Ask Jeeves why he's back

Monday 20 April 2009 | By Heidi Scott, Gosh! Media Copywriter

After three years in retirement, Jeeves – the quintessential butler character – has been reintroduced by the search engine Ask.com, which is also reverting to its original name, Ask Jeeves.

Recent market research in the UK, which showed that brand identity for Ask was 83 per cent stronger with Jeeves, led to the branding U-turn. The return of the trusty servant – the creation of PG Wodehouse – has led pundits to speculate that Ask is struggling in the battle for the 10 per cent market share left to other search engines after Google's rich pickings.

These rumours have been strongly refuted by Cesar Mascaraque, Ask.com's Managing Director. He told the BBC, "We have seen a growth of 20% this year, so we are not struggling. We have been focused on developing an outstanding producer that will deliver outstanding results and Jeeves is just the icing on the cake. Our aim is to give our users the answers they need for the lives they lead and Jeeves's role is to give our users answers in a more human way."

Commenting on the move, Peter Matthews, Manager of the brand and digital consultancy Nucleus, said that Ask needed to differentiate itself from Google.
"Ask without Jeeves lacked character and while the actual product – searching the web – is very effective, in trying to be more like Google they shot themselves in the foot."

Since his re-emergence, Jeeves has undergone something of a makeover and now has a three-dimensional appearance. He will,however, only serve on the UK site, although US and other users worldwide can access him via uk.ask.com.

Jeeves – the quintessential butler

But does adding a character really change the experience for the user? Absolutely, says Ask.com. Certainly, when Jeeves was dropped from the brand in 2006, there was a brief campaign from users calling for him to be reinstated. Now Cesar Mascaraque has explained the famous valet's return by saying, "Our users have emphatically told us that they find Jeeves enhances their search experience – adding character to what can otherwise be a very functional experience. They see Jeeves as approachable and trustworthy and, above all, helpful."

Well, in the fight over Google's leftovers, Ask needs all the help it can get.

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