New Research: Amazon Topped Search Spending By Far In 4Q 2010

Amazon.com outspent all other search marketers in the fourth quarter of last year in the U.S., dropping $51 million and dwarfing the rest of the field, according to research covering paid search on Google from Kantar Media’s new syndicated service. The WPP Group company says AT&T was the next-biggest spender, laying out $27 million. Interestingly, […]

Chat with SearchBot

Amazon.com outspent all other search marketers in the fourth quarter of last year in the U.S., dropping $51 million and dwarfing the rest of the field, according to research covering paid search on Google from Kantar Media’s new syndicated service. The WPP Group company says AT&T was the next-biggest spender, laying out $27 million.

Interestingly, though the fourth quarter is typically characterized by an effort to woo holiday gift shoppers, only a few of the top ten spenders on Google were retailers, Kantar found. Aside from Amazon, Target Department Store spent $25 million, and EBay invested $22 million in search marketing from October through December.

Financial services companies also contributed significantly to search spend in the period. Capital One came in at third place overall, with $26 million in spending. Insurance players were especially well represented, with Progressive ($19MM), Geico ($16.5MM), and State Farm ($16.2MM) all in the top 10 spenders.

Screen Shot 2011 04 12 At 11.11.11 AM

The research is part of Kantar Media’s new syndicated research product for search, which it announced today. The company says it will report on companies investing in paid search, how much they spend, what keyword are purchases and the number of clicks keywords receive.


About the author

Pamela Parker
Staff
Pamela Parker is Research Director at Third Door Media's Content Studio, where she produces MarTech Intelligence Reports and other in-depth content for digital marketers in conjunction with Search Engine Land and MarTech. Prior to taking on this role at TDM, she served as Content Manager, Senior Editor and Executive Features Editor. Parker is a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since its beginning. She's a former managing editor of ClickZ and has also worked on the business side helping independent publishers monetize their sites at Federated Media Publishing. Parker earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University.

Get the must-read newsletter for search marketers.