The coverage of the competition among the big internet companies is not unlike the classic Japanese monster movies of the 1960s (e.g., King Kong vs. Godzilla): titanic struggles for control of everything as we know it with only one possible winner. A more thoughtful but still sensational installment of that saga is the Wired piece: Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network's Plan to Dominate the Internet — and Keep Google Out. (Selling magazines is a tougher business these days.) The article tells of Google's early desire to potentially buy Facebook, Microsoft becoming the preferred inv [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Features: Analysis | Google: Critics | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Partnerships

Across the TV industry there are various efforts going on to bring more targeting into TV advertising. The readers of this blog know about Google's TV advertising initiative. But SpotRunner and various others (e.g. Project Canoe) have been working to bring "addressable advertising," the kind of targeting that exists online (demographic, geo, even behavioral), to television. According to the Wall Street Journal, NBC has now adopted Microsoft technology to do something similar: The technology NBC is deploying will add a layer of demographic information as well as automated ad buying. It analyze [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Video | Google: TV | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Partnerships

ClickZ reports Digg has dropped Microsoft as the exclusive ad provider for the site. Microsoft ads started appearing on Digg in October 2007 after Digg and Microsoft made the deal in July. Prior, Digg used Google AdSense ads to monetize the site. Then Digg dropped Google for Microsoft ads and now, it appears Digg will sell ads directly, and continue to use Microsoft ads for open inventory. The Digg/Microsoft partnership was suppose to last until the summer 2010. Bring the ad management in house will allow Digg to explore more revenue models and create custom ads, that are outside of t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Microsoft: Content Ads | Microsoft: Partnerships | Search Engines: Digg

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That's what it must feel like right now at Twitter, which has become incredibly hot over the past several months. The pressure is building. Who will buy it? How will it be monetized? What sort of tool or service will it evolve into? These are subjects now of almost daily speculation. Today AllThingsD reports that Microsoft and Google are once again doing battle to become the exclusive paid search partner for Twitter: After last week’s explosive rumor that Google was in "late-stage" talks to acquire Twitter, which BoomTown reported was [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Partnerships | Top News

Although I don't personally use it I'm a fan of Microsoft's Cashback. That sounds like a contradiction I know. But I thought it was a very clever consumer-advertiser proposition when it launched in May of last year. It gives advertisers a way to stand out in search results* (and only pay if there's a sale) and offers consumers money back or rebates on their product purchases. On paper there was a kind of alignment of interests and it didn't seem simply like a bribe to users. Shortly after it launched there was a bump in traffic but it has failed to contribute in any meaningful way to the [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Retail | Google: Checkout | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Marketing | Microsoft: Partnerships

Microsoft bought FAST Search & Transfer almost exactly a year ago. Now Microsoft is starting to integrate FAST's capabilities into its other products and to market FAST more aggressively: FAST Search for SharePoint, a new search server that will add the high-end search capabilities of FAST ESP into Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, will be available as a part of the next release of the Microsoft Office system. For customers who are interested in the product, Microsoft also announced ESP for SharePoint, a special offering that allows customers to purchase high-end search capabilities tod [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships

Tonight at CES Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made several announcements during his keynote address. In addition to a preview of the Windows 7 OS, Ballmer announced high-profile distribution deals for Live Search. We were unable to write about the deals earlier today due to an embargo. However, we covered a Reuters report that was issued on one of the deals: a five-year search and advertising partnership with Verizon Wirelesss. The other search distribution agreement is a global "default search" deal with Dell. Microsoft has an official blog post here on the news. Danny earlier put together [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Features: Analysis | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Partnerships | Top News

Reuters is reporting that Verizon has chosen Microsoft to be its mobile search partner. The rumor, based on an initial Wall Street Journal report in November, had been that Google and Microsoft were in tight competition for the relationship. Microsoft provided the following statement about the Reuters report: "We can confirm the Microsoft, Verizon Wireless mobile search and advertising relationship, but have no further details to disclose at this time. Please stay tuned for more information." This is a significant deal for Microsoft. Verizon is the largest US wireless carrier, with appro [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Partnerships

India is something of a parallel universe in terms of search and internet activity. It's a massive and incredibly dynamic market but distinct from the US and Europe in important ways. All the major engines are competing there and it's also often a testing ground for new products. For example Yahoo's "Glue Pages" were released and tried there before coming to the US. Now Yahoo has bought a 30 percent stake in a local information database and directory assistance provider in the market: Info Network Management Company, which runs the Call Ezee service. Seen as a way to secure local data and prov [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Maps & Local | Microsoft: Outside US | Microsoft: Partnerships | Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Maps & Local | Yahoo: Mobile & Go | Yahoo: Outside US | Yahoo: Partnerships

As was reported yesterday, Google's browser Chrome is coming out of beta -- a mere 100 days after it was introduced. When I commented to Sundar Pichai, Product VP, that this had to be one of the fastest exits from beta for Google in recent memory he explained that "Google has a very traditional approach to our client software products," meaning it accelerates the process of getting them to a general release. There were suggestions on the TechCrunch blog that third parties were potentially exerting pressure on or encouraging Google to hurry up the general release of Chrome. I asked Pich [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content | Features: Analysis | Google: Browsers | Google: Business Issues | Google: Chrome | Microsoft: Partnerships

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft was trying to "steal away" an almost-done default search deal between Google and Verizon Wireless that would have given Google a high-profile presence on Verizon handsets. Verizon is the largest wireless carrier in the US with more than 80 million subscribers (post Alltel acquisition). Reuters now reports that Verizon is "closer" to choosing Microsoft as default search vendor to replace Google. According to the article: Under the terms being considered, Microsoft would share with Verizon revenue from ads shown in response to cell ph [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Mobile | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Partnerships | Top News

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Microsoft is offering substantial financial incentives to "steal away" the mobile search relationship with Verizon from rival Google. Verizon is the US's largest wireless carrier (given the recent approval of the Alltel acquisition) with more than 80 million subscribers. According to the WSJ: Microsoft has gotten the mobile carrier's attention by offering a sweeter deal to put its search service and related advertising on Verizon phones. Microsoft is also offering more generous revenue sharing and a guarantee of substantially higher p [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Business Issues | Google: Mobile | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines

Extending a partnership that dates back to 2006, Facebook today added Microsoft's Live Search to its offerings, giving users in the U.S. a way to search the web without leaving Facebook.com. An announcement on the Live Search Blog also says Microsoft adCenter will display paid search ads next to those web search results. Microsoft has been providing ads on Facebook since August, 2006. The initial implementation of Live Search is understated, to say the least. The Facebook search box gives no immediate indication of its new capabilities: It's not until you begin typing in the search b [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Content Ads | Microsoft: Partnerships | Top News

At the CTIA wireless trade show today Microsoft announced an extension of its existing relationship with BlackBerry maker RIM. Previously Microsoft released special versions of Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail for the BlackBerry. The Live Search downloadable client was also available for Blackberry. However today the company announced that Live Search will be available on the BlackBerry home screen (no download required). Yesterday Google announced a new live search downloadable client for the BlackBerry. MapQuest also introduced an improved mobile client for BlackBerry devices [...]

Related Topics: AOL: MapQuest | AOL: Mobile | Channel: Mobile | Google: Mobile | Microsoft: Bing Mobile | Microsoft: Partnerships | Top News

I was off most of Friday when the Google-Yahoo deal was announced -- and then details of Microsoft's last proposal to Yahoo also came out. Today was catch-up, and I wanted to put the deals next to each other in chart form. Google-Yahoo doesn't seem as bad as some are making out. I may do a longer post on all this later in the week. No doubt, Google got a sweet deal here. But I wouldn't say Yahoo's a chump at all. The chart: Feature Google Microsoft Stock Purchase Google might have shown Yahoo investors love by a purchase, but that might also have triggered more anti-trust issues Wo [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Business Issues | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft & Yahoo Search Deal | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Partnerships | Yahoo: Business Issues | Yahoo: Partnerships

So Firefox 3 has a new release candidate making news, suggesting that the browser is nearly done. May I suggest that the browser is nowhere near being done until the Mozilla Foundation drops its favoritism to Google and allow users to pick their own default search engine? And that Microsoft ought to be among those choices? Seriously, the entire Firefox+Google love fest is a joke. Let's revisit a little history here. Google fought and fought to pressure Microsoft so that no search provider was the default in Internet Explorer 7, arguing this was the best for consumer choice: "The m [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content | Firefox | Google: Marketing | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Internet Explorer | Microsoft: Marketing | Microsoft: Partnerships

For all the excitement about Microsoft Live Search Cashback, I think a new announcement out today is far more important to Live Search's potential growth. It will be the default search engine on Hewlett-Packard computers sold in North America beginning in January 2009, winning the deal from Yahoo. HP is currently the world's largest PC manufacturer and second largest in the United States. Below, more about the deal plus a review of all major computer-search deals. HP computers will have a special HP-edition Live Search toolbar as part of the Internet Explorer browser they ship with. Aside fr [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Partnerships | Yahoo: Partnerships

Efficient Frontier is out with new research looking at how the major search engines get search traffic outside their own search engines, including the remarkable stat that less than half of Yahoo's paid search clicks happen on its own search sites. "Search syndication" is when a major search engine provides search results beyond its own core services. For example, Google quite famously provides the search listings that AOL uses. Ask.com, while it generates its own editorial listings, also gets some of Google's paid ads through a syndication deal. And many sites across the web use G [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: AdWords | Google: Partnerships | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Partnerships | Search Ads: General | Stats: General | Yahoo: Partnerships | Yahoo: Search Ads

Wondering why Microsoft's search isn't being promoted on Facebook? Greg Sterling has noted this odd absence a couple of times, such as in his article today on a possible Microsoft purchase of Facebook. Others have as well. The answer is simple. Last year's big Microsoft-Facebook ad deal didn't include search. I asked Facebook about the absence of a Microsoft search box today and got back the following: It is not part of our deal--our deal is directly for MS running industry standard banners in US and internationally. The big picture? If Facebook does potentially offer a goldmine of search tr [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Social | Facebook | Microsoft: Partnerships

The adCenter blog announced Microsoft will be powering the contextual and paid ads on the Wall Street Journal Digital Network. The WSJ Digital Network includes sites such as WSJ.com, Barrons.com, Marketwatch.com, allthingsd.com, and others. This is a huge deal for Microsoft, giving their ad program exposure to 20 million unique users and over 330 million page views per month. The contextual ads will begin to be displayed on the WSJ network as early as next month. The paid search ads timing has yet to be announced. What does this mean to advertisers? Well, if you are bidding within Micro [...]

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Microsoft: Bing Ads | Microsoft: Content Ads | Microsoft: Partnerships