“It’s come to this. In an effort to gain more market share, Microsoft plans to start paying people now to use its search service,” Wendy Tanaka reports for Forbes.
“The software giant is said to be launching a service called LiveSearch cashback, which will give consumers money back when they buy certain products found on the live.com search site,” Tanaka reports.
“The move appears to be a desperate attempt by Microsoft to grow search and ultimately boost its search advertising revenues,” Tanaka reports.
“After spending a fruitless three months attempting to woo Yahoo!, Microsoft is trying to find ways to rev up its online advertising business, which trails behind Yahoo! and even further behind industry leader Google, which also has the No. 1 search engine with more than 60% market share,” Tanaka reports.
Tanaka reports, “Coming up with mobile and in-game advertising strategies is another big focus in Redmond. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, said the number of cell phones that can receive rich media ads is going to triple in the next couple of years. ‘We think mobile is a tremendous opportunity going forward,’ Bach said.”
Tanaka reports, “”Bach said Microsoft is experimenting with integrating ads and games, so users don’t view them as nuisances.”
More in the full article here.
J. Nicholas Hoover reports for InformationWeek, “This isn’t the first time Microsoft has rewarded people using its search engine. Last year, Microsoft rewarded users for playing search games with a site called Live Search Club. That initiative provided a temporary boost in Microsoft’s search market share, but was later found to have been gamed by hackers looking to increase their awards.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Scott” for the heads up.]
Can’t compete? Bribe. It’s like second nature to Microsoft.
If I start getting MS ads on my iPhone, I’ll drive to Redmond and shove a Dell up Ballmer’s a**!
I thought we enjoyed crying about MS…hope I live to see the day when that company really has a melt down.
“I’ll drive to Redmond and shove a Dell up Ballmer’s a**!”
I hope you’re quick on your feet. I’ve seen him dive behind a desk.
I wish that MS would quit trying compete in every segment (gaming, search, music players…) and focus on their core business – OS and productivity software. Maybe then they could produce something that was worth upgrading to for their customers.
with this news, AAPL is down nearly 5%
I can’t stand Microsoft as much as the next Mac user, but I have to tell you that I looked at the cash back program, and it’s pretty sweet. And I don’t mind TAKING money from Microsoft. They even have 5% cash back on the iphone. When the 3G comes out, I’m going to use Live Search to save some money.
Also, it does work with Firefox. I don’t know about Safari, though.
on the money!!!
Oh this is perfect! MS is very wealthy, but no bank account is bottomless. I say let them keep on buying up their competition, and let them keep on paying people to use their stuff – until they just plain run outta $$$. Maybe that’s what’s really going on. They realize their riding a non-replayable wave and their going all in. Could we be so lucky?
Probably not, but only for one single reason – the installed user base – that’s always their fallback. If MS went under tomorrow I wonder how many decades they could keep going just providing support and nothing else. Yikes. They really are a deeply rooted virus.
“Oh this is perfect! MS is very wealthy, but no bank account is bottomless”
Actually read for a second about how this works. This is no simple incentive payment to use the service.
The cash to do this comes from the advertisers. For the advertiser it’s a no-brainer, no sale, no ad payment. For Microsoft likewise, no purchase, no payout.
It’s actually a new, more attractive business model for online ads, with an incentive to pull the customers in. Why wouldn’t a vendor try it? If it doesn’t work, you lose nothing.
” I don’t mind TAKING money from Microsoft. They even have 5% cash back on the iphone. “
The money comes from – you guessed it – Apple or whoever sells the phone. Good luck thinking you’re hurting Microsoft by doing this. Microsoft is just waiting for you to take “their” “free” money.
…And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
“with this news, AAPL is down nearly 5%”
You actually think THIS had something to do with AAPL’s drop today?
L.O.L.
“You actually think THIS had something to do with AAPL’s drop today”
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
‘Ingame advertising’…
Now expect the next Halo game heros to have coca cola stickers all over their armour.
Jesus – boy are Microsoft desperate.
They are a sinking ship with no port to go to, its just a matter of time before they are gonna sink.
Its only a matter of time and where and when.
IMO veryone should sign up and take FULL advantage of this service!
Then when the money dries up, bail.
MS appears to value market share over everything else, including business sense. If they’re gonna piss away the fortune, why not collect a part of it?
“IMO veryone should sign up and take FULL advantage of this service!
Then when the money dries up, bail.”
Yes, if you even remotely understood how this works and understood that the money you get comes from the person who sells you the widget, the money will dry up right around NEVER.
But good luck with your scheme…
How funny, Apple Fanboys scheming to contribute to Microsoft’s bottom line while thinking they’re hurting the company…
Whoever Photochopped the pic gave Steve Ballmer girl hands.
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chances are the procedure to get the cash back would be so convoluted and painful, with hidden charges for this an that, that it probably cost the consumer MORE in true m$ style
mw: dead
This is the root of the problem with MS having a monopoly that provides guaranteed revenue quarter after quarter. It allows them to distrupt markets so that they can try and tie it all in to Windows.
boyweho, you beat me to it. Microsoft is actually learning. Not too long ago, they would have awarded Zune points, not given back cash.
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“It allows them to distrupt markets so that they can try and tie it all in to Windows.”
Just what piece of this evil plan is tied to Windows?
Microsoft is giving out money to use their products?.
Send me a check and I’ll switch to a Vista PC.
There must be at least 6 zeros to the right of the decimal on that check though.
I may be a man whore, but I’m not a cheap man whore.
So when does Apple’s “You couldn’t pay me to switch to Microsoft” advertising campaign begin?