Beam Inc. has signed iCrossing as its search media agency of record, tasking the firm with helping the company's liquor brands tap mobile to develop closer relationships with consumers. 

Beam, whose brands include Maker?s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Canadian Club Whisky and Courvoisier Cognac, is looking to mobile as a key strategy as it broadens its search marketing activity. ICrossing will seek to take Beam?s mobile efforts to the next level by developing a unique mobile search strategy for each of Beam's brands that connects with the consumer on a more relevant basis.

?It's unthinkable nowadays not to include mobile in your search strategy in order to build a connected brand,? said Rachel Pasqua, vice president of mobile at iCrossing, New York. ?One hundred and twenty two million United States subscribers now use the mobile Web on a regular basis and search is a fundamental activity ? it's the primary we way find content, retrieve information, and connect with brands and each other.

?For consumer packaged goods, especially spirits, mobile search is an opportunity to reach consumers in the zero moment of truth as they head to the store,? she said. ?Yet smaller screens make for a more competitive landscape ? we often see CTRs drop an average of 90 percent between the first and fourth ad positions on a mobile search results page.

?Our goal for Beam is to create campaigns that speak the consumers' language so that we can create the highest possible level of visibility and connectedness for the brand.?

Mobile search gains
While consumers are increasingly conducting searches via their mobile devices, the budgets typically allocated for mobile search have not kept pace.

The 2011 holiday season was the first time many brands really grasped the significant amount of traffic they are getting from mobile devices and the need to spend more heavily in mobile search as a result.

In response, many have started spending in mobile search more heavily this year, with mobile search budgets as a percentage of overall paid search spend to more than double by the end of the year according to Marin Software.

One reason why mobile search budgets have not kept pace with consumers searches and clicks coming from mobile is because brands often have a tough time matching in-store purchases back to the original mobile search.

Supporting other efforts
Beam has been active in the mobile space for some time, enlisting SMS, ads and other techniques to drive customer engagement and results for its various brands. The new partnership with iCrossing will enable the company to better support these efforts via mobile search.

For example, bourbon brand Jim Beam is currently driving opt-ins for its SMS text messaging program via a sweepstakes tied into its Live Music Series concerts around the country. Users can also choose to donate to nonprofit Operation Homefront (see story)

?The importance of mobile grows exponentially every year for our clients, particularly in search,? Ms. Pasqua said. ?Most now see at least 15 percent ? 20 percent of their overall search traffic coming from smartphones and tablets.

?That kind of volume has been a wake-up call as to the importance of mobile search,? she said. ?Budgets are increasing across the board for all of our clients, and Beam is no exception.

?Helping clients like Beam understand what will work for each of their brands and continuing to help them evolve their strategy in synch with the mobile ecosystem is going to be a key element of this partnership.?