Google AdWords are currently a hot topic as numerous decisions from various jurisdictions have shown (see previous Class 46 posts
here,
here,
here and
here). The Financial Times Deutschland this week
features an interesting article on the how search engines and Google AdWords affect brands and, more specifically, how AdWords can affect how well brands are known in the marketplace. A new study by TNS Infratest shows that German consumers see search engines as "mediators" when making purchasing decisions ("Research Online Purchase Offline"). The study has further revealed that using AdWords does indeed have a significant effect on how well a brand is known. AdWords also assist in making a brand better known and generally raise brand awareness.