What Has Search Overload Done to Us?
Whoa, the fourth Bing commercial is simply outstanding. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer shouldn’t feel bad about approving that $80 million to $100 million marketing budget. He’s getting good value for the money spent.
Once again, the marketing goes after the keywords, as I said that it should. But it’s a barrage of keywords. The 60-second spot features bunches of people asking questions to other people, who stiffen and then give robotic answers. Sometimes there is no question.
The TV spot opens with two women dining at a cafe. One remarks, “We really need to find a new place for breakfast.” To which the other responds: “The Breakfast Club. A 1986 cult classic starring members of the Brat Pack.” Watch for the airport security guard’s bird of paradise “ka ka ka ka” imitation. Classic.
Good advertising uses familiar motifs, scenarios and situations, stuff that most anyone can relate to. Familiarity is important. Who can’t relate to information overload? To too much needless information coming too fast to process?
“What’s causing my back pain?” A woman asks at a doctor’s office, for the second time. To which the nurse receptionist responds: “Bring the Pain,” which is a song by Method Man.
The Bing commercial rightly asks: “What has search overload done to us? Find the cure at Bing.com.” I love it. For years, I’ve beat Microsoft aside the ahead for bad marketing. It’s refreshing to offer praise.
Speaking of good advertising, I’m digging the first Palm Pre commercial, too. Someone gets it—that the smartphone isn’t just for guy gadget geeks. The Pre’s small size, ovally shape and pretty user interface has woman appeal.
For years, gadget designers overlooked women—a big, big shortcoming. No more. For example, Canon and particularly Nikon are producing smaller digital SLR cameras with women in mind. Studies show that in men-women households, she is more likely to be the keeper of memories, the one taking the photos. So dSLR manufacturers are producing models that fit into women’s typically smaller hands.
Over the last 24 hours, a slew of Palm Pre reviews posted (the smartphone goes on sale Saturday). Are any of the reviews by women? None that I’ve seen. But this touchscreen phone should appeal to the woman’s touch. The Pre’s physical size, shape and tiny keyboard—like the first commercial—have feminine appeal. Say, BRG, maybe it’s time for a Girl Genius Report.
Do you have a search overload story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.
Bing is brilliant and I am still astonished by how much fun it is to use. It’s making a lot more sense out of the web’s content than anything out there.
The Pre looks amazing and can’t come to Verizon fast enough. Talk about the engine that could… Palm has every reason to be very proud of this one. The ad was great and effectively identified what a mobile communications device means to people. All young people get it, but can’t express it well. Heavens fall when a young person loses their phone for whatever reason. Palm’s ad – in a good way – explains why.
you thought i wouldnt try and search i aint ask yall all that all i wantto know iis what has search overlload done to us
“We really need to find a new place for breakfast”
Cheap holidays in New York | dealchecker.co.uk
We are really sorry, but you need javascript enabled to use … the term ‘holiday’ with New York. It’s the kind of place you … you want a cheap holiday in New York you need to find …
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: What the Darlings were REALLY saying over …
We wouldn’t have had to get a new radio if your barmpot buddy next door hadn … Don’t worry, Margaret, I have put in place … You really need to get your heads round the fact that …
If that is not gobbledygook, I am not sure what is.
I think the real challenge is to find a search phrase which actually does make a decision for you.
Whatever – I am as confused as you, if you click the options link on Google you get the same left-hand bar with filters in. Maybe the good stuff only shows if you type in very very specific searches (like an air fare search)?
Lloyd – you clearly work for Microsoft, nobody in their right mind would describe a search (sorry, decision) engine as fun to use, it should just find what you want and then get out of the way.
Bonnie Cha is a woman with small hands, if you didn’t see her review then I do not think you were looking hard enough.
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/palm-pre-sprint/4505-6452_7-33490473.html
I should have mentioned that i agree – the ads themselves are awesome. Hats off to Crispin Porter and Bogusky. If only Bing were as good as the ads though…
I saw the commercial on TV and was kinda confused. Seemed like an add against the Internet and search. But isn\’t that what its selling? Don\’t you get a list of things out of Bing too? Mostly irrelevant? I tried a few queries on Bing that I\’d googled over the past few days and bing didn\’t once return the correct web sites. Perhaps because I\’m a programmer looking for technical information, rather than looking to buy something. Anyway I found it annoying in what it recommended (all shopping sites).
[...] Bing is doing well, and the marketing campaign sizzles. [...]
I agree on the Pre, it’s looking very promising indeed.
I do wonder though, what specifically do you find so astonishing about the bing search engine? Could you give me a few examples of what made your jaw drop so to speak?
I’ve been doing question style – non keyword searches and the results are either on par (“was einstein gay?”) or worse (“how do i make cheesecake?”, “how do i fix the financial crisis?”) than google.
There’s a box up top with a list of sponsored sites and a box to the right of sponsored sites – for god’s sake it’s even the same colour as the google equivalent with the identical “see your message here…” ad for placing ads. In short it looks identical to google other than the category filter on the left – what am i missing here?
Don’t get me wrong, i think it’s a great compliment to the bing engineers to get even this close to Google, but that’s hardly an astonishing web search experience.
Lloyd, Joe, billybob, anyone? Enlighten me please
@smist,
Google does seem to be clearly better when searching for technical or academic sources. Bing, on the other hand, does seem to have an edge for certain other verticals.
That Google is clearly better at one, and Bing a shade better at the other (no doubt not everyone will agree with that) means that Google is a better default choice.
However, Lloyd said that Bing is fun. I think fun is too strong a word, but I did find it engaging. Maybe its simply that its something fresh to look at after years of Google. Anecdotally, I’ve heard a few people talking about it positively, but maybe thats just general, and short lived, buzz.
err, this was done by JWT (smirnoff, kimberly clark, hsbc ads)