Some have popularity by nature, some have popularity because they earn it, and some have popularity because they piggyback on exploding trends. For the search engines, getting popularity is often a battle to do all three. Microsoft’s Bing has long been an entertainment venue, focusing on TV- and celebrity-related content and centering features around that content. In a continuation of that pattern, Bing has partnered with the popular TV show Glee.
Glee only recently completed their second season, but their prime-time slot isn’t likely to vanish. In fact, the anticipation for upcoming content is so heavy that the young series already has spin-offs. In this case it’s a show called The Glee Project, a reality show from Oxygen that has contestants vying for a multiple episode guest star slot on the show. As described by Bing, “The new series, which kicks off this Sunday, follows the remaining 12 contenders as they attempt to sing and dance their way to stardom. Weekly challenges will showcase the contenders singing, acting, dancing.”
One contestant on the show will get an additional honor, however: the title of “Bing Fan Favorite.” The title is based entirely on user voting, for which voters must visit the Bing Fan Favorite page, and the winner will receive an additional live performance and $10,000 cash at the end of the series.
But that’s not the only move that demonstrates Bing is a hard-core Gleek. The search site also launched a video from Glee star Matthew Morrison who plays Will Schuester on the show. The video interviewed Morrison about his major life choices where friends provided valuable contributions, and then related the input of friends to the expanding social search features on Bing. A new Bing advertisement also premiered during the season finale of the show.
[via the Bing Blog]
