SES NYC- Keynote Conversation with Steve Berkowitz (raw notes)

 Steve Berkowitz is the Senior Vice President of Microsoft's Online Services Group, which includes MSN and Windows Live. He talks with conference chair Danny Sullivan about Microsoft's moves and ambitions in search



  • Ex-CEO of Ask.com

  • Figuring out how to unlock the potential of MSN products that have yet to be tapped into

  • Focus on Navigation/Search

  • MSN= Technology Provider/Audience Aggregator

  • Unified search and ad platform

  • "The Ad Platform and search are reverse engineering of each other"

  • "You need to have a simple delivery platform"

  • Windows Live Value Proposition...You can take your digital identity with you- extension of Windows onto the net

  • Much more social content into MSN

  • More current events and UGC


  • What will make Live Search Pop?


    • "No it's never ever satisfactory not to be number one"

      • Destination driven search

      • Convenient search- mail, messenger





  • Innovative ways to delivery search in the experience you are in as opposed to mere destination search

  • Creative new ways to deliver search will be the key to gaining market share

  • "Does it have to be a slugfest every time you want to get on the desktop?" Sullivan in reference to deal with Lenovo

  • "I want the consumer to get pissed off that someone has decided to force it on them" Berkowitz in reference to the battle for the desktop

  • "Its about buying developing and earning" in reference to desktop


Ok, Mrs. Dewey makes a guest appearance in a ridiculous show of cheap marketing....wrong venue, wrong time and not that funny. Which makes me think of the debacle I saw outside of the hotel put on by Looksmart. I will certainly write about that garbage later but, what is going on here? Give me good search and I will work with you. I don't care about the brand. I don't care about gimmicks. I just want good search and value. Sheesh!!!!




  • Danny: What puts you ahead of Google and Yahoo?

    • "Where people do better than we do is engagement"

    • you are going to see search better integrated in the MSN platform

    • Microsoft has the advantage of maturity

    • We are going to be a great partner to advertisers and publishers

    • I use Live 90% of the time -Berkowitz

    • "We are more than search"...it is about integration



  • How do we bring Rich Media into search

  • "We are moving fast, we are just not where we need to be yet"


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