To pull this off in a way that would authentically incorporate Colbert’s signature ironic tone and sense of humour, the network needed full freedom to execute. The result was over the top, tongue-in-cheek, and impossible to miss. Colbert opened the show discussing the Gulf oil spill disaster. During his monologue he mentioned Bing, as the Bing logo flashed and the Bing mnemonic sounded. Throughout the show, Bing was mentioned across every segment, including in a five-minute skit where Colbert beat up a fake Tony Hayword, CEO of BP. Each punch received the logo and mnemonic treatment. Colbert even got his guests in on it, leading political strategist James Carville to mention Bing three times. The final Bing mention was met with a $100K cash tally display, balloons, confetti, and a donation to the Gulf Oil Spill Relief fund.

Bing was mentioned a staggering 40 times each during the single episode. The overall spike in buzz (from both traditional media and the blogosphere) picked up by Bing’s in-market research allowed them to pinpoint the show’s direct positive effect on people trying the product. First mention unaided awareness results were 50% higher than the second-best performing Bing integration. It yielded Bing’s best results for brand evangelism, with 80% of viewers saying they discussed the Bing execution with others. Also, 43% of viewers said they intended to try Bing after seeing the Colbert integration.