This week’s Brand Champ or Chump considers Microsoft’s ad campaign for its new search engine, Bing.
In these spots, Microsoft suggests we’re all suffering from a serious affliction, Search Overload Syndrome… and get this: we don’t even know it.
Our problem, says Microsoft: overload from irrelevant Web search results. We’re simply too overwhelmed with data from useless search results.
The ads strive to drive the point home by personifying search as if it were a person. When looking for something as simple as a new place to do breakfast, search (the person) almost robotically starts issuing senseless factoids that one might typically run into on a search results page.
After highlighting the syndrome, the spots close with the following: “Find the cure at Bing.com. It’s not just a search engine; it’s the first-ever decision engine, from Microsoft.”
Put differently, Bing will help you cut through the clutter and get the information you need to make smarter, more informed decisions.
I have to admit. I didn’t realize I was suffering from any search engine affliction. Google is just a part of my life. It’s a daily habit. But, I found myself asking, what if I my searches could in fact be easier, faster and better?
And with that in mind, I’m going to run against the grain of criticism that I’ve seen on the Bing ads and call them a Brand Champ.
When you’re going up against the category leader, the undisputed leader with almost 65 percent market share, the one that’s part of people’s daily habits, you’ve got to get people thinking. You’ve got to get them questioning.
The Bing ads, at least this first wave, do not dig into the new search engine’s features. And that’s by design, I think. Microsoft just wants to plant a simple idea: that a better way to search just might be out there.
The spots aren’t blow-your-mind sensational, but they do just enough to plant a seed of curiosity. And that’s what Microsoft is going for at this stage. The spots do the job.
The tough part will be translating the curiosity and consideration into converts. Promising to make Web searches better… well, that’s a big promise. If Bing can’t deliver… if it can’t differentiate, habits will stay the same.
I don’t think Bing is going to erode Google’s market share overnight. Habits are hard to break and Google simply is search right now.
That said, Microsoft appears ready to make a fight out of it and put their money where their mouth is… and they just might make a meaningful dent as time goes on.
You can see the Bing ads here.
Take a look and then let me know if you think these spots for the new Bing search engine are:
- A brand champ?
- A brand chump?
- Somewhere in between?
You decide.
Oh, and I have to mention Microsoft’s use of the word Bing as a verb: Bing & decide.
Brandverbing at its finest, isn’t it? (see my post on brandverbing). Of course, with Google part of our daily lexicon, you can be sure Microsoft weighed name candidates with similar potential.
Update: Bing has overtaken Yahoo and is now in second place behind Google. The question: is this short-lived and based on all the launch buzz? Can Bing sustain these numbers? We’re only a week into the Bing era…
I really like the ads and am intrigued ~ right up until I hear that it’s a Microsoft initiative. Then the brief flirtation is over. Sorry ~ to me, MS is like the Star Wars Death Star.
J… Thanks for the thought… and you’re not alone. I have seen this feeling expressed elsewhere. In fact, one of the Microsoft people hinted that it might be better if Bing launched without the master brand association.
Great ads aren’t enough to actually change behavior. Look at the MasterCard “Priceless” ads. Great ads, but how many people used their MasterCard instead of their Visa because of those ads?
People who use Google believe it’s the best search engine. There are blind search engines out there that will PROVE that Google’s search results are not better than Yahoo and Bing. But people want to believe there’s a difference and that’s a tough bias to overcome.
But the ads are hilarious.
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Bruce Gabrielle