The rivalry between Microsoft and Google is one of the fiercest between companies, and in 2009 Microsoft launched its biggest Web property ever - the search engine Bing. With that launch, one of its biggest challenges became shrinking the Google market share chasm. To do this, it had to become more relevant.

Droga5 identified a young target demographic as they are the most open to change and have the heaviest search tendencies. To succeed in reaching them, though, we had to overcome some obstacles.Bing technology is a visual experience that helps people get what they need without overloading them with information. This is a difficult message to convey in advertising, and research showed that only after trying Bing would our target be more likely to switch. The barrier of convincing people to try Bing when Google had become a habit presented a unique challenge.

We needed to leverage the right canvas to give our demonstration strategy a strong cultural impact. This canvas had to be something that could be amplified and improved with Bing products. We identified the upcoming launch of Jay-Z’s autobiography, Decoded, as the perfect opportunity.

Over the course of a month, we created an interactive game that put every page from Decoded in a different location, based on the content of the page. Bing allowed fans to discover the book in real-world locations and try to be the first player to compile it. The digital element meant that placements were accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical location.The campaign used outdoor media, including high-profile placements in Times Square, the Vegas Strip and London’s Covent Garden. We also created our own media: pizza boxes, plates, burger wrappers, jigsaw puzzles and T-shirts, to name a few. Fans sought out, discovered and interacted with this collection of unique, small-scale pieces.

The campaign also came to life in the bottom of the Delano Hotel pool, the stage curtain of the Apollo Theater, a bronze plaque in the Marcy Projects and on a custom Gucci jacket in its 5th Avenue store. Decoded created a media value two times the investment by making businesses want to get involved at no charge.

We generated nearly one billion media impressions, and Bing’s market share in search the month our campaign was in market went up to 11.8%, its highest point since its launch in 2009.