Microsoft to launch $80M anti-Google campaign
updated 01:20 pm EDT, Mon May 25, 2009
MS 80m anti Google Ads
A rumor today suggests Microsoft is planning to partly repeat its anti-Apple ad strategy when it launches a major new search engine. AdAge hears that Microsoft plans to spend between $80 million to $100 million advertising Bing, the final version of a radically revised search engine codenamed Kumo and meant to compete with Google, Yahoo and other top-tier search engines. At least initially, the ads created by marketing firm JWT won't target Google directly but will instead suggest something wrong with today's search engines and push Bing as the alternative.
However, Google is directly implicated in the search and would face a particularly new level of competition through the ad. Despite controlling the majority of the web search market in the US and worldwide, Google has never had to advertise itself and has never faced ad campaigns large enough to undermine its own market share.
Microsoft is all the same rumored to face an uphill challenge. Most of Bing's improvements come from its underlying algorithms and their improvement in turning up results. Text searches won't be significantly different, while media search will change but is also at least partly matched by Google. The Windows developer still struggles to gain search share and had been sufficiently desperate for share as to consider buying Yahoo outright, which would have cost enough to require a rare loan.
Where is MS focus?
05/25, 02:04pm (1 reply) reply
It seems like MS wants to be everything... they had their chance... will they recover? They are a lumbering bear... I doubt it.
Bobfozz
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2008
Same old sh...
05/25, 02:39pm reply
Microsoft has always said that they are always looking for the next thing that will ultimately displace them. They recognized this early on as it is exactly what Microsoft did to IBM and others. The problem with this model is that M$ has tried to get into everything that could potentially be the next big thing - They've already missed it with the internet and it's only because of the might that is M$ were they able to come from behind and at least have a presence - such as xbox, MSN, MSN Live, Zune (not yet), PIMs, and many others. Unfortunately with the browser wars of the late 90's we saw what M$ did once it debunked the incumbent - they pretty much stopped browser development until competing browsers started to take away market share. Oddly, in this instance, M$ was in the market and was apparently asleep - competitors have a strong foothold. So I echo Bobfozz - Where is MS focus. One of M$ problems from the very beginning has been instead of working with other companies on equal footing, they've either tried to drive them out of business altogether using their OS market share (as in the case of Netscape) or they intimidate their so call partners (as in the case of Intel and PC manufacturers). You can still find the very thorough US vs. M$ anti-trust Wired article at their site.
slider
Mac Elite
Joined: Oct 1999
argh
05/25, 03:06pm reply
Oh, all that money... and for nothing.
You could save a bunch of lives with that kind of dough. But yeah, blow it on attacking the competition instead. Predictable end result? Zero difference.
Jeronimo2000
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
It is becoming a joke
05/25, 03:13pm reply
Watching M$ and its flights of fancy has become a great pastime. I'm glad for all those ad dollars at least part of the economy will benefit. A lot of corporate fanfare, big promises and a resounding thud as another great "innovation" hits the ground. Stick to selling corporations and leave the rest of in peace Microsoft, please.
kerryb
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Ballmer bull
05/25, 03:37pm reply
Steve Ballmer's ego just can't stand it when others make better products, or get more positive press, or offer creative solutions. I can see Steve running around the stage, now instead of screaming out "developers, developers, developers," shouting "Me too, Me too, Me too! Wahhh, Let me play in the sandbox too, or else I'll buy it and take it home and destroy it!"So now a search engine from the company whose founder dissed the Internet back in the 90s. Too much money, plus lack of creativity, plus lack of vision, plus fat ego = Bloated Microsoft products. No thanks.
philomath777
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Joined: Mar 2004
Hey, Balmer.
05/25, 04:31pm reply
Why not just call it "Crosby"?
chotty
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2003
Epic Fail
05/25, 05:40pm reply
Why does Microsoft think that advertising is going to get people to change from Google?I suppose it's the same reason that Microsoft can't conceive of anyone else being the dominant (or in some cases, only other) player in a technology related marketplace... unmitigated egocentric thinking.
lockhartt
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Joined: Apr 2000
Bing?
05/25, 05:57pm reply
Maybe MicroSoft should learn how to search their own operating system before taking on the whole world.
SlimGem
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Joined: Jul 2008
Progress?
05/25, 08:07pm reply
Hey, MS has always spent big on dirty tricks and reputation-assassination, so perhaps this is actually progress for them... at least they are doing it out in the open now. Of course, if they had actually spent all that money doing something constructive, they would be unassailable, and wouldn't have to be so desperate...
Kym
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2003
Oh boy what a waste
05/25, 09:22pm (1 reply) reply
Microsoft, give it up. It's over. Look at your latest battles and the damage you caused. Weak arsenal. it's not looking good:
Zune vs. iPod > Lost
Vista vs. Mac OS X > Lost
Silverlight vs. Flash > Lost
Internet Explorer vs. Firefox > Lost
And now...The battle goes on and guess what?
Live Search vs. Google > ANOTHER LOST FIGHT
bitburn
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Joined: May 2009