# 'Research' vs 'strategy' wording in PPC ads: -62% clickthrough

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Ad (Lead-gen)
- Elements: Ad copy, Value proposition
- Date shared: 2014-05
- Test run by: [MarketingExperiments](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/marketingexperiments/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://marketingexperiments.com/value-proposition/value-claims-ppc-ad-strategy
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/me-marketingsherpa-ppc-research-vs-strategy-ad/

A PPC ad built around the word 'research' got 62% fewer clicks than the same ad built around 'strategy'. The MECLABS team (MarketingExperiments) ran the test on ads for its sister company MarketingSherpa, and published it on the MarketingExperiments blog. It was an early step before a live test at a 2014 summit.

## Result

**-62% clickthrough**

- Clickthrough rate: the research ad was 62% lower than the strategy ad. A clear loss for the research wording.
- Impressions, clicks and confidence were not shared.
- A follow-up test among strategy ads found the 'first' value claim won, lifting clickthrough by 37%.

## Control

A pay-per-click ad for MarketingSherpa framed around 'strategy' wording.

## Variant

The same ad reworded around 'research' instead of 'strategy'.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- Keyword research showed the two groups used different words for the same need. Searchers in this audience reached for strategy terms.
- For many marketers, 'research' may sound academic, while 'strategy' promises something they can use.
- Ad copy that echoes the words in a search usually earns more clicks.

## Caveats

The ads appear only as images in the post, and no impressions, clicks or confidence were shared. This measures clicks, not leads or sales.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we write our PPC ad in the terms our searchers use, then clickthrough will rise because the ad matches what they typed.
- Primary metric: Ad clickthrough rate
- Guardrail: Landing page conversion rate
- Guardrail: Cost per lead
- Guardrail: Lead quality
- Who should test it: Lead-gen and B2B content businesses running search ads to a new audience. It fits when you have keyword data showing two vocabularies; it matters less if your terms are fixed product names.

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Credit: MarketingExperiments ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/me-marketingsherpa-ppc-research-vs-strategy-ad/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.