IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormksc/v32y2013i2p213-220.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Practice Prize Paper ---PROSAD: A Bidding Decision Support System for Profit Optimizing Search Engine Advertising

Author

Listed:
  • Bernd Skiera

    (Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Marketing, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60629 Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

  • Nadia Abou Nabout

    (Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Marketing, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60629 Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

Abstract

This paper reports on a large-scale implementation of marketing science models to solve the bidding problem in search engine advertising. In cooperation with the online marketing agency SoQuero, we developed a fully automated bidding decision support system, PROSAD (PRofit Optimizing Search engine ADvertising; see http://www.prosad.de), and implemented it through the agency's bid management software. The PROSAD system maximizes an advertiser's profit per keyword without the need for human intervention. A closed-form solution for the optimized bid and a newly developed “costs-per-profit” heuristic enable advertisers to submit good bids even when there is significant noise in the data. A field experiment demonstrates that PROSAD can increase the return on investment by 21 percentage points and improve the yearly profit potential for SoQuero and its clients by €2.7 million.

Suggested Citation

  • Bernd Skiera & Nadia Abou Nabout, 2013. "Practice Prize Paper ---PROSAD: A Bidding Decision Support System for Profit Optimizing Search Engine Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(2), pages 213-220, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormksc:v:32:y:2013:i:2:p:213-220
    DOI: 10.1287/mksc.1120.0735
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1120.0735
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mksc.1120.0735?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abou Nabout, Nadia & Skiera, Bernd & Stepanchuk, Tanja & Gerstmeier, Eva, 2012. "An analysis of the profitability of fee-based compensation plans for search engine marketing," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 68-80.
    2. Abou Nabout, Nadia & Skiera, Bernd, 2012. "Return on Quality Improvements in Search Engine Marketing," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 141-154.
    3. Benjamin Edelman & Michael Ostrovsky & Michael Schwarz, 2007. "Internet Advertising and the Generalized Second-Price Auction: Selling Billions of Dollars Worth of Keywords," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(1), pages 242-259, March.
    4. John D. C. Little, 1970. "Models and Managers: The Concept of a Decision Calculus," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(8), pages 466-485, April.
    5. Oliver J. Rutz & Michael Trusov & Randolph E. Bucklin, 2011. "Modeling Indirect Effects of Paid Search Advertising: Which Keywords Lead to More Future Visits?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 646-665, July.
    6. John D. C. Little, 2004. "Models and Managers: The Concept of a Decision Calculus," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(12_supple), pages 1841-1853, December.
    7. Leeflang, P.S.H. & Wittink, Dick R., 2000. "Building models for marketing decisions: past, present and future," Research Report 00F20, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management).
    8. Kinshuk Jerath & Liye Ma & Young-Hoon Park & Kannan Srinivasan, 2011. "A "Position Paradox" in Sponsored Search Auctions," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 612-627, July.
    9. Song Yao & Carl F. Mela, 2011. "A Dynamic Model of Sponsored Search Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(3), pages 447-468, 05-06.
    10. Juan Feng & Hemant K. Bhargava & David M. Pennock, 2007. "Implementing Sponsored Search in Web Search Engines: Computational Evaluation of Alternative Mechanisms," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 137-148, February.
    11. repec:dgr:rugsom:00f20 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Tat Y. Chan & Chunhua Wu & Ying Xie, 2011. "Measuring the Lifetime Value of Customers Acquired from Google Search Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(5), pages 837-850, September.
    13. Zsolt Katona & Miklos Sarvary, 2010. "The Race for Sponsored Links: Bidding Patterns for Search Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 199-215, 03-04.
    14. Anindya Ghose & Sha Yang, 2009. "An Empirical Analysis of Search Engine Advertising: Sponsored Search in Electronic Markets," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(10), pages 1605-1622, October.
    15. Sha Yang & Anindya Ghose, 2010. "Analyzing the Relationship Between Organic and Sponsored Search Advertising: Positive, Negative, or Zero Interdependence?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(4), pages 602-623, 07-08.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Klapdor, Sebastian & Anderl, Eva M. & von Wangenheim, Florian & Schumann, Jan H., 2014. "Finding the Right Words: The Influence of Keyword Characteristics on Performance of Paid Search Campaigns," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 285-301.
    2. Abou Nabout, Nadia & Lilienthal, Markus & Skiera, Bernd, 2014. "Empirical Generalizations in Search Engine Advertising," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 206-216.
    3. Carsten D. Schultz, 2020. "The impact of ad positioning in search engine advertising: a multifaceted decision problem," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 945-968, December.
    4. Kannan, P.K. & Li, Hongshuang “Alice”, 2017. "Digital marketing: A framework, review and research agenda," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 22-45.
    5. Simone Guercini, 2022. "Scope of heuristics and digitalization: the case of marketing automation," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 21(2), pages 151-164, November.
    6. Lukas Jurgensmeier & Bernd Skiera, 2023. "Measuring Self-Preferencing on Digital Platforms," Papers 2303.14947, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2024.
    7. Anoek Castelein & Dennis Fok & Richard Paap, 2019. "Dynamics in clickthrough and conversion probabilities of paid search advertisements," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-056/III, Tinbergen Institute.
    8. Savas Dayanik & Semih O. Sezer, 2023. "Optimal dynamic multi-keyword bidding policy of an advertiser in search-based advertising," Mathematical Methods of Operations Research, Springer;Gesellschaft für Operations Research (GOR);Nederlands Genootschap voor Besliskunde (NGB), vol. 97(1), pages 25-56, February.
    9. de Haan, Evert & Wiesel, Thorsten & Pauwels, Koen, 2016. "The effectiveness of different forms of online advertising for purchase conversion in a multiple-channel attribution framework," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 491-507.
    10. Nagpal, Mayank & Petersen, J. Andrew, 2021. "Keyword Selection Strategies in Search Engine Optimization: How Relevant is Relevance?," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 746-763.
    11. Duncan Simester & Artem Timoshenko & Spyros I. Zoumpoulis, 2020. "Efficiently Evaluating Targeting Policies: Improving on Champion vs. Challenger Experiments," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(8), pages 3412-3424, August.
    12. Bayer, Emanuel & Srinivasan, Shuba & Riedl, Edward J. & Skiera, Bernd, 2020. "The impact of online display advertising and paid search advertising relative to offline advertising on firm performance and firm value," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 789-804.
    13. Savas Dayanik & Mahmut Parlar, 2013. "Dynamic bidding strategies in search-based advertising," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 211(1), pages 103-136, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Klapdor, Sebastian & Anderl, Eva M. & von Wangenheim, Florian & Schumann, Jan H., 2014. "Finding the Right Words: The Influence of Keyword Characteristics on Performance of Paid Search Campaigns," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 285-301.
    2. Kinshuk Jerath & Liye Ma & Young-Hoon Park & Kannan Srinivasan, 2011. "A "Position Paradox" in Sponsored Search Auctions," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(4), pages 612-627, July.
    3. Abou Nabout, Nadia & Skiera, Bernd, 2012. "Return on Quality Improvements in Search Engine Marketing," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 141-154.
    4. Sha Yang & Shijie Lu & Xianghua Lu, 2014. "Modeling Competition and Its Impact on Paid-Search Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(1), pages 134-153, January.
    5. Shengqi Ye & Goker Aydin & Shanshan Hu, 2015. "Sponsored Search Marketing: Dynamic Pricing and Advertising for an Online Retailer," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(6), pages 1255-1274, June.
    6. Anoek Castelein & Dennis Fok & Richard Paap, 2019. "Dynamics in clickthrough and conversion probabilities of paid search advertisements," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-056/III, Tinbergen Institute.
    7. Vibhanshu Abhishek & Kartik Hosanagar, 2013. "Optimal Bidding in Multi-Item Multislot Sponsored Search Auctions," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 61(4), pages 855-873, August.
    8. Kannan, P.K. & Li, Hongshuang “Alice”, 2017. "Digital marketing: A framework, review and research agenda," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 22-45.
    9. Yang, Yupin & Lu, Qiang (Steven) & Tang, Guanting & Pei, Jian, 2015. "The Impact of Market Competition on Search Advertising," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 46-55.
    10. Nagpal, Mayank & Petersen, J. Andrew, 2021. "Keyword Selection Strategies in Search Engine Optimization: How Relevant is Relevance?," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 746-763.
    11. Navdeep Sahni, 2015. "Effect of temporal spacing between advertising exposures: Evidence from online field experiments," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 203-247, September.
    12. Avi Goldfarb, 2014. "What is Different About Online Advertising?," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 44(2), pages 115-129, March.
    13. Shijie Lu & Yi Zhu & Anthony Dukes, 2015. "Position Auctions with Budget Constraints: Implications for Advertisers and Publishers," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(6), pages 897-905, November.
    14. Amin Sayedi & Kinshuk Jerath & Kannan Srinivasan, 2014. "Competitive Poaching in Sponsored Search Advertising and Its Strategic Impact on Traditional Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 586-608, July.
    15. Gauzente, Claire & Roy, Yves, 2012. "Message content in keyword campaigns, click behavior, and price-consciousness: A study of millennial consumers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 78-87.
    16. Przemys?aw Jeziorski & Sridhar Moorthy, 2018. "Advertiser Prominence Effects in Search Advertising," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(3), pages 1365-1383, March.
    17. Navdeep S. Sahni, 2015. "Effect of temporal spacing between advertising exposures: Evidence from online field experiments," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 203-247, September.
    18. Xiaomeng Du & Meng Su & Xiaoquan (Michael) Zhang & Xiaona Zheng, 2017. "Bidding for Multiple Keywords in Sponsored Search Advertising: Keyword Categories and Match Types," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 711-722, December.
    19. Shijie Lu & Sha Yang, 2017. "Investigating the Spillover Effect of Keyword Market Entry in Sponsored Search Advertising," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(6), pages 976-998, November.
    20. Carsten D. Schultz, 2020. "The impact of ad positioning in search engine advertising: a multifaceted decision problem," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 945-968, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormksc:v:32:y:2013:i:2:p:213-220. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.