500,000 Americans Search for Swine Flu in Week Ending April 26
Number of Swine Flu Searches Jump 1,900 Percent versus Previous Week
RESTON, VA, May 1, 2009 – comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study of U.S. consumer search activity related to the recent swine flu outbreak based on data from the comScore Marketer search intelligence service. The data revealed that 501,000 people conducted 929,000 searches related to the swine flu during the week ending April 26, 2009, representing a nearly twenty-fold increase versus the previous week for both metrics.
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U.S. Search Activity Related to Swine Flu* Three Weeks Ending April 26, 2009 Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Marketer |
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| Week | % Change vs. Previous Week | ||||
| Apr 6-12 | Apr 13-19 | Apr 20-26 | Apr 13-19 | Apr 20-26 | |
| Searchers | 16,329 | 26,666 | 501,479 | 63% | 1,781% |
| Searches | 28,849 | 46,400 | 929,441 | 61% | 1,903% |
| Paid Search Ad Exposures | 77,306 | 183,030 | 1,549,560 | 137% | 747% |
| Number of Paid Search Advertisers | 33 | 73 | 271 | 121% | 271% |
| Total Search Clicks | 20,654 | 35,293 | 885,876 | 71% | 2,410% |
| Paid Search Clicks | N/A | 99 | 42,381 | N/A | 42,561% |
*Includes broad matches on the following search terms: flu, swine, tamiflu and influenza
Many savvy search marketers capitalized on this opportunity to communicate with concerned consumers. For the week ending April 26, comScore observed 271 different advertisers with paid search inventory against these terms, up from just 73 the previous week and 33 the week before that. The number of clicks on paid search ads also increased considerably to 42,000 during the week ending April 26, up from fewer than 100 the previous week. With more confirmed cases of swine flu developing in the U.S. this week, consumer search and paid search activity related to the swine flu is likely to increase even more.
Top Swine Flu Paid Search Advertisers
Paid search advertising related to the swine flu was done for both public and commercial benefit. The top paid search advertiser for the week ending April 26 was Facesofinflueza.com, a site of the American Lung Association that includes an array of information on the flu, including flu clinic locators. The site delivered nearly 200,000 paid search ads during the week. AARP.org also had a paid search strategy (36,000 paid search ads) to help promote public safety information to its constituents.
Several advertisers promoted flu medical supplies and survival kits, including AreYouPrepared.com (89,000 paid search ads), BettyMills.com (55,000 paid search ads) and FluArmour.com (50,000 paid search ads). CVS Pharmacy, which sells many over-the-counter flu medications and anti-bacterial agents, also used paid search to place its brand front-and-center with consumers.
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Top Paid Search Advertisers for Swine Flu-Related Searches Week Ending April 26, 2009 Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Marketer |
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| Site | Paid Search Ad Exposures |
| Facesofinfluenza.com | 197,055 |
| AreYouPrepared.com | 88,789 |
| Products.live.com/cashback | 66,283 |
| CVS.com | 61,636 |
| TVonthePC.com | 61,493 |
| BettyMills.com | 54,562 |
| FluArmour.com | 49,958 |
| Newser.com | 44,374 |
| RightHealth.com | 37,471 |
| AARP.org | 35,533 |
“This example illustrates an important opportunity for marketers to use paid search to move beyond the standard direct-response sales model,” said Eli Goodman, comScore search evangelist. “When an international issue on the level of the swine flu pandemic presents itself, a paid search strategy enables the timely delivery of important messages to the public. Whether for public safety or to drive product sales, paid search puts the relevant information into consumers’ hands at their time of greatest need.”
Notably absent from the list of advertisers were makers of prescription drugs, who may be sitting on the sidelines due to recent FDA guidance around paid search marketing practices.
About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
Vice President, Industry Analysis
comScore, Inc.
+1 312 775 6510
press@comscore.com
