Microsoft just launched a full-on offensive campaign for holiday shoppers called “Scroogled.” Yes, it’s what you think it is — an attempt to tell people not to get screwed over by Google this holiday shopping season.
This is a Bing campaign, in case you weren’t sure. It’s pretty strong words, coming from any company. My thing? Don’t call competitors out unless you have the goods to back it up. This is coming from the company with a CEO that went apeshit stupid a few weeks ago, mind you. Yes, rip on Google logo, colors, etc.
Grain. Of. Salt. Maybe this is Microsoft’s “Oh Moment.”
Here’s what the company has to say on the site:
In the beginning, Google preached, “Don’t be evil”—but that changed on May 31, 2012. That’s when Google Shopping announced a new initiative. Simply put, all of their shopping results are now paid ads.
In their under-the-radar announcement, Google admits they’ve now built “a purely commercial model” that delivers listings ranked by “bid price.” Google Shopping is nothing more than a list of targeted ads that unsuspecting customers assume are search results. They call these “Product Listing Ads” a “truly great search.”
We say that when you limit choices and rank them by payment, consumers get Scroogled. For an honest search result, try Bing.
Don’t get Scroogled this holiday season.
Watch the video
There’s even a video!
Video: Don’t get Scroogled
Wait, wait. You guys! Check this out, there’s even quotes from Google founders!
That’s not all. They even made up a word — “Scroogled” — along with a definition!
verb
1. The Google practice of selling their shopping search results to a high bidder; known to produce intense anger in online shoppers who might miss out on the best price or the highest quality items.2. Because Google Shopping only includes results from advertisers who pay them, some of the world’s largest retailers aren’t included.
3. The loss of money associated with a bad Google Shopping search result. Side effects of not getting the best price when you thought you were include sadness, frustration and overall indignation.
Once again, Microsoft has done what it’s best at. Copying and then failing. Good job, good effort. They’re clearly “fighting up.“
How’s that search engine market share feeling, folks? I have an idea, take all of that marketing money and brain power and focus on creating actual great products. How ’bout that? I could go on for days, but you get the idea. This shit is just way too easy. Seriously though, if you are working hard at Microsoft, pay no attention to this. Keep working, because this too shall pass.
#StuffShitMicrosoftSays (altered for my Mom in headline.)
UPDATE: Please watch this again, then check out Scroogled:
[Photo credit: Flickr]
Microsoft, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, is a veteran software company, best known for its Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. Starting in 1980 Microsoft formed a partnership with IBM allowing Microsoft to sell its software package with the computers IBM manufactured. Microsoft is widely used by professionals worldwide and largely dominates the American corporate market. Additionally, the company has ventured into hardware with consumer products such as the Zune and...
Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company’s extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google’s highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...
Bing is a decision (search) engine from Microsoft officially announced on May 28, 2009. It combines technology from the Farecast and Powerset acquisitions, as well as new algorithms and a more colorful page design, to attempt to understand the context behind the search, which Microsoft claims gives users better results. Bing as a brand is also an attempt to eliminate the confusion caused by Microsoft’s “Windows Live” branding. Bing is now everything “search” related, whereas Windows Live encompasses the remnants...
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