Ever since Microsoft launched its updated search/decision engine, Bing, it has been relentless with the advertising, which has certainly been paying off for the Redmond-based software colossus. The website now has a respectable market share of 9.7%, growing steadily with every month that goes by, though that certainly won't stop Microsoft getting the word out to an increasing number of customers. As reported by The Telegraph, Microsoft will now be sponsoring The Simpsons on Channel 4 in the UK with Bing, starting tonight and ending in about three months time.
Microsoft sponsoring The Simpsons is a relatively big deal, in that this is the first technology company to ever sponsor the show. The new deal with be displayed in the form of Bing-specific advertisements, with characters from The Simpsons seen using Bing, similar to the Windows 7-based advertising that was meant to happen with Family Guy a few months back. Microsoft unfortunately chose to pull out of the deal with Family Guy due to the somewhat offensive nature of the show, but it seems The Simpsons will be a perfect fit in both content and audience.
Microsoft seems to have launched a pretty substantial campaign in the United Kingdom, with The Simpsons deal in addition to the new range of TV advertisements that began just recently. Microsoft is apparently aiming to become the second-most-popular search engine within the UK, currently being held back from that spot by Yahoo!, though the gap in market share isn't as much of an obstacle as it is with the current leader, Google.
Thanks to djdanster for the tip.
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