Ask.com talks up its relaunch

by Frank Washkuch, PR Week USA 13-Oct-08, 10:02

OAKLAND, CA: Ask.com is conducting an outreach effort aimed at consumer publications and trade media to raise brand awareness of its relaunched search engine. Its new site was unveiled October 6.

The campaign runs throughout November and emphasizes enhancements to Ask.com's search technology, speed, and other performance improvements, as well as a redesigned user interface.

The Web site's internal PR staff began a media outreach campaign in the US and UK on October 6, assisted by UK-based SPR Europe. It is targeting business, technology, advertising, and consumer publications. The PR budget is undisclosed, said Mary Osako, SVP of worldwide communications for Ask.com. The site, a division of IAC/InterActive Corp., does not have an AOR.

The search engine hopes to reach Internet users and position its site against more popular competitors Google, Yahoo, and Windows Live. It is emphasizing that Ask.com can cut down on the number of clicks needed to conduct a successful search, as well as a 30% decrease in download time from this period last year, Osako said. The effort is using the tagline, “The new Ask.com,” she added.

Osako said that the campaign had secured more than 400 stories in print, online, blog, and broadcast media by the second day of the effort. The Web site also has seen “an increase in traffic attributable to communications efforts,” she added. No events are planned to promote the relaunch.

SPR Europe was hired for the task in September, Osako said, adding that IAC's general PR staff is not working on the campaign.