Updated: Apr 28, 2025
Author: Tony Waldegrave
In today's digital world, many businesses intuitively know they should be marketing and advertising their products and services online. The problem is that most are unfamiliar and unsure about the online environment, especially with social media. Many managers are looking for answers as to how and where they should start and how much budget they should allocate to this medium. These questions are common amongst traditional businesses due to a lack of familiarity and expertise with online marketing and advertising.
Today we all increasingly use online resources to inform many of our everyday decisions and it is evident that as consumers we have fundamentally changed our behaviour when it comes to researching, evaluating and selecting products and services whether we choose to purchase online or offline or whether we are at work or at home.
Consider how your own behaviour has changed. Do you still go to your traditional sources of information like yellow page directories and classified ads in newspapers? Or are you like many today, even searching and looking up information on your iPad or smart phone from the comfort of your couch while watching TV?
Why would you expect your prospective customers to behave any different to you?
Understanding the dynamics of online marketing is a strategic imperative for businesses in todays online centric world.
The majority of consumers start their informing and quest for information by using a search engine and in NZ that's predominantly Google. Google is the most common online starting point for NZ consumers of all types when reviewing available options at the beginning of the buying cycle.
Understanding that consumers are actively in the "buying cycle" when on search engines, means that they are likely to present as qualified prospects and are therefore more open and receptive to targeted advertising messages.
Search engines provide an accessible and ready pool of in-demand prospects that can be tapped into by businesses across all sectors whether they operate b2b or b2c businesses.
From an advertising perspective, search engines will for the majority of businesses provide the best ROI when compared to other forms of online advertising and often outperform offline advertising options.
Google is the search engine of choice for New Zealanders with over 90% market share. Google's advertising platform called Adwords provides access to advertising in Google search and options to advertise on partner sites and on over a million websites that accept google advertising.
As with any form of advertising, success is dependent on sound planning and obtaining the right advice. Search engine advertising platforms are very accessible, but run on complex systems which require solid expertise and experience to achieve the best results.
Banner and display ads are the most identifiable forms of advertising online. Display advertising takes the form of a "push out" or message broadcasting and in this respect is similar to traditional media advertising. Display and banner ads target audiences on the premise that they will be receptive to messages while they are online for other reasons. Accordingly it is ideally suited to campaigns where brand awareness is a key objective.
Social media and networking sites can also be viable options depending on your type of business and target audience, but understand that visitors on social media sites are there to communicate within their network and not necessarily to make purchasing decisions.
A great aspect that makes advertising online low risk is that every activity and response can be measured. Unlike most forms of advertising, this means online campaigns can be measured to a point of conversion thus allowing effectiveness in response and lead generation/sales and associated costs to be accurately determined.
This capability also allows for campaigns to be quickly modified and refined to a point of optimal performance.
In the case of search engine advertising, there are normally no time period commitments for advertising and budgets can be set and adjusted on a daily basis and can start from as little as a few dollars per day. This provides a low entry barrier for businesses to trial advertising in this medium.
With so many benefits and little risk, all you need is some good advice to start generating results online.
"We have been working with Ricki-lee from Adhesion with our online marketing for a while now and I can tell you she is full of great ideas for getting people interested and contacting our business. In fact, Ricki-lee is now a very important part of our team, and I can't recommend her, and the team behind her, highly enough."
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"I've really enjoyed working with Jen and Ryan from Adhesion! They've been very responsive and knowledgeable and have gone out of their way to help when I've needed campaigns setup in short notice. Highly recommend the team at Adhesion!!!"
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"Very efficient in getting a result."
★★★★★ Oksana Fediuk May 2025
"We've been with Adhesion for a couple of years now, and they've consistently provided prompt and reliable support. Thanks a lot team for your expert advice and exceptional service throughout this time. Our Google Ads have been performing much better in recent months, thanks to your hard work and dedication. Our recent experiences with Ricki-Lee and Jennifer have been fantastic—it’s such a relief to know that we can be in contact anytime we need. It truly feels personal. Thanks again, ladies! 😊"
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"I have been with Adhesion for a couple of years and I am very confident that they are working in my best interest. Peter Volkov communicates well with me and picks up concepts about my business quickly. I am doing well in my business as a result of Adhesion's commitment to their client. I previously had an unfortunate experience of working with a large company who promised the world, charged the earth and delivered nothing of value. The difference now is outstanding."
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"Peter has done a great job running my google ads - highly recommended."
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"Working with Adhesion I have found them to not only be very helpful but also reasonable and fair on pricing"
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"After years of watching clients get burned by faceless agencies and one-person marketers who vanish overnight, finding Phillippa at Adhesion felt like a revelation."
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"Ricki-Lee was an amazing account manager. Always pro-active and looking for improvements to my campaign. Would highly recommend!"
★★★★★ Chris April 2025
"A huge thank you to Adhesion, and especially to Ricki-lee, for being an absolute rockstar with my ad campaigns! From the very start, she’s been incredibly responsive—always quick to answer any questions and on top of everything to make sure my ads are running smoothly. I love how creative she is, the way she puts the ads together is just perfect! She continuously monitors and optimizes them, making sure they perform at their best. If you're looking for someone who truly cares about your success and delivers amazing results, Ricki-lee is the one!"
★★★★★ Picnique Queenstown February 2025
"I've had the pleasure of working with the Adhesion team for years, and they have consistently provided professional and valuable services. The entire team is fantastic to work with, and Courteney, in particular, stands out for her attentiveness and responsiveness. Her keen attention to detail and dedication to delivering top-quality service have greatly benefited our projects. I highly recommend Adhesion for their expertise, reliability, and outstanding customer support."
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"Adhesion, Jen & Court have taken our online marketing strategy from strength to strength over the many years we have been using them for Gordon Harris. Courteney is an absolute star! Their knowledge is deep and broad, keeping us up to date with the latest opportunities to make our campaigns work better. Highly recommend."
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"I worked with Reuben @ Adhesion through a previous business which was sold and a new start up business of mine. Very prompt at setting up new campaigns, sorting issues and implementing changes. Nothing was ever an issue and all campaigns delivered acceptable results. Would recommend to any small business owner looking for a more personal agency."
★★★★★ Kyle Simpson December 2024
"We love working with the team at Adhesion, they did an outstanding job with our website—The Lodge at 58 North. Not only did they understand our unique needs as small business owners, but they also perfectly blended creativity and functionality, crafting a site that captures the spirit of our lodge while providing an intuitive, user-friendly experience for our guests. The team's attention to detail and expertise brought our vision to life, showcasing our lodge's unique charm and commitment to authentic experiences.The whole team is professional, highly responsive, and genuinely invested in our success—making us feel supported every step of the way. The result is a beautiful, functional website that reflects our lodge and makes it easy for visitors to explore, book, and get excited about their stay.We highly recommend the Adhesion Team—it's a joy to work with them!"
★★★★★ Administrative Assistant October 2024
"I would like to say that Reuben Nel from Adhesion has been of excellent assistance with our google words campaign. He has excellent knowledge and insight and could communicate that in an easy and understandable way. I would certainly recommend Reuben to you"
★★★★★ Leave Calendar October 2024
"We've been working with Courteney from Adhesion for a year now and it's one of the best business decisions we've made. The growth in online sales, as well as in-store referrals, is testament to Courteney’s expertise. Her communication is superb, she offers practical advice, and nothing is a problem. Highly recommend!"
★★★★★ Velo Ronny's Bicycle Store September 2024
"I have been using adhesion for about 2 months now and my ads and revenue has increased significantly, not too mention there customer service is 5 star. I will carry on working with this company and Rueben Thank you for great work. I highly recommend after using many different agency’s over the last 2 years in NZ and AU. Thanks Again James Roberts SPORTZONE"
★★★★★ James August 2024
