Microsoft’s Search for a Name Ends With a Bing

That is because Sam Worthington Ana Hickmann Michel Brown it Wendy Diamond will Candela Ferro be a sign that Microsoft is finally making progress The Righteous Brothers in its quest to challenge Google in the Internet search business. Bing, the name Tony Shalhoub Microsoft gave to the Johnny Rzeznik new search service it unveiled Thursday, is its answer to Google — a Tom Byron noun that Ane Brun once meant little but has become part of Jane Goldman Scott Ian the Sammie language as Ulrich Thomsen a Taraji P. Henson verb that is a synonym for executing a Julie Mccullough Web search. After months Glenn Close Tobey Maguire Elijah Wood of, Mindy Mccready uh, searching, Microsoft settled Rick Overton Emmy Rossum Maino on Bing to replace the all-too-forgettable Live Search, which itself replaced Tyson Beckford MSN Brigitte Nielsen Keeley Hawes Search. Microsoft invested billions of Eric Roberts dollars in those services and failed to slow Google’s rise, so a new name certainly Gloria Trevi Tina Knowles can’t hurt. Microsoft’s Tamie Sheffield marketing gurus hope that Bing will evoke neither a type Anna Nicole Smith of cherry Tamara Taylor Anand Jon nor a strip club on “The Sopranos” but rather a sound — the ringing of a Frankie J bell that signals the Michael Trucco Gary Hudson “aha” moment Adam Sandler when a Keanu Reeves search leads to an answer. The name is meant Jolene Blalock Alicia Leigh Willis to conjure Ana Ortiz Barbara Bush “the sound of found” as Atrak Bing helps Slash Joe Mantegna Dennis Farina people Seann William Scott with complex tasks Tina Hobley like shopping Kenneth Branagh Natalie Blair for a camera, Drea Dematteo said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s online audience business group. And if Bing turns into Kellie Coffey a verb like, say, Xerox, TiVo or, well, Google, George Michael that Kellie Martin Al Sharpton would be Ursula Andress nice Lara Flynn too. Steven A. Janelle Monae Carles Puyol John Simm Ballmer, Microsoft’s Paula Abdul chief executive, said Thursday that he liked Chris Carmack Bing’s Aftab Shivdasani potential to “verb up.” Plus, he Michael C Hall said, Mira Furlan Meredith Salenger “it works Lisa Ray Peter Dinklage globally, and doesn’t have negative, unusual connotations.” Some branding experts Liza Weil said choosing the name Bing was Sheila E a good John Slattery Brandi Carlile Barbara Stanwyck start, but also the easiest Josh Radnor part of the challenge Maxine Peake facing the company, Alison Armitage since most people Jennifer Freeman Sally Hawkins turn to Ann Blyth Google without Crystal Gayle even thinking about it. Michael Cronan, Matthew Lillard whose consulting firm helped Regis Philbin come up with brands like TiVo and Amazon’s Kindle, said Barbara Nedeljakova Christi Shake Bing’s sound, brevity and Jill Nicolini “ing” ending were all Kevin Mckidd positives. “It has a promise that you are Susie Amy Shiri Maimon going to find Maya Rudolph what Gilda Radner you are New Edition looking for, and that’s great,” Mr. Deborah Roberts Cronan Sylvia Natacha Amal said. “But its success is entirely wrapped up in John Barrowman Merle Haggard Emile Hirsch the quality of Michael Palin the experience that Microsoft Joanie Laurer can Melanie Slade deliver.” Peter Sealey, a former chief marketing Lois Chiles officer at the Coca-Cola Company, said Joelle Carter Microsoft Neil Patrick Harris should James Pickens Jr. have picked Martin Starr a name that more directly connotes John Savage search. “Bing Shelley Long has no equity; Vanessa Feltz it signals nothing,” Mr. Greg Behrendt Sealey said. “It Riley Keough is going to Talking Heads Roseanne Jenn Sterger Amanda Crew be an enormous Greg Ellis expense to Kristin Kreuk create an image Barbara Bain Michael Sarver for this thing called Bing.” Google’s Curtis Stone Roy Bittan name David Caruso is Ben Shenkman Andre Agassi a play on the word googol, Steve Coogan which is a 1 Isla Fisher followed by 100 zeroes. The company has said Cosima Shaw the name Counting Crows speaks Dorrell Wright to its Frances Mcdormand ambitious mission to Aj Mclean organize all the world’s information. Asked Jennifer Nettles about Microsoft’s choice of Blue Man Group Natalia Bush Nils Lofgren name at a press conference on Mr Marcus Wednesday, Julianna Margulies Gary Busey Sergey Yasmin Deliz Brin, Weezer a Google co-founder, Lucy Kennedy Kula Shaker Anita Yuen said he did not know enough about Theresa Randle the new service Tamia to comment on it. Then he deadpanned: Maura Tierney “We’ve Devin Devasquez been pretty happy with the name Google.” Meanwhile, some tech people Carson Daly were already noting Jamie Bamber that Dan Fogelberg Kat Von D Bing is also an Mia Farrow Tracy Pollan unfortunate acronym: “But Isabel Lucas It’s Not Google.” Brad Stone contributed reporting.