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BRISK · 11-12-2004, 05:32 AM

One way to understand the challenge Microsoft Corp. faces as it takes on Internet search king Google is to think of it in terms of soda pop.

The big cola companies are famous for conducting blind taste tests, in which participants sample Coke and Pepsi and declare a preference without knowing which soda is in which cup. In the prototypical example, people opt for the drink that's not their normal favorite, showing just how much a brand can influence perception and choice -- and, not incidentally, providing good material for a TV commercial.

So how does that relate to Internet searching?

As it happens, software companies and researchers like to conduct similar experiments with search engines. They strip logos and other identifying marks from such sites as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft's MSN Search, then conduct studies to determine how people perceive the quality and relevance of the search results.

Tests conducted by Microsoft and others show that the mere presence of the Google logo can boost a user's rating of the search engine's relevance by as much as 10 percent when compared with situations in which the logo isn't visible -- even if the actual results are the same, said Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi, an MSN corporate vice president.

"That's how strong a brand they've got," Mehdi said.

That brand, in turn, is one of the biggest obstacles Microsoft will need to overcome as it try to make inroads in the Internet search business.

11-12-2004, 05:32 AM
BRISK Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 12,240	One way to understand the challenge Microsoft Corp. faces as it takes on Internet search king Google is to think of it in terms of soda pop. The big cola companies are famous for conducting blind taste tests, in which participants sample Coke and Pepsi and declare a preference without knowing which soda is in which cup. In the prototypical example, people opt for the drink that's not their normal favorite, showing just how much a brand can influence perception and choice -- and, not incidentally, providing good material for a TV commercial. So how does that relate to Internet searching? As it happens, software companies and researchers like to conduct similar experiments with search engines. They strip logos and other identifying marks from such sites as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft's MSN Search, then conduct studies to determine how people perceive the quality and relevance of the search results. Tests conducted by Microsoft and others show that the mere presence of the Google logo can boost a user's rating of the search engine's relevance by as much as 10 percent when compared with situations in which the logo isn't visible -- even if the actual results are the same, said Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi, an MSN corporate vice president. "That's how strong a brand they've got," Mehdi said. That brand, in turn, is one of the biggest obstacles Microsoft will need to overcome as it try to make inroads in the Internet search business. __________________ I post on GFY so that when people ask me what I do, I can tell them that I work with the mentally retarded.