The thing about Bing.

Bing, Microsoft’s bold foray into the world of search engine marketing, doesn’t exactly have Google on the ropes, but it may have them on the run. Consider this. Microsoft is planning on investing 5-10% of their operating income in search marketing over the next few years. Now, 5-10% may not sound like much, but remember we are talking Microsoft dollars. So we’re talking upwards of $11 billion. Not exactly chump change. Plus, for a Microsoft product, Bing is not half bad. It is colorful, easy to navigate and, well, something kind of different. And different is good in the fast-moving world of the Internet.Which is why, if properly done, Bing could stir up the world of search to the benefit of users and marketers alike. Of course, if you’re Google, you don’t welcome a cash-rich company like Microsoft poking around in your kingdom. So I wouldn’t be writing the obit for Google just yet. They are very likely to up their game, build on their deep loyalty base and leave Bing in the dust. It’s like my granddaddy used to say, you don’t want to wake a sleeping dog with a sharp stick. After all, sleeping dogs have something sharper than a stick. They have teeth.