Ipsos study finds search ads increase brand awareness without clicks
New research from Ipsos and Google indicates that search advertising impacts consumer brand awareness even when users do not click on the ads.
Ipsos MediaCT, in collaboration with Google, conducted 61 simulated search experiments to analyze how search ads influence brand perception. The study involved 800 U.S. participants across 12 product categories.
The findings demonstrate that exposure to search ads generates a measurable increase in both top-of-mind and unaided brand awareness. Notably, this effect occurs regardless of whether the consumer interacts with the ad via a click.
This research suggests that the value of search advertising extends beyond immediate click-through rates. By demonstrating branding benefits from simple visibility, the data provides marketers with evidence that search placement contributes to long-term brand recall.