Is Wave the new Windows and Bing the new Google?
Two exciting new product launches took place last week, Google Wave and Microsoft's Bing. These two rival companies, competing head to head against each other in the same categories, have both introduced their new brands and even though it's a bit pre-mature to determine which brand will stand the test of time there are some very interesting things to be said about their distinct branding strategies.
I'll start with Google Wave.
Wave Follows Function
Watching the Google Wave Developer Preview it seems like there's a very strong correlation between the nature of this communication and collaboration platform and the name chosen to represent it. The developers did a great job using the word 'wave' not only to describe the essence of this new tool but also as the main noun that describes a single stream of communication. This is a great strategy because it helped to create and reinforce a common language for talking about the service and it also made it seem intuitive and familiar.
The Wave Eco-System
Another thing that makes Wave a great name is the related associations metaphors that help to establish Wave as a relevant solution in today's social media landscape. In this case, Waves are larger than conversations or exchanges of messages, they are streams of content that are constantly changing and evolving. It will be very interesting to see the how the eco-system of services and apps will 'ride the wave' and use names that expand on this theme.
The Wave Logo
The Wave logo is everything you would expect from Google: simple. A colorful wave is hovering in mid air subtly creating the letter 'W'. The logo is iconic without becoming a cliche and it works a stand alone symbol that actually makes a pretty cool T-shirt graphic. (and I hate logo t-shirts).
Now let's talk about Microsoft's Bing.
What's New Under the Sun?
Unfortunately, Microsoft did not release any video or other type of media to present or explains what is different or special about the new search engine. The name 'Bing' does very little to communicate any value. Microsoft PR states that Bing is "the sound of found" (isn't that bingo? - MM) but the common joke is that it stands recursively for "Bing Is Not Google" - so much for establishing a unique value proposition. By the way, the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the name Bing was Soprano's stripper joint, The Bada Bing...I'm sure I was not alone.
You Can Bing, But you Can't Hide
This brings me to question the reasoning behind the selected name. Unlike Google who chose to link the Wave as a sub-brand Microsoft chose not to link the Bing brand with the parent brand. Why is that? Microsoft is one of the strongest brand names in the world, it may not be a synonym for 'cool' but it is definitely a house-hold name that represents one of (if not) the most successful businesses in the history of software and personal computers. I can understand why Microsoft chose not to name their portable music player MS Zune or their gaming console MS XBOX as they target specific niche markets, but in the case of introducing a new search engin, in light of the obvious competition, one would think that Microsoft would try to make use of any existing creative asset - including their existing brand equity (think Microsoft Windows). Instead, they selected an abstract name with no affiliation to the parent company and this strategy will most likely require a great deal of marketing and advertising efforts to draw a significant enough amount of unique visitors.
The Bing Logo
Not surprisingly, where Microsoft really fall short is the design of the logo. In its current state, the Bing logo looks like just another logotype for a start-up web 2.0 service. You can read a good design review by Joshua Davis here. I can't help but feel that this is a huge mistake and a missed opportunity to do something different. And this ties back to the idea that the people behind Bing at Microsoft, with its amazing organizational culture and infinite resources have failed miserably.
Final Thought
The Google Wave brand is similar to what Microsoft Windows was (and still is) in form and essence. Both do a very good job linking name and product. However, I have huge doubts if the Bing brand will be able to reach the impact that the Google brand has. I mean, do you really see yourself 'Binging' stuff up? What do you think?

