Scroogled

Scroogled was a negative marketing campaign launched by Microsoft in 2012 that criticized Google's search practices and advertising policies. The campaign aimed to portray Google as using user data in unfair and potentially harmful ways to promote its own products and advertising, effectively "scroogling" users (a portmanteau of "Google" and "screwed").

The Scroogled campaign included a website (scroogled.com), television commercials, and merchandise that highlighted specific Google products and services, such as Google Shopping and Gmail, alleging that Google prioritized its own revenue over providing objective search results or protecting user privacy. Microsoft argued that Google was manipulating search results to favor its own products and services, thus disadvantaging competitors and deceiving consumers.

The campaign focused on several key accusations:

• Google Shopping: Microsoft claimed that Google Shopping was not a true comparison shopping service, but rather an advertising platform where companies paid to have their products prominently displayed, leading to biased search results.

• Gmail: Microsoft alleged that Google scanned users' emails to target them with personalized advertisements, violating their privacy.

• Google's Search Results: The campaign suggested that Google's search results were increasingly biased towards its own services and products, making it harder for users to find objective information.

The Scroogled campaign was met with mixed reactions. Some critics viewed it as a legitimate attempt to expose questionable business practices, while others dismissed it as a desperate and ineffective smear campaign by Microsoft to attack a dominant competitor. The website scroogled.com was eventually taken down, and the campaign was discontinued. The term "Scroogled" itself faded from widespread use.