Does Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) really continue to believe that it can grab internet search market share away from giants like Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Yahoo!, Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO)? The software company, which time and time again has said it intends to continue competing in the race for search market share, is about to release its latest effort -- Bing.The message Microsoft will have to push through to consumers is how Bing will differ from the likes of Google, which already work so adequately that it's made Google the king of the search field with over 60% market share quarter after quarter. Microsoft's lofty $100 million marketing campaign for Bing will center around a question like this: "does Google really help you solve your problems?" Of course, competitors like Google won't be singled out by name. Maybe they should be, though?
Generic questions that sound more like marketing fluff are not going to steer customers from Google search to Microsoft search. It won't happen, even if Microsoft spent $500 million marketing the new way to find information. Microsoft and its marketing agencies really should have thought through all the psychological pieces of trying to unseat Google from the tremendous advantage it has as the first-mover in the search field. It may be one battle that even mighty Microsoft won't be able to win in the end.
Comfort Zone Investing: It's the revenues that count
Black Friday busy, but momentum may not hold
Six Thanksgiving trades for tasty profits
Add your comments