When Microsoft launched Bing Chat in preview last month, the company announced it a copilot with Microsoft Edge through an integration in the browser. Microsoft is not only using the AI to start a war with Google Search but also with Chrome. Since then, we have seen increasingly aggressive marketing of Edge.
In the latest move, Microsoft is now using full-page advertising in Edge. According to Neowin, heading to Edge from another web browser may result in your seeing a page that takes up the whole screen. This starter page tells you that there are things that have been added to Edge since your last visit.
Hardly a surprise considering Microsoft continues to throw features – many pointless – at the browser. Either way, clicking “get started” on this page opens a second full-page ad that says “Let's get you setup for the best browsing experience”.
This is essentially an ad that takes up the browser window and asks users to set Microsoft Edge as their default. It is worth noting that unchecking the “Use Microsoft recommended browser settings” feature will stop this “recommendation”.
Chrome Ad
Last month, Microsoft started advertising Edge directly on the Google Chrome page. Users have reported that a banner ad for Edge is showing when they download Chrome Canary.
Importantly, the ad is designed to look as if it is a part of Google's page (google.com/chrome), almost like Google put it there. It shows the message, “Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft.”
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