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May 22, 2008

Desperate Move? Microsoft Will Pay You To Use Its Search Engine

It appears Microsoft is so desperate, it'll actually pay you to use its search engine.

Which in all honesty might be a good gambit: I'm not sure I remembered that Microsoft actually had a search engine.

Amid all the hubbub over MS's failed attempt to acquire Yahoo, now the company has announced it will pay consumers who buy items they find through Live Search in a kind of online rebate program.

According to today's San Jose Mercury News, To receive the rebates, people have to register for a free account with Microsoft. Once someone's total cash-back rebate amount equals $5 or more, the money can be deposited in a bank account or a PayPal account or sent in a check in the mail.

That's one way to buy relevance. And if it works, you know it could change the whole online advertising model to pay-for-purchases instead of pay-for-clicks.

Still. In that case, won't Google just do it better?

Read more here.

Quick Links:

BRANDING UNBOUND The Blog
BRANDING UNBOUND The Book
ADWEEK Magazines Excerpt
Rick Mathieson.com

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