Geeky Impresario | New Media, Comedy, Entertainment Insight by Frank McDade

Advertising on the “New” Search Engine May Do Justice

There has been a lot of buzz around the latest search engine released by Microsoft, and a lot of that has been generated through advertisements costing upwards of $100 million.  All of this cash being pumped out is a gesture – to the public as an embrace and to Google a flip of the bird.  Google has become a household name and a verb.  Bing can pay to hold a name within a household, but will need sustenance to be anything more.

Will Bing Solve My Answers?

Now, I will admit that I set my default browser to Bing but I find myself using it only when searching for certain things.  I know that it should provide me with everything I search for, but I believe more than anything, that my mind has been trained to expect results in the way that Google provides them.  Bing provides a lot of results in different segments that are easily defined.  Apparently this what they are shooting for, seeing as they have branded themselves as a decision engine.

For example: when I was searching for the score of the penguins game in Bing, it provided me with a nice chart at the top of the page with up-to-date scores as well as scores to the previous play-off games.  Google, on the other hand, gave me almost the same information – but they didn’t pretty it up.  So, if you’re looking for information pertaining to a fast and happening situation, and in an easy manner, Bing will do that.  For more detailed searches, I can’t break away from Google.  I search a lot.  For every day people to see a difference, I doubt they will.  Or like me, they will be taken in on the prettiness of it all.  That same feel of the search engine leaks in to their advertisements – the one thing that actually has me enthrawed in to their product.

NBC hearts Microsoft

I watch a lot of NBC late night.  On top of the amount of Bing commercials that I see spattered through their programming, Microsoft went as far as to sponsor a segment on the Jimmy Fallon Show.  It was a game-show styled contest where three audience members were in a race to Bing in the correct answer to a question.  The winner of the first round was given the opportunity to Bing again, in a 15 second time alotment, for a chance to win a brand new computer branded with Bing on the cover.  This occored only two days after SNL’s Jason Sudeikus hosted the Bing-a-thon alongside Olivia Munn on Hulu (an operation of NBC Universal).  

The Bing-a-thon was a really long infomercial.  It was cheestastic.  Amusing.  Hardly informative. And Long.  It was funny to watch them Bing a topic while racing against absurd comedic events though. I give credit in trying to reach to different audiences through multiple mediums.

It has also been recently announced that NBC has entered in to a contract with Microsoft to refine the way in which TV Ad Sales are purchased.  A new look will be taken at demographics, consumers’ purchasing habits and locations.  They will be updated daily and will have an automated buying process.   Spokespersons say that it will take time to change the way of the business, but it is a necessary change.

“I know you’re use to searching the way you have been” 

Bing – you have peaked my interest but only because I know who you really are.  If you’re going to try and butter up to the rest of the crowd you need to be more straight forward with what you want to be and not dance around cutsie commercials or sketch-comedyesque infomercials.  It has not been a month yet and I don’t want things to seem like they are serious between us, then have you end up being just like any other search engine out there.