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Overview

Sur La Table found the right recipe with Google Print Ads and drove an 8% sales increase for targeted store locations.

"Google Print Ads simplified the process of buying newspaper across multiple markets and also allowed us to take a unified approach to our online and offline advertising."

Neal Cohen Vice President of Marketing


Business

Sur La Table opened their first store in Seattle's Pike Place market in 1972, bringing French culinary products to the Pacific Northwest. Since then the company has grown into a nationwide retail franchise with 65 store locations, an e-commerce website, a mail-order catalogue and a gift registry. And for those wondering how exactly to use unusual items like truffle shavers and duck presses, Sur La Table also hosts in-store cooking classes and product demonstrations.

"I think a key part of our success is that we're always looking for innovative and effective ways to promote the business and we aren't afraid to push the boundaries or challenge traditional marketing norms," says Neal Cohen, vice president of marketing for Sur La Table. In fact, the story of the company's growth can also be told as a story of evolving marketing strategies. Twenty years ago the primary focus was direct marketing via the mail-order catalogue, but by 2003 Sur La Table had layered on e-mail newsletters and Google AdWords, driving customers to their rapidly growing e-commerce site. In 2007, looking for a way to serve several diverse promotional goals with supplemental media, Neal decided to experiment with newspaper ads. "Newspaper was the perfect medium to connect with our core customers and also drive new potential customers to local stores."

Approach
Campaign

Sur La Table and their digital marketing agency, DoubleClick Performics, used Google Print Ads to build a newspaper campaign that would drive retail store sales in two established markets, while also promoting the website to new customers. The ads were targeted at home cooks and culinary enthusiasts, running in Food and Main sections of newspapers and featuring products that were popular in stores. They also included clear calls to action: promotional prices, local store addresses, phone numbers and the website URL. In each market, quarterpage ads ran 2–3 times per week over a period of 3 weeks. So that they could measure the direct impact of the newspaper ads on local sales and online traffic, Sur La Table froze their other local advertising during the Print Ads campaign.

From the perspective of Wendy Pawelek, account director at DoubleClick Performics, Google Print Ads represented an opportunity to serve her client in a new way. "Google Print Ads is a useful tool to help impact our customer's holistic marketing initiatives and drive ROI across their business," she explains. Print Ads allowed the digital experts at DoubleClick Performics to leverage their AdWords expertise while expanding their client's media portfolio. "It was a very efficient solution for print advertising, from finding newspapers and negotiating ad rates to uploading ad creatives and viewing e-tearsheets through the online interface."

Results

Sur La Table's first foray into newspaper advertising exceeded expectations. "Google Print Ads allowed us to increase in-store sales by 8% in the markets where our newspaper ads ran," reported Neal.

"Google Print Ads allowed us to increase in-store sales by 8% in the markets where our newspaper ads ran."

In recognizing an opportunity to try something new, Sur La Table and DoubleClick Performics were following principles that have driven the growth of their businesses for years. But working within the familiar AdWords interface definitely made it easier to get started. According to Neal, "Google Print Ads simplified the process of buying newspaper across multiple markets and also allowed us to take a unified approach to our online and offline advertising."

And with results like these, newspaper has earned a place in Sur La Table's marketing mix, adding another viable alternative for consideration. "We've seen how newspaper ads can impact customer sales in local markets," says Neal. "Now we can consider Print Ads in the launch plans for future store openings and for campaigns aiming to drive consumers to specific web and store promotions."