Why Bing is a stupid ass name for a search engine

Rumors are flying leading up to Microsoft revealing their next attempt at trying to restart their search platform at the upcoming D: All Things Digital conference next week. For the last little while they have been apparently testing the engine in-house using the Kumo domain but the one other name being floated around as the possible brand for the search engine is – Bing.

Ya… Bing, and I don’t mean the cherries or the character from Friends (thanks AJ for those lost minutes reading about that). the only problem is that Microsoft’s attempts to trademark the name has been tossed by the US Trademark Office

Registration of the applied-for mark is refused because of a likelihood of confusion with the mark in U.S. Registration No. 3562956. Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. §1052(d);see TMEP §§1207.01 et seq. See the enclosed registration.

Source: LiveSide.net

While much of the opinion about the Bing name has been pretty mixed from what I have read all I can say is that it is one of the stupidest names that Microsoft could have come up, well maybe not the stupidest but pretty close.

The fact is that Microsoft could have finally developed the killer search engine that leaves Google and all the rest in the dust but it won’t matter one bit with a name like Bing. Ask any serious marketer what they they think – how would they sell it?

Even with a killer search platform Microsoft has forgotten the most important thing – Google owns the culture. It owns the verb. How often have you seen someone write “I googled you last night”, or said “I’ll google that for you and get right back”. Google has become the search language verb. From pretty well primary school right through to the grave Google has become the defacto word for search.

If Microsoft even wants to have a chance regardless of the quality of their search platform, although it would be easier if it has been improved, they are going to have to fight for the verb. they are going to need to replace our usage of google with one of their own and Bing ain’t gonna do it.

Think about it.

Are you gonna tell someone that you binged them to find out who they were?

Are you going to be courageous to even utter the words hang on while I bing for that information with a serious look on your face?

I doubt it.

Silly Microsoft, Bing is for cherries – not serious search engine marketing.