Bing Goes Bonk: Lessons in Marketing from the Search Wars
May 29, 2009 by ian
So, Microsoft announces Bing. The world is about to change, the pundits say! This time our renamed technology will win, cries Ballmer! We're spending $80 billion to make this thing win, dammit!
24 hours later, let's take a look at the hottest terms on Twitter:
Wha? How did this happen (in my best Elmer Fudd voice)?
Bing is going bonk, and it's not even out of the stable yet. Why? Because:
Microsoft still sells search like it sells Windows: In a box
Microsoft is selling Bing the way they sell their operating system:
- Crank up massive PR machine.
- Create logo using the most popular web colors.
- Crank up massive marketing machine.
- Release highly polished, on-message marketing video with attractive-yet-accessible actors and funny looking rodents.
- Repeat.
Oh, a couple other things:
- Ignore the fact that Google is having their developer conference right when you announce your search technology.
- Use 10 different names for the API, the search tool and the web site where the search tool is promoted, so I'm not sure if I'm developing on Decision Engine, Live 2.0, Silk Road, Bing, Bing Road, Bing Engine, Decision Engine Bing or whatever.
Google stomps all over them moments later
In comes Google. They focus on the developer community, telling us (yes, I'm still at least 49% developer) all the cool stuff we can build, and consolidating the Wave name around an API, a protocol and a tool.
Who's going to win?
Microsoft marketed to reporters.
Google marketed to the developer community.
Who's going to win? Who do you think?
I am not a Google fanboy
Understand: I am not a Google fan. I want someone to give them a serious run for their money. I want another search engine so my clients aren't 70% dependent on the paid and unpaid traffic from one outlet.
But Microsoft ain't gonna do it. This was their last shot.
Sorry guys.
While we wait for this drama to shake out, why not buy this book?:
Join the Conversation:
Stuart Foster says:
May 29, 2009 12:17
Brutal critique. But an accurate one. Microsoft didn't get a lot of buy in from developers and the people that really control the flow of the internet...and then Google opens their API on top of that? Smokefest.
SEO Rabbit says:
May 30, 2009 21:22
Wanna bet that Bing will improve Microsoft's search market share?
Ian
says:
May 31, 2009 10:02
@SEO Rabbit Well yeah. Any change probably would. And Bing does look like an interesting technology. They built it on their Powerset acquisition, I'm sure. But that doesn't change the fact that their marketing is ridiculously outdated, and that the long-term market share improvement will be negligible.
SEO Rabbit says:
May 31, 2009 14:58
http://www.techflash.com/microsoft/46404182.html
Woz is astounded. Now that's an endorsement. Woz is not a dummy, and he knows that if Bing turns out to be crap, all of his future "endorsements" will be laughable.
But yes, besides that Bing will be marketed the old way and their only chance is the quality of the product itself about which we can't say much now.
However, I would love to see it work just so Google can perhaps become more transparent when dealing with webmasters and marketers. Besides that it sucks when Google refers 70% of your traffic, because that can go away, with no explanation or warning.
This happens to people who are not even "gray hat".
Bill Bennett says:
May 31, 2009 23:36
I checked out the Australian and NZ media on Friday. Google wave was everywhere. Bing hardly mentioned.
http://billbennettnz.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/googles-wave-eclispses-microsofts-bing/
samo says:
June 4, 2009 06:36
As you say I think it is good that Google's competition is stepping up to the mark whether Bing will do that is the question. I think after six months they should look at the statistics and carry out a paid online survey - compare the results and learn from it and come back stronger. I don't think the current version is anything for Google to worry about.