- Name recognition. We don't need people to click, we just need them to associate our brand with their need.
- Sales leads. They have a need, we have a product, it wasn't a massive sales boost in B2B, but it paid for itself.
- Push competitor's ads down. Diminish their brand recognition/leads/etc.
- Advertise on competitor's search results, show us as a legitimate competitor in the consumer's mind.
The ultimate goal is that people in the industry say "we've heard of you." Very targeted adverts are a great way of doing that along with social engineering and attending inter-industry events.
It might sound crazy, but it was better for us overall if people didn't click. We got more value out of passive advertising than active click-throughs.
It is just like waving your hands around and saying "we exist!"