Microsoft launches a big new competition to encourage Internet users to use its Bing search engine to get people to use its Bing search engine, with a $1 million grand prize up for grabs. This campaign started on October 8 and is aimed at users in six countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Puerto Rico.
This latest campaign builds on Microsoft’s Rewards loyalty program, which already awards users points for using different Microsoft services and products. When users register on the competition website, they get five entries straight away, and they can accumulate up to 200 entries by further interacting with the platform.
Microsoft is not only offering the first prize, but has also added two second prizes of $10,000 each. Additionally, the company plans to donate $500,000, split between the World Wide Fund for Nature and UNICEF. For every participant who earns more than 50 entries, Microsoft will donate $5 to these causes.
This lottery is Microsoft’s way of boosting Bing’s visibility, especially since OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology powers it for a more interactive, chat-like search experience. Even with these improvements, Bing still has a lot of catching up to do to match Google’s stranglehold on the search market.
People who are already part of the Microsoft Rewards program can earn additional entries by performing daily searches on Bing or using the Microsoft Edge browser. Usually, the Rewards program offers smaller benefits, such as Xbox Game Pass subscriptions or store vouchers, so this $1 million prize is an important step in attracting more participants.
This promotion underlines Microsoft’s desire to establish itself against Google in the field of search engines. However, even with large sums of money, Microsoft may have difficulty convincing Internet users to abandon their loyalty to Google.
