Bing and Windows 8 are helping Microsoft’s brand image

Don’t look now but Microsoft (MSFT), the company that cornered the market with word processing and spreadsheets, has finally become cool. According to research from YouGov, the software giant’s Bing search engine and new Windows products are making a big impression on consumers as the market research firm found that consumer perception of both Windows and Bing are at a two-year high. In fact, since right around the time when Microsoft began its massive Windows 8 and Bing advertising campaigns in mid-October, the company’s perception has risen from 17 points to 25 on YouGov’s BrandIndex Buzz scale. The brand’s perception levels were even higher among tablet owners, increasing from 23 to 33 in the same period, while Bing managed to move up 6 points for a perception rating of 16.