Why I Think Microsoft's Bing Needs A New Positioning Strategy and Advertising Campaign by Melvin Young - Lewis

Microsoft has been in the news recently about Bing, it's search engine product.  After reading several articles and in particular one article titled Bing May Ax It's "Decision Engine" Positioning in Ad Age Digital,  I  couldn't help but to think about my perspective that  strategy is everything. After almost two years since the launch of Microsoft's much talked about search engine, Bing, the company has finally decided to reassess and elevate the brand and their positioning.   The company appears to be satisfied with its current marketing approach even though Bing is a clear distance behind the #1search engine giant Google at 65.1%.  Yahoo is second with Bing following at 14.4% share of the market according to ComScore.  Intuitively I get the "Bing and Decision" advertising concept but the average internet user probably do not and will not exert the energy to try to figure it out.   If you are re-evaluating your brand positioning then that clearly signals to me that there is a need for new creative, advertising and brand messaging to help articulate your value proposition and support your brand positioning.

So I say to Microsoft do not eliminate exploring a new advertising campaign that may not only resonate with the average consumer but will help to solidify Bing's competitive positioning in the marketplace.  This new campaign should creatively and effectively communicate to your target audiences who you (Bing) are while emotionally triggering something within the consumer to initiate participatory engagement and interaction with your brand.  It needs to create a perception that Bing will deliver something "new" and "exciting" beyond their wildest dreams!  It should at minimum stimulate interest and drive product consideration.  As a friend said, "the whole notion of how to make life simpler for people got lost with Bing".

If there are three things that Microsoft and it's partner, Yahoo, should note about Google they are:

(1) Google brand is enormous
(2) Google has mastered the art of maintaining a set of core global brand attributes
(3) Google brand has delivered product experiences beyond expectations while continuing to launch new products and refine how we all access and gather information.

Most would probably agree that Google has kept it swagger amidst alot of noise, in essence it has remained Fresh, Simple, Consistent and Powerful.  It has garnered our respect and continues to keep us interested and engaged with new tools and with the launch of a new social network, Google +.

For any brand, whether a start up or fortune 100, Strategy Is Everything: You must develop a distinctive and "ownable" positioning strategy for your brand or a unique re-positioning strategy to help reinvigorate and grow mature brands.   For example, like Bing, Oprah Winfrey has enormous social currency and the financial capital but has somewhat missed the mark in launching OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network.   As a result, the network has been force to re-evaluate their positioning and programming strategy in order to remain competitive, garner receptivity to its programming and establish market leadership in a already competitive industry.  Although her personal brand is both global and influential, the cable audience is somewhat different from daytime therefore requiring a different positioning, programming and creative approach to attract, sustain and grow viewership.  Also, let's not discount the competition in cable, it is fierce and every network wants a piece of it.

Microsoft is a global brand and I am confident they will figure this one out like so many others. However, strategy drives creative, creative does not drive strategy.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on what other brands or corporations might be going through the same thing right now.

To view the Microsoft article please cut and paste link into url:  http://www.linkedin.com/share viewLink=&sid=s602555203&url=http%3A%2F%2Ft%2Eco%2FgxRvXpke&urlhash=Uu3_&uid=5523135264026787840&trk=NUS_UNIU_SHARE-lnk



You can follow Melvin on Twitter @Hollywood1906

Email: MyStrategyHouse@gmail.com