For the promotion of its new search engine - code-named Kumo, but likely to go by the brand name 'Bing' - Microsoft is planning to launch a massive ad campaign, which would be spread over print, radio, online and TV.

For the campaign, to be led by ad firm JWT, Microsoft is expected to undertake an expenditure of between $80-100 million. As per AdvertisingAge, the proposed Microsoft budget for the campaign is 'substantial,' considering the fact that the expenses for most national rollouts for big consumer product launches generally stand at $50 million!

Having planned such a massive ad campaign, Microsoft probably is looking at giving its Bing search engine a major push, hoping it to grab a considerable portion from the number one online search brand Google; similar to what its 'laptop hunter' ads did for the company in its scuffle against Apple.

Without directly taking on either Google or Yahoo, Microsoft's Bing ads will put across the idea that "today's search engines" do not deliver a complete search experience.

Referring to the enormous ad spending that Microsoft has planned, analyst Rob Enderle said: "This is really testing whether Microsoft can still do what they did when they were young, which is enter a market from behind and catch up. They haven't had what it takes to do that for a long time!"