Download Microsoft Bing Team Enhances Marketing Efforts

Customer Success Story
Microsoft Bing Team Enhances Marketing Efforts With
Crimson Hexagon ForSight™ Platform
"Crimson Hexagon helped spark ideas for new and refined marketing campaigns
and identified ways we can connect more deeply with our target audiences."
Lise Brende, director of marketing analytics, Bing™ and MSN® at Microsoft
Situation Overview
How do you figure out all the ways that people are using online services
like yours? That was the question Microsoft’s Bing marketing team
wanted to answer after launching a service—Bing—meant to capture
mindshare from a major Internet search competitor. With a goal of
targeting specific interest groups, the company needed a clear
understanding of each group's needs and habits. While the company
actively harnesses social-media channels in its marketing efforts, it
needed a way to better manage the flow of online conversation.
The Challenge
Microsoft Bing had positioned its service as a way for the online audience
to find answers to their questions. Though it had developed a
sophisticated way to analyze the online conversation – and had plenty of
resources at its disposal – Bing was unable to quickly sort through and
make sense of the information it had collected. "We were drowning in
data and struggling to reconcile conflicting information," explains Lise
Brende, director of marketing analytics, Bing™ and MSN® at Microsoft.
The Solution
Once it became aware of the Crimson Hexagon ForSight platform,
Microsoft Bing engaged with Crimson Hexagon to overcome its
challenges. Crimson Hexagon experts configured the ForSight platform to
track and analyze the key segments the company's solution team had
identified. "We felt confident that the ForSight platform could help us
analyze the online conversation and understand when and how our target
audiences engage online," says Brende.
crimson hexagon customer success story | www.crimsonhexagon.com
At-a-Glance
COMPANY
Microsoft Bing™
www.microsoft.com
INDUSTRY
Technology, Software, Internet
Services
SOLUTION
The Crimson Hexagon
ForSight™ Platform
RESULTS
• Gained new insight into how its
target audiences behave online
• Discovered where its target
audiences spend most of their time
• Identified key online personalities
who influence the online
conversation
• Enables a highly focused strategy
to engage influencers and key
segments
Rapid Results
Framing the Conversation
After analyzing one month of online conversations, Crimson Hexagon was able
to provide Microsoft Bing with answers to the following:
• Where do online conversations take place?
• What drivers & behaviors do online conversations reveal for key segments?
• Who influences the online conversation?
• How can the company make use of this information?
“The insights revealed to our team by Crimson Hexagon’s ForSight platform have become an integral part
of developing and executing our marketing strategies and tactics,” says Brende. “The analysis allows us to
see and understand the nuances of online conversation from our widely varying customer segments and
we’ve been able to learn what’s working and what isn’t in real time, adjusting along the way. Our team has
crafted more effective marketing campaigns and responded to customers’ expressed opinions in a way that
has definitely enhanced our service delivery and overall business.”
Knowing Where to Listen
While Crimson Hexagon analyzed conversations on both blogs and forums, it found that the bulk of
conversations were taking place in forums. It also identified the top 20 forums for each of the two key
audience segments. "Now we know where to spend time to learn more about – and interact with – our target
audiences," says Brende.
Uncovering the Unexpected
The analysis yielded a surprising result. The target segments viewed the online channel as more of a way to
share their thoughts and experience rather than to find answers to their questions. For instance, feedback
dominated the conversations of those interested in creative projects, such as cooking, painting, or making
videos. On the other hand, those with health concerns seemed most interested in sharing personal stories.
Finding Out Who Wields Influence
Crimson Hexagon was also able to identify those personalities who influence the online conversations in
these two segments. While Crimson Hexagon's analysis had shown that the masses trade information via
forums, it also revealed that influencers spend their time on blogs. By understanding who is considered an
influential blogger, the company can consider outreach efforts and marketing campaigns that tap into these
resources. "We now know where to focus our efforts when it comes to expanding our community
involvement," says Brende.
Evolving the Strategy
Overall, the analysis helped the company identify ways that it can connect with its target audiences in more
interpersonal ways. Just as important, it enables the company to adopt a finely honed strategy, rather than
one more akin to throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. "Crimson Hexagon helped spark ideas
for viral-marketing campaigns and identified ways we can connect more deeply with our target audiences,"
concludes Brende.
About Crimson Hexagon
Crimson Hexagon, founded in 2007, is the leading provider of real-time social media monitoring and
analysis to brands, agencies, media firms and their partners. Powered by patent-pending technology
developed at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, the Crimson Hexagon
ForSight™ platform overcomes the limits of traditional market research by delivering a real-time view of how
engaged
online
truly
thinkPlunkett-Gomez
and feel about
a brand or issue.
For More
Information
and consumers
Pricing Contact:
Melyssa
- VP,
Sales and Business Development mpgcrimsonhexagon.com, 774-258-0641,
Twitter: melyssa1968
130 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139
E: [email protected] T: 617.547.1072 F: 617.547.1017
www.crimsonhexagon.com