Brand strategy · April 2026

Building the brand
behind the search.

A growth strategy for Away Digital Teams

Keeping search strong while building what makes it work harder.

Prepared by Gather 'n' Grow · Google Ads Partner · HubSpot Platinum Partner

The opportunity

Google still wins the click.

Search is shifting — but its scale isn't. The opportunity is bigger than ever, it just looks different.

8.5B+

Google searches per day — the same top-of-funnel demand channel it's always been

2.7B+

Monthly YouTube users — the second largest search engine, sitting inside Google Ads

~90%

Google's share of global search — still dominant by a wide margin

What's shifting — not shrinking

AI Overviews add context on some queries. The clicks that come through are often higher intent than before.

Buyers use more touchpoints — blogs, YouTube, LLMs — before they shortlist. Recognition before the search matters.

Outsourcing AU + US is saturated. Top-of-mind position decides which of 10 tabs gets booked first.

What we're doing on the search side: Retesting Search AI Max for ADT — Google's AI-driven search matching that expands beyond traditional keywords. Important lever for capturing the newer intent patterns AI Overviews are surfacing.

Where ADT stands today

Strong search foundation, untapped brand headroom.

Search is doing the job it was built for. The growth we're after lives above it.

93%

of budget focused on search — a strong bottom-funnel foundation already in place

~90%

of non-branded demand still available to capture (impression share under 10%)

Proven

Dev / IT AU is the bread-and-butter vertical — proof the conversion engine works when reach is there

Single-channel reach today

Demand currently comes from one place. A second engine shares the load and compounds over time.

20 videos ready to activate

14 AU + 6 US video assets already produced across all formats — no new creative needed to launch.

The strategy

Not less search.
A layer that makes search work harder.

Search

Bottom of funnel. Captures people already ready to buy.

Brand = Video

Everything above the search box. YouTube Demand Gen + Skippable In-Stream create the people who later search for you.

When someone sees your YouTube ad, then later searches "outsource developers" — they click your ad, because they recognise you.

What should happen, theoretically

Expected pattern based on how brand video interacts with search · not a guarantee

Higher click-through rates on search ads

Lower CPCs over time (better quality scores)

More branded searches (cheapest, highest-converting leads)

Insurance against AI eating more search real estate

Budget

Two ways to split the budget.

Start here

Option A — 80 / 20 split

Search 80%

Brand 20%

Search80% of spend

Brand — YouTube Video20% of spend

CoverageAU + US markets

Option B — 70 / 30 split (Month 3+)

Search 70%

Brand 30%

Search70% of spend

Brand — YouTube Video30% of spend

CoverageAU + US markets

Ideal approach — incremental, not reallocated: The brand 20% is best funded on top of ADT's current search spend, rather than carved out of it. That way the proven search engine keeps delivering leads at full capacity, while the brand layer compounds alongside it. Re-allocating risks slowing search performance before brand signals show up.

Search — where to focus

Concentrating search on what actually converts.

Worth scaling

Developer / IT — AUProven converter with healthy CPA. ADT's bread and butter.
Finance — AU + USAccountants, bookkeepers, payroll. Currently spilling to software / accounting firm queries — tightening to a focused keyword set.
Marketing / Graphics — AU + USTighten to less broad match, where relevant. Keep 3D animation (good quality leads).
General Outsourcing — US"Outsourcing company", "outsourcing solutions". Top of funnel.
Brand — AU + USTighten brand campaign structure. Cheap, protects the name.

Search — structural changes

Continuing the basics.

Landing pages

(Ideas) stronger CTAs — e.g. "Book a Call", "Get a Price Estimate"
(Ideas) reduce clicks-to-lead where the form flow has friction

Ad copy

Analysis and recommendations already provided in a prior review
Worth layering in brand-reinforcing sitelinks as video exposure builds

Negative keywords

Already in progress · ongoing refinement

      Conversion signals
      Nice-to-have once brand exposure lifts traffic to useful volume
Micro-conversions (scroll depth, CTA clicks, 2+ min on site) help Smart Bidding learn faster
Not an immediate lever — revisit once video drives enough site visits to make the signal meaningful

    

Quality score lift

Long-term compounding — payoff visible over 6+ months
Brand recognition lifts CTRs, which pulls CPCs down over time

Brand budget allocation

Two campaign types. One channel.

Weighted toward Demand Gen — so the brand investment still drives measurable lead gen while recognition builds in parallel.

Lead gen focus

60%

of brand budget

Demand Gen

tCPA / Max Conversions bidding

—YouTube in-stream (primary) · in-feed tested then excluded if underperforming
—Google targets viewers most likely to convert — drives clicks + form fills
—Still builds recognition through video exposure
—Natural home for remarketing + warm custom intent

Brand focus

40%

of brand budget

Skippable In-Stream

View-optimised · Target CPV bidding · pure top-of-funnel reach

—Pre-roll / mid-roll on YouTube — pay per view or interaction
—Bid strategy: Target CPV (Target Cost-Per-View)
—Broader audience — reaches the cold pool Demand Gen filters out
—Creates the branded search lift over Months 3–6

Video mix · bottom-up

Starting at the bottom of the video funnel.

01

Bottom of funnel

"Unhappy Provider?" Pain Point

15–60s · Demand Gen · highest intent

Targets people already outsourcing but frustrated. Strongest conversion theme — starts here.

Available: Short + long versions (3 formats each)

02

Bottom + mid funnel

Testimonial / Case Study

30–60s · Demand Gen + Skippable in-stream

Highest trust format. Real clients, real results — converts and remarkets equally well.

Available: Lexer case study

03

Mid funnel

Myths / Educational

15–30s · Skippable in-stream

Positions ADT as the knowledgeable player. Opt-in, educates before the search.

Available: Top 4 myths about Vietnam (3 formats)

04

Top of funnel

General Brand

15–30s · Skippable in-stream

Who ADT is, why Vietnam, why different. Pure recognition play.

Available: ADT General (landscape, shorts, square)

Creative note — the hook

The current ADT videos lean into team-culture, myths and growth stories. For Demand Gen performance, lead with testimonial or case-study proof in the first 5 seconds — before the Skip button appears. Social proof upfront is the highest-converting hook for B2B outsourcing intent.

Australia · creative library

14 video assets ready to run.

Every format is already available — no new production needed to launch.