MSN Launches Search Site With Huge Cross Media Push
Internet giant MSN will launch its new MSN search engine with a multi million pound advertising campaign next week, marking the company’s first TV activity in four years and designed to drive consumers to the new system in droves.
The TV activity will be complimented by a large scale online campaign which MSN claims will reach 21 million users. The computing heavyweight claims the campaign’s creative will bring MSN Search to life, with a dynamic search bar that visually mimics unique query terms and showcases how consumers can find anything from the mundane to the obscure.
The campaign references a more precise, more powerful MSN Search with the call to action stating “Find it at MSN.co.uk.”
The TV campaign will be aired on a broad range of channels, including Channel 4 and ITV, with the first phase beginning on 7th February. A second phase is also planned, scheduled to hit screens nearer the summer.
The adverts have been positioned around television and web coverage of several high-profile events, including The Brit Awards and the film premiere of Oceans 11. TV ads will run in global markets including the UK, Canada, Australia and Brazil, while online activity will run on sites such as Lastminute.com and Sky.com.
To tie in with the launch of MSN Search, this week also sees the launch of a cleaner, faster MSN UK homepage. The new design centres the page and simplifies its overall look and feel, changes which MSN claims will aid navigation and give increased prominence to the MSN Search bar.
Commenting on the promotional push, Clare Bolton, MSN UK’s consumer marketing manager, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for MSN to promote one of our most important product launches to date. Our considerable investment in this launch underlines our commitment to our consumers to provide the fastest and most precise online search. We are delighted with this campaign.”
The move to expand its search operations will put MSN squarely in the sights of several high-profile rivals, such as Google, which last month launched several new technologies, including Video Search, and allowed advertisers to more closely integrate its AdWords search targeted marketing capabilities into their own systems (see Google Gives Advertisers More Control Over AdWords).
MSN: 020 7465 7700 www.msn.co.uk
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