Ask has been trying a range of strategies to gain more consumer attention and usage: the bold Ask 3D redesign, the questionable “algorithm” campaign, and now more TV product placement. AdAdge writes about Ask’s recent TV show integrations, including a new one with Entertainment Tonight: Previous integrations with reality competition series such as NBC’s “Treasure Hunters” and MTV’s “Road Rules” both succeeded in driving traffic in real time as the show’s search-based plotlines unfolded. But recent months have brought a bigger push in fictional entertainment, with Ask.com buying integrations in everything from Showtime’s “Weeds” to MGM’s indie flick “Lars and the Real Girl,” which opens in theaters Oct. 12. And starting tonight, Ask will go after the celeb-savvy searches via a new segment on “Entertainment Tonight’s” “The Insider” that will highlight the top three celeb searches on Ask.com.

Related Topics: Ask: Promotions

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling