Primping for Prom (and Graduation)

5 tips to help get your ads in the spotlight for spring events

When it comes to teenage rites of passage, can anything beat the prom? That magical evening is a benchmark event in most teens’ lives—even if some of them can’t remember it the next day. Almost as important (though far less embarrassing) is graduation; a day when the sky is filled with the mortarboards of high school and college students preparing to embark on the next chapter of their lives.

Though prom and graduation are important to the under-25 set, they’re equally important to any advertiser that sells items for which prom-goers and graduation gift-givers may be looking. According to a 2008 survey conducted by BIGresearch on behalf of the National Retail Foundation, 32.4% of respondents planned to purchase at least one graduation gift last year, with a total projected spend of $4.4 billion.

Individually, the average consumer buying graduation gifts in 2008 planned to give gifts to two graduates, and expected to spend an average of $52.12 on each present. While we’re still in an economic slump, the fact remains that graduates still need gifts and prom-goers still need supplies. Buyers may be a tad more conservative this year, but they’re still out there looking to spend.

Which means that if you’re an advertiser who may appeal to graduation gift-hunters or prom-shoppers, it’s time to put on your dancing shoes and get your prom and grad listings ready for a night on the town. Here are five things to consider:

1. Users searching on keywords like “graduation cards” are generally looking for greeting cards, rather than formal graduation announcements. So if you happen to sell both, consider putting the emphasis on actual cards in ads for card keywords.

2. Card sites that offer customizable card options should be sure to stress those options in their ad copy. Users seem to like the personal touch, so if you offer the chance to add photos, logos or anything else your customers can customize, shout it out.

3. Floral sites should consider putting the emphasis on non-floral items (gift baskets, candy, etc.) in their ads for male keywords such as “graduation gift for boy.” We hate to gender stereotype, but typically guys would rather have a big ol’ basket of candy than a lovely bouquet of flowers, so if you have options that go beyond floral, now’s the time to call them out.

4. Dress sites that sell maternity as well as prom dresses (and we’re declining to speculate on that connection) should put the focus on their prom offerings in their ads for prom keywords. This can be done by front-loading “prom” info in the title or description, or creating a specific ad group just for prom keywords. This will serve up a prom-specific ads to people searching on those terms.

5. Advertisers that sell designer prom dresses may want to avoid ad copy that only specifies one particular designer. While this is great for users who know exactly what they’re looking for it, it may deter users who are new to the world of prom dresses. Offering a wide variety of choices could make “prom dress” appealing to both types of users.

As always, the usual rules of thumb apply: Be sure to use keyword insertion to ensure that the ad copy contains the keyword, as well as alt text, to make sure that keywords appear as desired. Call out any competitive advantages you may offer, such as free shipping, special sales or coupon codes. If you’re an advertiser that only serves one specific location, consider creating a geo-targeted campaign, which will display your ads specifically to users in your area, bringing you much more targeted traffic.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Andrew Kitzmiller.