Report: Microsoft planning big ad push for search
Microsoft reportedly plans to spend up to $100 million in an ad push aimed at trying to reposition the company's search efforts.
According to a report in Advertising Age, the company is likely to tap ad giant JWT for the campaign. Microsoft declined to comment on the report.
Having failed to strike a search deal with Yahoo, Microsoft has been working to revamp its own search efforts.
Microsoft has been testing changes to its search under the Kumo brand but still won't say for sure if that's what it will go with.
The software maker clearly needs something. Its share of the search market not only badly trails both Google and Yahoo, but it has been headed in the wrong direction over the past year, losing ground against its bigger rivals.
CEO Steve Ballmer has continued to use public speeches and interviews to mention that Microsoft would be open to a search deal with Yahoo, but Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has appeared less than eager to strike such an arrangement.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Stupid is as stupid does. Keep it up M$, the world will be a better place without you.
- by JasonCe April 6, 2009 12:26 PM PDT
- Live Search is pretty good actually. I have been using it together with Google and the results are almost always as good, in some cases even better.
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(3 Comments)The only reason why people do not use it as often is that people are not aware of it. That is what ads are for. People will believe that Google is better until they actually use Live Search. Until then, perception is reality.
I think Microsoft will eventually grab a larger marketshare and beat Yahoo in a few years. They made a lot of improvements and technically are already better than Yahoo and equal to Google. If you don't believe it, try it and see with your own eyes.