Apple is once again listed as the most valuable brand on earth, while Google inched closer to the top spot and Microsoft fell out of the top five in the 2013 Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands. This is the eighth year that Brandz has compiled its list, which comes from research involving two million consumers and more than 10,000 brands, the company says. Apple tops the list again this year, with Google moving up from third place to second. Microsoft was ranked fifth last year, but fell to seventh this time around. IBM, at No. 3, is the fourth technology company in the top 10. [...]

Related Topics: Amazon | Apple | Branding | Channel: Industry | eBay | Facebook | Google | Microsoft | Samsung | Top News | Yahoo

You're not supposed to see this video. Unless you work at Microsoft. It's a fake Chrome ad that's part of Microsoft's ongoing "Scroogled" campaign against Google, but it was supposed to remain internal. It appeared first on a blog called iCosmoGeek and has now been picked up by the Los Angeles Times. The Times says it has confirmation from Microsoft that the video was made for internal purposes. The video plays up many of the same charges that Microsoft has been making throughout the Scroogled campaign -- tracking users to target ads, not respecting users' privacy and so forth. He [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google | Google: Business Issues | Google: Chrome | Google: Critics | Microsoft | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News

Advertisers using the Yahoo!Bing Ad Network received a number of updates in April, including new search and filter options, search query reports that include stop words and special characters, and updated ad appeal rules with new appeal status designations to avoid confusion on whether or not an appealed ad is active. Bing Ads has also added a Competition column that scores keywords by their competitive value. While the Keyword Suggestions feature received a limited release in September 2012, one final Bing Ads update was the expansion of Keywords Suggestions to UK advertisers. For more [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display Advertising | Microsoft: Bing | Yahoo

Microsoft and Google are involved in a battle over the YouTube app for Windows Phones, and Microsoft has followed a cease-and-desist letter from Google by questioning Google's commitment to interoperability and working together. As The Verge reported today, Google sent Microsoft a cease-and-desist letter demanding that Microsoft remove the YouTube app from its Windows Phone Store because Microsoft's version of the app doesn't include Google's ads. Microsoft has responded today in a statement shared with Marketing Land that says Google hasn't given Microsoft access to the necessary APIs t [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google | Google: Business Issues | Google: YouTube | Legal: General | Microsoft | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Windows Phone | Top News

In a new series of ads, Microsoft is trying to cast doubt on the reliability and productivity of Google Docs. The spots featuring Saturday Night Live alum Rob Schneider (and in one case, retired baseball great Pete Rose) argue that Google Docs is too much of a "risk" and "not worth the gamble." Of the two ads posted below, the basketball-themed spot is much better, although still heavy handed. In a blog post Microsoft compares the experience of opening an Office doc in a Microsoft web app vs. on Google Docs. The company argues that Google Docs creates uncertainty and unpredictabi [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Google: Business Issues | Google: Google Drive | Microsoft | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Outlook

Microsoft has effectively renewed its search vows with Yahoo a second time, pledging once again that Yahoo will indeed earn a high "revenue per search" that was promised back when the alliance was made in 2009. That's not going to happen. When the latest extension expires in a year, the expected RPS still won't be reached. Microsoft will either renew again or Yahoo will walk away, if it can. All About RPS Yahoo Extends Microsoft Search Deal & Revenue Guarantees is our story on Search Engine Land today that covers how Microsoft is extending a part of its deal with Yahoo about "revenue pe [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Features & Analysis | Internet Marketing Industry | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News | Yahoo: Business Issues

After launching new looks for Windows and Office last year, Microsoft is working toward rebranding additional products, including Bing, Skype and Xbox. During a presentation at the Norwegian Design Council Design Day event on April 17, creative directors from Wolff Olins played a video that revealed what appears to be a new Bing logo. "Other brands are coming along too," said Wolff Olins creative director Todd Simmons during his joint presentation on re-imagining Microsoft's brands with fellow creative director Albert Shum, "Bing, Skype, Yammer, Xbox...everything is under development as wel [...]

Related Topics: Branding | Channel: Search Marketing | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Business Issues

Microsoft has launched a new ad format for its Outlook.com email service called VersaTiles. The ads appear in the right rail of the email service and are designed to be interactive. The video below from Microsoft shows how the ads work: [youtube]http://youtu.be/QwYgz3THJTM[/youtube] As you can see from the video, the ads require user interaction to get the full ad experience. There are three ad states. The default state, shown at log-in, can feature an advertiser's logo (like the Duracell example in the video above) and ad text. Hover state allows users to see more information and ima [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display Advertising | Display Advertising | Email Marketing | Microsoft: Outlook

A recent survey conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for Digital Future and Bovitz Inc., revealed "Millennials" (those 18-35)  have a different attitude than Internet users 35 years and older when it comes to sharing their personal data online with businesses. While 70 percent of Millennials agreed with the statement, "No one should ever be allowed to have access to my personal data," 56 percent said they would share their location with a nearby company in return for a relevant coupon or promotional deal. Only 42 percent of users 35 years and older agreed they would share their location. [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Strategy | Facebook: Privacy | Google: Privacy | Internet Marketing Industry: Stats | Legal: Privacy | Microsoft: Privacy | Statistics: Online Behavior

Earlier today, Microsoft reported $20.49 billion in fiscal quarterly revenue (Q3 13). That figure was just shy of analysts' consensus estimates of $20.5 billion; however, earnings-per-share beat estimates. Despite the "miss," revenues were up across the board, even in the Windows division though PC sales are in decline. (At the time of this report, the earnings call had yet to take place.) There was very little mention of the performance of Windows 8 or Windows Phones in the earnings statements and related material. Here's the breakdown by Microsoft division: Windows Division: reve [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Microsoft | Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Mobile | Microsoft: Windows | Microsoft: Windows Phone | Top News

It was pretty obvious that both Google and Apple had reasons not to like Facebook's push into the phone space yesterday. But, while those companies haven't voiced any concerns publicly, Microsoft -- a Facebook investor and partner -- let loose with a blog post saying it has a "people first" phone for those who want the "real thing." Microsoft's "Real Thing" People Phone From today's post by Frank X. Shaw, corporate vice president of communication for Microsoft: I tuned into the coverage of the Facebook Home event yesterday and actually had to check my calendar a few times. Not to see if [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Facebook: Home | Microsoft: Mobile | Microsoft: Windows Phone | Top News

Net Applications, a site that monitors web traffic, announced today that Apple's iOS browser Safari won 61.79 percent of all mobile browser web traffic last month, a solid six-point percentage jump from February when it led with 55.41 percent of the market. At 61.79 percent, Safari ranks high above its competitors, owning 40 percent more than Android's default browser which holds the No. 2 spot in mobile browser marketshare. Android captured 21.86 percent last month, dropping from 22.82 percent in February. Safari and Android are the only browsers with marketshare in the double digits. O [...]

Related Topics: Apple: iOS | Apple: Safari | Channel: Content Marketing | Google: Android | Microsoft: Internet Explorer | Mobile Marketing | Top News

Google took the lead in US digital display ad revenue last year, earning $2.26 billion. After coming in second to Facebook in 2011, Google outsold their top competitor in 2012, selling $80 million more than Facebook's $2.18 billion. In last week's digital display ad earnings report, eMarketer predicts Google will continue to lead Facebook and Yahoo, earning an estimated $3.11 billion in digital display ad revenue by year's end. The overall US display advertising market is expected to grow 18.1 percent in 2013, with Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL forecasted to earn a combined [...]

Related Topics: AOL | Channel: Display Advertising | Display Advertising | Facebook: Advertising | Facebook: Facebook Exchange | Google: Display Advertising | Microsoft: Bing | Top News | Twitter: Advertising | Yahoo

According to a recent report published by Radware, load times for the top U.S. retail websites are 22 percent slower than in December 2011, continuing to go well beyond the ideal three-second load time. For their Spring 2013 "State of the Union" report, Radware evaluated load times for the top 2,000 U.S. retail websites as ranked by Alexa.com. The sites were tested using three different browsers: IE 9, Firefox 17 and Chrome 23, all on a DSL connection. The study found that the median load time for first-time visitors to a retail website's home page was 7.25 seconds, a 22 percent increase [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content Marketing | Firefox | Google: Chrome | Microsoft: Internet Explorer | Statistics: Web Browsers | Top News

FairSearch is taking its anti-Google battle to the domain space. The organization -- which is backed by the likes of Microsoft, TripAdvisor, Nokia and other Google competitors -- announced today that it has filed objections with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) over Google's application to own three new generic top-level domains (gTLDs): .search .fly .map Those are three of the more than 100 new gTLDs that Google has applied for as part of ICANN's expansion of the domain space. Here's the crux of FairSearch's objection: FairSearch recently filed [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content Marketing | Domaining | Google | Google: Business Issues | Google: Critics | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News

We all know the day of multi-device and cross-screen usage is here. The challenge for marketers is to understand how to communicate effectively with consumers as they engage with multiple devices simultaneously and sequentially throughout the day. A new study commissioned by Microsoft, titled Cross-Screen Engagement, aims to help marketers learn how users are engaging with multiple screens and to find opportunities to reach consumers "in their moment". In the two-phase study, Flamingo Research and Ipsos OTX interviewed consumers in five markets—Australia, Brazil, Canada, the UK and t [...]

Related Topics: Branding | Channel: Display Advertising | Display Advertising | Features & Analysis | Internet Marketing Industry: Stats | Microsoft | Mobile Marketing | Search Marketing | Social Media Marketing | Statistics | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Online Advertising | Statistics: Online Behavior | Statistics: Popularity & Usage | Top News

The European Commission has made good on its promise last week to fine Microsoft for failing to continue to offer Web browser choice on its PC software through 2014. The Commission imposed a fine of €561 million ($731 million) for not upholding its agreement to offer alternative Web browsers to Windows users. In 2009, Microsoft agreed with the Commission to offer a browser "choice screen" (featuring IE, Firefox, Chrome, etc.) on its Windows PC software to enable consumers to make a browser selection and not simply "choose" IE by default. That choice screen reportedly disappeared in Febr [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Business Issues | Google: Critics | Google: Legal | Legal: Antitrust | Microsoft | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Windows | Top News

Microsoft has decided it no longer needs to run attack ads on TV, in print and through social media to push its "Scroogled" message against Google's Gmail service. "Everyday Americans" apparently have gotten the word. If so, that's not being reflected in signatures to the Microsoft-backed petition against Gmail. At First, The Petition To Nowhere Last month, I covered how after the first week of its existence, Microsoft's petition was seeing a drop-off in signatures. My story, Microsoft’s “Scroogled” Campaign Against Gmail Wins 0.002% Of Users, has the background. Here's the key cha [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Critics | Google: Gmail | Microsoft: Business Issues | Microsoft: Outlook | Top News | Uncategorized

Negative political ads work; that's why we continue to see them. But negative search engine and email ads? Apparently, not so much. Microsoft is reportedly ending buying TV, newspaper and social media ads promoting its "Scroogled" campaign, which was launched in November to attack Google's all-paid-inclusion shopping search results. Earlier this year, the Scroogled campaign expanded to take on Gmail privacy. NOTE: See our postscript below. Microsoft confirms that ad buys are stopping but says the "campaign" will continue -- presumably the web site. The theme of the overall campaign was [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Industry | Google: Critics | Microsoft: Business Issues | Top News

Woe be to any mobile phone maker that isn't named Apple or Samsung. Numbers out today from IDC show the two combining for a staggering 87.6 percent of all smartphones "shipped" in 2012 on a global basis. In Q4, according to IDC, the two companies' products constituted 91 percent of all smartphones shipped. Shipped is actually a false market share metric. That's because shipments don't always equal sales or usage. However, in the case of Apple and Samsung these data are a reasonable proxy for actual sales. According to IDC, Samsung controlled 42 percent "of all Android smartphone shipment [...]

Related Topics: Apple: iOS | Apple: iPhone | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Microsoft: Mobile | Mobile Marketing | Samsung | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Popularity & Usage | Top News