Microsoft uses IE9 promoted Tweet to infiltrate Firefox 4 Twitter search results

By Tom Warren, on 22nd Mar 11 7:15 pm with 23 Comments

Microsoft purchased a promoted Tweet on the social networking site Twitter on Tuesday.

The tweet showed up in any search results for Firefox, just as the company released its latest browser edition. Mozilla technical evangelist Paul Rouget spotted the promoted tweet and was shocked at the blatant hijack. “Please, tell me this is not true,” wrote Rouget as he posted a screenshot of the promoted Tweet in Firefox search results on Twitter. The Mozilla worker also asked Microsoft not to be “lame.” Other Twitter users spotted the promoted tweet and started mentioning the piggybacking. Microsoft quickly removed the promoted tweet shortly afterwards.

Mozilla launched version 4 of its browser on Tuesday. At the time of writing the company noted over 2 million downloads or 135 downloads per second – 8200 per minute. Internet Explorer 9 was released to the web on Monday March 14 and clocked up 27 downloads per second, over 250 downloads every 10 seconds. Microsoft claims it reached 2.3 million Internet Explorer 9 downloads in just 24 hours. Mozilla looks set to break that figure only hours after its release, meanwhile the company is celebrating its release with fox costumes and cake.

Firefox Twitter search results

Image Credit: the_pc_doc (Twitter)

  • Wourelia

    Even though it sounds stupid, its becoming normal to `hijack´ keywords of competitors.

  • http://twitter.com/MightyJordan Jordan Hicks

    Naughty naughty, Microsoft! :P

  • Guest

    Sounds like a rare example of some creative MS marketing.

  • Bnlf

    keep the naughty stuff to apple and google which is more fun. FF is just a small sand in the pot

  • GP007

    Sounds fine to me. It’s easy to call some marketing stunt like this “lame” but who cares? By bringing attention too it like they did it only helped to boost it more and now IE9 has come up on the day FF4 is released.

    BTW, I think this “downloaded in 24 hours” count is BS. The argument for IE9 was “well how many just d/led it just to check it out and never use it?” Well right back at you FF, I’ve downloaded a few versions of FF from time to time just to test a site out and then uninstalled it. Do all those times count as well? In the end I doubt FF4 is going to help it’s marketshare go anywhere, they’;re bleeding users to Chrome and hell even IE9 has managed to win back people.

  • A340-600

    Ha! I love it! Of course, this being MS it’ll be called “desperate” by some, but it’s genius!

  • http://twitter.com/mikkybukky82 Michael

    I wish they use this genius ideas in marketing WP7 more especially in the UK

  • Aethec

    Anything done by MS is considered as lame by Paul Rouget, anyway…

  • http://twitter.com/IgnatiusAwesome Sonny Williams

    I lol’d. At least they are trying :D

  • Ninja1043

    Actually Mozilla did the same when IE9 launched. I can’t believe they are whining now.

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      really?

    • Anonymous

      Really? You have a link to it? Would be nice to have :)

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      Indeed! To throw it at Rouget’s face! xD http://twitter.com/#!/paulrouget

  • Anonymous

    http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5551260588_54f3475333_b.jpg

    You can see the tweet there, meh… who cares! It may not have been an advertisement tweet but to me it makes no difference.

    As far as I’m concerned, anyone not knowing much of computers would have walked into that link thinking it’s IE9.

    I seriously do not care if people choose Firefox or IE, let’s just drop the act like if everyone is saint than thou.

  • Anonymous

    Really don’t see why this is a problem at all, Microsoft bought an ad that showed up when people searched for Firefox. Ads for other things show up when you search for “Internet Explorer” in Google. How is this any different?

  • Anonymous

    Mozilla calling Microsoft lame. That’s hilarious.
    *cough* http://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/ie9/

  • Guest

    And so, IE9 is up to standards and does deliver unlike some other browsers.

  • http://twitter.com/FreeTheFeross Feross Aboukhadijeh

    It’s a fox costume, not a bear costume.

  • Anonymous

    I continue with my belief that if Microsoft cured cancer, people would still say how horrible they were for doing it.

    • http://twitter.com/iwakiKabi Kirby Iwaki Tsukino

      If they do, there would be a bug in it, anyway

  • http://twitter.com/robertmacnair Robert Macnair
  • Anonymous

    LOL, looks to me like those guys are pretty smart. Wow.

    http://www.real-privacy.it.tc

  • http://www.grayski.co.uk GrayW

    They used a Marketing tactic so what. Good for Microsoft! Everyone else does it so why not :)