MSN Search has a new “viral” ad campaign called MSN Found that revolves around some fictional bloggers, as
MSN Search Finds Viral Campaign from MediaPost explains more.
OK, I don’t really get it. Here’s the main site for the MSN Found campaign (the nearly pure graphical home page anything but helpful
for itself getting found for much in search engines).
It lists six fictional bloggers who talk about various things and make link references to MSN Search queries and stuff you may have found on it. Cool! Well, maybe for you.
For me, I found it pretty bogus.
Heck, if they really wanted a viral campaign, just pay bloggers and others a per query fee to put MSN Search boxes on their web sites. That would get some talk going pretty
quickly and presence out there. Worked for Overture, then GoTo, many years ago.
The biggest viral presence seems to be within the MSN Search site itself. Look for MSN Found, and
you’ll see how a link to the MSN Found site has been inserted above regular results (which themselves don’t list it at all. Ironically,
Google and Yahoo do get it into their top
natural results. Dude, what’s the deal with MSN not finding its own viral web site without help?)
MSN Search also makes special links for each of the blogging characters that are part of the campaign. Search for
Reggie, Tad,
Karen, Swing,
CY or Denise, and you’ll see the special
links come up.