Why Is a Competitor Showing for My Brand Keyword on Bing?

Quick answer

Competitors can usually bid on your brand name as a keyword in Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft investigates trademark complaints about your trademark in the ad text, and about keyword use only in certain markets. To protect branded searches, run your own brand campaign, file a trademark complaint when your mark appears in their ads, and monitor auction insights.

Why this happens

Search ad platforms, including Microsoft Advertising and Google Ads, separate two things: the keyword an advertiser bids on, and the words that appear in the ad. Microsoft changed its policy in 2011 to allow advertisers to bid on other companies’ trademarks as keywords in most markets, in line with Google. So a competitor bidding on “YourBrand” is generally allowed. Using “YourBrand” in their ad copy, if they aren’t authorized, is a different matter.

Is it allowed?

In most markets, yes for keywords. Microsoft’s intellectual property policy focuses on trademarks used in ad text. If a competitor’s ad text includes your trademark and they’re not an authorized reseller or otherwise permitted to use it, you can file a complaint. Keyword-only complaints are investigated in a limited set of markets, so check the policy for your country.

What you can do

1. Run a brand campaign. Your own ad on your brand terms usually wins on relevance and Quality Score, often at a low CPC. It also takes the top position away from competitors.
2. File a trademark complaint through Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Concern Form if your trademark appears in their ad copy. Include the trademark registration number, the markets it covers and examples (screenshots with dates and search terms).
3. Check auction insights on your brand campaign to see who competes and how often their ads overlap with yours.
4. Watch for dynamic keyword insertion. A competitor’s ad may show your brand in the headline because their ad inserts whatever keyword was searched. That can count as trademark use in ad text.
5. Talk to the competitor. A direct, polite request sometimes resolves it faster than a complaint, especially between businesses that know each other.
6. Get legal advice for persistent or damaging cases. Trademark law varies by country.

How to build a strong brand campaign

• Put brand keywords in their own campaign with their own budget, so brand traffic never runs out because other campaigns spent the money.
• Use exact and phrase match for your brand and key brand-plus-product terms.
• Add sitelinks and other assets so your ad takes up more space.
• Point ads to your homepage or the most relevant brand page.
• Add your brand as a negative keyword in non-brand campaigns so reporting stays clean.

What Microsoft won’t do

Microsoft won’t block competitors from bidding on generic terms or, in most markets, on your brand keyword alone. It also won’t share competitors’ bids, spend or keyword lists.

Why trademark cases are slow

Trademark complaints need a complete submission and a review by a specialized team. Microsoft handles all advertisers through one central support desk and supports small and mid-sized businesses mainly through certified Partner Program partners, who can help build a clean case and escalate it.

FAQ

Can I stop competitors from bidding on my brand name in Bing?

Not fully in most markets. You can act when your trademark appears in their ad text.

Does a brand campaign cost a lot?

Brand terms are usually cheap because your ads are highly relevant to the search.

Do I need a registered trademark to complain?

Yes. Microsoft’s process is built around registered trademark rights.

Does the same apply on Yahoo and DuckDuckGo?

They serve Microsoft ads, so Microsoft’s policies apply to those ads.

Protect your brand on Microsoft Ads

Adcore sets up brand campaigns, monitors competitors and helps you file trademark complaints, free. Get free Microsoft Ads support.