Now Starring: The Algorithm – Ask.com To Focus On Ranking System In New TV Ads

May 3, 2007 at 9:08am ET by Barry Schwartz

Ask.com Hopes Ads Compute to Buzz from the Wall Street Journal reports that Ask.com is launching a new TV and web ad campaign today, to try to generate buzz about the Ask.com search engine.

The article says this ad campaign is “gearing up to a relaunch of the site and the debut of its new search technology later this year,” which I assume is the Edison project.

The campaign will focus around the word “algorithm.” From the story:

People slip the word into casual conversation with phrases such as “Do you have a lame algorithm?” or “I was all algorithm-ed out”….

In one spot, a boy asks his father about a girl who was teased at school because her parents “searched with a lame algorithm.” In another, a bunch of guys brag they all tried the algorithm last night. The ads end with the tag, “The Algorithm: Experience Instant Getification.”

Ask CEO Jim Lanzone explained that “algorithm” “a funny word that people don’t hear every day.” Jim continued that his goal is to “introduce technology in a nontechnical way.”

Ask.com has been generating some buzz already through the use of “algorithm” messages in billboards and posters. They also took part in this information revolution campaign that generated some buzz.

Postscript: Ask.com just posted more details about the campaign. They have screen captures of some of the ads and commercials and they also explain the logic behind the campaign.

Microsoft Prevents Ask.com from Running Ads on Facebook? from ClickZ reports that Microsoft allegedly does not want to allow Ask.com to run display ads through adCenter on Facebook.

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.

See more articles by Barry Schwartz >

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