Scroogled

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Scroogled (a portmanteau of "screwed" and "Google") was a Microsoft attack advertising campaign that ran between November 2012 and 2014. Created by Mark Penn, the campaign sought primarily to attack a competing company, Google, by pointing out disadvantages and criticism of their products and services in comparison to those run by Microsoft (particularly, Bing and Outlook.com). The original campaign focused on Google Shopping's change to a pay-per-click model, with later campaigns focusing upon Google's use of user data for targeted advertising, and the capabilities of the ChromeOS platform in comparison to Windows.

Contents

History

Although Microsoft had attacked Google in its advertising before, the Scroogled campaign began in November 2012, attacking the Google Shopping service for its shift to a pay-per-click (PPC) model in which retailers are required to pay Google to have products listed, and are ranked in search results by their payments and relevance. The site suggested that users use Microsoft's competing Bing Shopping service instead, which had previously vowed not to shift to a PPC model. [1]

The next campaign in February 2013 incorporated elements of advocacy, attacking Gmail for using the contents of messages to generate targeted advertising, and recommending Outlook.com instead. The site also featured a survey of 1,000 users against the service's advertising practices, and a petition calling upon Google to stop engaging in the practice. [2]

In April 2013, Microsoft attacked Android, citing a recent allegation that Google Play Store had been, without disclosure, leaking basic personal information about users (including names, email addresses, and phone numbers) to application developers. [3] [4]

In August 2013, alongside the launch of its Bing for Schools initiative, Microsoft argued that Google's use of advertising on search results pages in an educational environment could "distract [students] from their studies", unlike the ad-free version of Bing that can be enabled through the Bing for Schools program. [5]

In November 2013, Microsoft began to offer Scroogled merchandise through Microsoft Store, such as shirts and mugs featuring designs attacking Google's privacy practices. [6] That same month, Microsoft also released a Scroogled ad starring Rick Harrison in parody of his television series Pawn Stars , which saw Harrison rejecting a Chromebook at his pawn shop due to its reliance on web-based software, as opposed to a "traditional" computer with Windows and Office. [7]

In March 2021, Google began complaining about Microsoft's "Scroogled playbook" in an official Google blog post. [8]

Legacy

After terminating the Scroogled campaign, Microsoft redirected its website "scroogled.com" to "whymicrosoft.com", a website that argues that Microsoft's products are better than those of other companies. [9] The website later was updated to redirect to microsoft.com/together, later to microsoft.com/resilience, then to microsoft.com/flexibility. Currently, it redirects to microsoft.com/microsoft-cloud.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Google Shopping, formerly Google Product Search, Google Products and Froogle, is a Google service created by Craig Nevill-Manning which allows users to search for products on online shopping websites and compare prices between different vendors. Google announced at its Marketing Live event in May 2019 that the new Google Shopping will integrate the existing Google Express marketplace into a revamped shopping experience. In the US, Google Shopping is accessible from the web and mobile apps, available on Android and iOS. Google Shopping is also available in France, accessible from the web only. Like its predecessor, Google Shopping is free and requires a personal Google account in order to purchase from the platform. A colored price tag icon replaces the parachute icon from Google Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gmail</span> Email service provided by Google

Gmail is the email service provided by Google. As of 2019, it had 1.5 billion active users worldwide, making it the largest email service in the world. It also provides a webmail interface, accessible through a web browser, and is also accessible through the official mobile application. Google also supports the use of third-party email clients via the POP and IMAP protocols.

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an internet advertising model used to drive traffic to websites, in which an advertiser pays a publisher when the ad is clicked.

Yahoo! Search is a search engine owned and operated by Yahoo!, using Microsoft Bing to power results.

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising. SEM may incorporate search engine optimization (SEO), which adjusts or rewrites website content and site architecture to achieve a higher ranking in search engine results pages to enhance pay per click (PPC) listings and increase the Call to action (CTA) on the website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Advertising</span> Online advertising service

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Bing</span> Web search engine developed by Microsoft

Microsoft Bing, commonly referred to as Bing, is a search engine owned and operated by Microsoft. The service traces its roots back to Microsoft's earlier search engines, including MSN Search, Windows Live Search, and Live Search. Bing offers a broad spectrum of search services, encompassing web, video, image, and map search products, all developed using ASP.NET.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft 365</span> Subscription services offered by Microsoft

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References

  1. ↑ "Microsoft launches 'Scroogled' anti-Google Shopping website". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "Microsoft steps up 'Scroogle' campaign against Google with advocacy twist". PC World. IDG. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Google raises privacy fears as personal details are released to app developers". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Microsoft's latest 'Scroogled' ad attacks Android with privacy fears". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Microsoft turns Scroogled into 'Schoolgled' in new anti-Google attack ad". Computerworld. IDG. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Microsoft Store now selling snarky anti-Google 'Scroogled' mugs and T-shirts". PC World. IDG. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Microsoft's latest 'Scroogled' ad uses 'Pawn Stars' show to rip into Google's Chromebooks". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Our ongoing commitment to supporting journalism". Google. 2021-03-12. "So maybe it’s not surprising to see them dusting off the old diversionary Scroogled playbook.". Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  9. ↑ "Scroogled no more: Microsoft's anti-Google campaign slinks away for good". PCWorld.
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