Does the future lie in Google?

At the latest 4A planning conference in San Diego, Google Director of North American Sales Penry Price presented some case studies demonstrating that the search engine also doubles as a powerful tool for account planners simply by gaging consumer interest via search volume.

Among the case studies, Google searches determined that two search queries, "metabolic syndrome" and "diet soft drinks," were linked, according to AdWeek. Google searches can also predict box office grosses 82 percent of the time, up to six weeks before a movie opened.

Price discussed how the sheer amount of data available online opens a floodgate of ideas and also allows a brand to safely leverage other personas. "The Internet allows for multiple discussions around every asset of brands," the sales director said.