Here is the list of Top 10 Search Providers for December 2006, Ranked by Searches in U.S.
Provider Searches(000) YOY Growth Share of Searches
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Google Search 3,035,617 22.6% 50.8%
Yahoo! Search 1,412,904 30.1% 23.6%
MSN/Windows Live Search 499,946 -9.7% 8.4%
AOL Search 362,140 7.8% 6.1%
My Way Search 141,527 4.7% 2.4%
Ask.com Search 128,452 17.2% 2.1%
EarthLink Search 31,930 17.6% 0.5%
Dogpile.com Search 30,487 2.1% 0.5%
Comcast Search 26,931 N/A 0.5%
NexTag Search 26,835 123.2% 0.4%
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Source: Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search, January 2007
Clearly Google has a massive lead. With MSN dying to get into that field, and coming in the arena with the services like the video support and all, its sure gonna be an important factor that ho held the lead in past. Yahoo which itself supported the rise of Google has been revising its marketing plans after suffering constant dips in its traffic. It has since upgraded its services, accepted Web 2.0, strengthened its peripheral products and launched in advertising big time. Its a strong urge to get back to where it was before Google became the party pooper for it. Although only time will tell about the decisive blows but one thing is for sure, Google is going to rule the roost for couple of years more.
Have you noticed any of the new ads of Microsoft Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007? Ah… what a stupid question,you must be saying; in case you aren’t then check your lane, if you had been in right lane, moving alongside the right consumer segment, there is no doubt that you have not noticed the adverts of these three product suites (u may have just missed, but be assured, they surely were there in your eye span)
The ads have been in colloquial versions too, and MS has gone quite a lot miles in online marketing. The concept of ribbon* in Office 07, about fastness of it, the ease of information availability in Vista OS, stress on being up to date and synchronization of multiple versions of files etc has been very well depicted in all these adverts.
Note: The traditional menus and toolbars have been replaced by the Ribbon — a new device that presents commands organized into a set of tabs. The tabs on the Ribbon display the commands that are most relevant for each of the task areas in the applications.
Pic 2 – ‘Ribbon’
On the day of launch MS had a dance trope performing at the back of Taj Mahal and the pic was duly printed on back page of TOI the next day with a semi page cover of same with Vista ad. A comprehensive media plan indeed. Suddenly it was all Vista and Office (along with its smart art feature in dailies and tabloids)
Here is the Indian viral ad for Office, chitthi…
;online since Dec 06.
MS is also trying out an Office Comic Strip- Enchanted Office. With online marketing having an impact on media plans, the rage is fast picking up innovative ideas on web. You can visit www.enchantedoffice.com for a complete office comic strip.
Fully knowledge oriented, the script tells user about why Office 2007 and where all does it makes you a better person in office. Betting on viral mode, the website name is taken very different from its product.
PowerPoint 2007
Excel 2007
Sources:
http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2006/03/09/547281.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/inside_office_online/
http://blogs.msdn.com/inside_office_online/archive/2006/11/30/gallery-of-today-s-launch.aspx
http://chitthi.webchutney.net/
Other:
http://news.com.com/Marketing+campaign+for+Vista+high-steps+it+in+New+York/2100-1016_3-6154227.html
http://laughingsquid.com/microsofts-vanishing-point-game/
http://microsoftwowlaunch.com/?gclid=COup4_b5kYoCFQyATAod1VURkA
