which will combine Yahoo! and MSN
into an AdWords type interface, and
significantly invest in the DoubleClick
platform, specifically DoubleClick for
Advertisers (DFA) and the Exchange.
As advertisers will we
really need to invest elsewhere when
Google could potentially provide it
all? Hannah Kimuyu, Director of Paid
Media explains.
One of my predictions in 2008 was
that Google would, by 2009, have
expanded into display advertising
following its acquisition of Double
Click. In 2009, three of my five
predictions for 2010 hinted at a new
wave of display, pegged ‘performance
display’. Two years later the Double
Click acquisition and some incredible
developments such as Remarketing
and Placement Targeting have turned
a once struggling Content Network
(AdSense to the Publishers), into a
success story - one we now know as
the Google Display Network (GDN).
Google’s noteworthy acquisitions and
investments this year combined with
the mighty AdWords suggests that
by the end of 2012, not only will 90%
of advertisers search budgets be in
AdWords but also that this trend is
set to be the case for display as well.
Where does this leave other networks
such as Yahoo!, if Google can
potentially provide it all?
The last ten years is evidence that
when Google sets its sights on
expanding and changing the digital
space, it does it properly. However, if
Google is creating a one-stop-shop
for all digital advertising, where does
this leave the other networks? And
as advertisers do we really need to
invest elsewhere when Google could
potentially provide it all?
Interestingly, in the last 12 months,
Yahoo! has finally woken up to the
integration of search and display. It
now strategically places its two teams
together, making it easier for
advertisers to get into the Right
Media Exchange (RMX) and the
Direct Response (DR) networks. Also
with the Search Alliance finally hitting
the UK in 2012, this should improve
Hannah Kimuyu
Director of Paid Media
Yahoo! and Bing’s combined search
efforts. However optimistic this may
sound, it is obvious there is a long
way to go before Google starts to see
a dent in its market share.
Assuming Google and Yahoo! pull this
off; I believe this will support another
big subject being debated by online
marketers across the UK –
attribution - one of the biggest buzz
words for 2011 and definitely a hot
topic for 2012. If all of my
advertising budget can be spent
in one place (this one-stop shop
scenario) then surely it makes my
attribution modelling easier and more
transparent.
What is clear is that the
developments Google has made in
2011 and the past few years should
see it become a serious authority - if
not the leader in display, overtaking
Yahoo!, as well as search by the end
of 2012.
“If 2011 was the year that
technology really started to
deliver the promises of
real-time bidding, mobile and
social advertising, then 2012 will
be the year when we start to see
the beginning of hockey stick
spend growth in these spaces.”
Recently at IAB Engage, AppNexus
Colm Brachen
Group Search Manager

11. 10
CEO, Brian O’Kelley predicted that by 2015 over half
of the global display spend will be auctioned and sold
through exchanges. Mobile advertising, particularly in
search will accelerate even more quickly as smartphone
penetration hits 50% in the UK.
One of the most profound recent changes to digital
marketing will occur on TVs. In the past few weeks, Xbox
announced that a new era in TV will begin this Christmas
as nearly 40 world-leading TV and entertainment
providers will begin rolling out new entertainment
services worldwide to Xbox 360. In the UK, these will
include the BBC, Channel 4 and LoveFilm. This will open
up a world of opportunities for advertisers as more and
more digital entertainment will be consumed on TVs.
The next big thing in search for 2012
Without question, search is undergoing a lot of change in
how relevance is being determined. At the heart of this
change will be the humanisation of the search
experience, as more and more social signals are
being used to personalise search results. The power of
social graph data will be used to create search results
that vastly improve the personal search experience.
Therefore, optimising social media strategies will play a
large part in ensuring a brand is found on Bing and other
search engines.
A key theme will emerge around the “appification” of the
Web, and in particular in the search domain. Bing will
continue to find new ways to help users complete tasks
and not just return information. It will be more a case of
“Search and Do” rather than “Search and Find”.
Finally, how we search will change. Search need not
solely be about typing keywords, but rather the potential
to search using sounds and images. With Bing on Xbox,
the Mango release of Windows Phone 7 and Siri, voice
search has shown us how much more naturally we can
interface with technology.
Will we see an increase in budgets for both search and
social in 2012?
Indeed we will. Search may have taken a step out of
the limelight with the recent innovations we’re seeing
in Real Time Bidding (RTB), mobile and social. But, new
exciting rich ad formats are enabling advertisers to do
brand campaigns. In what will be an uncertain economic
climate in 2012, the value of search advertising will once
again be sought after. The supply of social media
inventory will increase with the arrival of Twitter, offering
advertisers yet another headache of figuring out
where to spend their budgets.
Social media spend should be focused on whatever the
desired objective and audience is for that advertiser.
This has always been the case and should be no
different for social. If you’re looking to find a very specific
type of person, you can achieve this using very advanced
targeting that’s on offer. If you’re looking to broadcast
to a large audience, then this is also available to you. If
you’re looking to reach an audience across multiple entry
points, then social (and search) has more to offer than
most.
How will internet usage and habits affect the way your
business operates?
For us, our big challenge is to connect advertisers with
the right consumers as they increasingly adopt new
technology and react to challenging economic
conditions. We will continue to innovate across devices
to enhance the user experience but also provide
advertisers with really engaged audiences who are
interacting with advertising in ways we could only have
dreamed of in the past.
Gary Robinson
Head of e-Commerce
“As an online advertiser, we at Dreams have
become reliant on our spend levels in Google,
and to a lesser extent Yahoo and MSN. Over the
years however, more and more advertising
options have become available to us to help avoid
saturating the traditional paid search providers,
specifically Google, and leaning on it.”
Social media advertising options, such as Facebook and
LinkedIn, show promise of being able to deliver branding
as well as sales at competitive Continued on page 12

12. 11
At Greenlight, we pride ourselves on being the pioneers of thought leadership within
the search industry. From our Sector Reports to our Greenlight Academy training
programmes, we strive to offer companies and individuals the unique opportunity to
gain contemporary and relevant insight into the search industry.
The Greenlight Academy is our training division through which we offer the most advanced
and comprehensive search training courses in the country.
Our programmes are designed to meet the needs of business’s or individuals interested in
understanding and using search and social media. Our courses on offer range from
an ’Introduction to SEO and PPC’ to ‘Link Building Masterclasses’.
“I recently attended the Social Media for Business course hosted by Greenlight’s Social Media
Director, Anna O’Brien. It was absolutely brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone looking to
broaden their knowledge of Social Media for business in the online marketing space.”
Our industry renowned sector reports are used within the search industry to
benchmark websites and brands’ visibility against that of their competitors.
Each report examines the total search engine audience size; the most visible
websites in Google natural search and paid media results; paid media ad copy
analysis; budget allocation strategies and social media analysis.
Greenlight Academy
Sector Reports
We have now also included a magazine at the back of our reports featuring
articles from the Greenlight Board and Directors of natural search, paid media
and social media. Our latest edition focuses on the ‘Social Search phenomenon’.
Roundtables
In recent weeks, we have successfully hosted Fashion and Finance themed
roundtables. Participants from major brands, including Debenhams, Next,
Reiss, Barclays Wealth and Google Finance gathered to discuss what
issues they have experienced with search and social within their sectors.
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environment for debate and discussion on a regular basis.
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13. cost per acquisition (CPA) rates.
Meanwhile, display advertising
continues to reinvent itself, with
many platforms now offering highly
targeted “performance display”
options, rather than the traditional
cost per million (CPM) arrangements.
One advertising option that has been
available for a number of years, and
has rarely been utilised by the
majority of advertisers to its full
extent, is mobile. Since 2006, Google
has claimed annually that each
subsequent year will be the year for
mobile. In reality, advertisers’ take up
has been relatively low.
However, it seems mobile is showing
very clear signs of the ‘perfect storm’.
With the usage of smartphones
and tablets, the volume of searches
conducted via mobile devices is now
significant. This is sign enough for us
that 2012 is the year we will fully seek
to embrace mobile search as a
serious and viable channel to expand
our visibility online to deliver more
sales.
Finlay Clark
Industry Manager
mobiles in the past 12 months, and
we expect this number to rise even
further as smartphone penetration
increases. In some countries, they’ll
actually bypass the desktop
altogether, and the mobile phone will
be the default internet device.
As this shift happens, new types
of online content and services are
emerging. If content is king, context
is its’ crown – and one of the most
important contextual signals is
location. If you search for sushi from
your mobile, chances are you’re
looking for the directions to a nearby
restaurant, and not for a Wikipedia
entry.
Social signals are another powerful
driver of behaviour. If you’re looking
for a review of a movie, you might be
interested in what TotalFilm or the
BBC has to say about it, but you’re
also likely to be interested in what
three of your friends made of it.
We’re still at an early stage of
learning how best to use social
signals and other taste indicators to
provide more personalised content
and services.
The Google+ project has only been
live to the public since September, but
already we’re seeing ways in which
you can add a social layer to web
activity. Brands can now hold
face-to-face conversations with
customers via Hangouts from their
Google+ brand pages, and use Circles
to tailor specific messages with
specific groups of followers.
New technology will continue to
come from nowhere right to the
forefront next year, the companies
who ‘leap and learn’ – dive in, try
things and learn to improve them –
are the ones which will stay ahead.
“The key trends to watch out
for in 2012 can be summed up
in three words: social, local and
mobile (or So-Lo-Mo for short).”
Already we’ve seen huge jumps in the
numbers of users searching on
“When I was first asked to write
about my predictions for social
media next year, I panicked. It
seems when looking generally at
the landscape there are a lot of
things developing, but nothing
that jumps out as the next big
thing.”
Some clever things like relocation and
augmented reality are still struggling
to gain the full respect of the tech
community let alone the general
public. This led to much head
scratching, deep thoughts of the Jack
Handey persuasion, and hours trolling
blogs for some much needed
persuasion/inspiration.
During my inspiration scavenger hunt
my mind kept coming back to a quote
by Chris Poole, founder of 4chan, that
I had bookmarked a month or so ago.
“[Some social sites] would have you
believe that you’re a mirror,” he said,
“but in fact, we’re more like
diamonds.” - multi-faceted. When I
first read it, it struck me. And, each
time I’ve returned to it, I’ve found
myself equally inspired.
I, for one, Anna O’Brien am not the
same person day to day. In the words
of a 90’s pop song that may be better
Anna O’Brien
Director of Social Media
12

14. 13
left unrevived, “I’m a bitch. I’m a lover. I’m a child. I’m a mother. I’m a sinner. I’m a saint. I do not feel ashamed…” Well,
that’s not quite true. I do feel ashamed. I feel very ashamed. I am the first to admit that there are thoughts, ideas, and
dreams I have that I never want anyone other than my closest friends to know. Still others that I don’t want anyone to
know. Those secrets I am only comfortable sharing with strangers on the internet cloaked in anonymity. These are the
juicy bits that will come in the tell-all book my brother’s sister’s cousin will write. I fear it.
What I am getting at in a not so subtle way is that, social media as it stands now, does not support the multitude of
different relationships and personalities we have. While sites like Reddit and 4chan appeal to the user who wishes to
share information [read troll] cloaked in anonymity, Facebook provides a mass audience with live feed that even your
mother would feel comfortable reading. And she will. Often. However, whilst these sites currently thrive, they live at
opposite ends of the spectrum and both only currently provide a single use view.
When Mr. Poole first made his point, he was attempting to attack mainstream social sites in their approach. What he did
inadvertently was attack his own in the discussion. The future of social media and the prediction I am most certain of,
is that somehow one of these mainstream sites will evolve to allow you to become more multifaceted. This is more than
Google Circles or Facebook friend groups. Those cater to organisation of content rather than the accurate portrayal of
multidimensional identities.
What might this look like? It’s hard to say. Perhaps it will be multiple usernames underneath a single user identity.
Maybe it will be the ability to choose to post content to a public feed anonymously. Something tells me that whatever
the solution will be, it is likely going to be much more exciting than that. And that’s a good thing. Personally, I think
social media could use a little more genuine innovation and excitement these days.

15. 14
What is your favourite social media network and how
often do you use it?
Twitter and I personally use it on a daily basis.
How are you using this on a professional basis?
We are using Twitter and StockTwits because of the way
they are integrated specifically for traders and those
interested in the markets. We have been using these for
the last three years, particularly because of the real-time
element.
What advice do you have for budding Community
Managers?
Ask a lot of questions– people love to offer advice and be
asked for their opinion. Be timely – set expectations, so
people know what to expect. Deliver guidelines that set
out when someone contacting you can expect to receive
a response. It doesn’t need to be immediate, but set the
expectation of 24 hours for example as standard practice
with a different response time for crisis management.
Also make sure you know about your brand guidelines
and that all teams are aware of them and are working
together to adhere them.
60 Second Interview
Allan Schoenberg - Director of Corporate Communications
“Ask a lot of questions– people love to offer advice and be asked for their opinion”
What celebrities are you following on Twitter and why?
Tony Hawk – professional skateboarder! I follow him
because he’s a Dad like me; I used to skateboard and grew
up with him being in the limelight so it’s good to be able to
connect with him on a personal level. I also like that he uses
Instagram, so you can see what he’s up to.
Who would you engage with on a social media level to
promote your brand if you could have anyone retweet you?
There are a few people I could mention: Matthew Bishop
from the Economist, Howard Lindzon from StockTwits as
well as other journalists from Dow Jones or Bloomberg –
all of those that are influential within our market, but that
could offer third party support for our brand.
How do you see the future of SM within the FS industry?
We are still in the early stages and there’s a long way to go.
I believe the focus will be outside of the traditional
English speaking markets and locations; with a move
towards China, Japan, Latin America and other emerging
markets looking to build interest and awareness amongst
their networks.
In September, Greenlight hosted its ‘Social Media and Finance’ roundtable, which can be found on our
website. Representatives from major financial institutions, including Barclays Wealth, HSBC, Currencies Direct
and Google, discussed how search and social media has helped them to market their brands in the online space.
We grabbed CME Group’s Allan Schoenberg for a 60 second interview.

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Primrose Street,
London, EC2A 2EW
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