Accoona

Accoona was an internet company whose principal product was a search engine designed to compete in the rapidly expanding web-search market of the mid-2000s. The company operated with offices in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Shanghai, China, giving it a cross-border profile at a time when search businesses were seeking access to both North American and Chinese audiences. The Accoona search service was presented as using artificial intelligence to interpret user queries more effectively than conventional keyword matching. Alongside ordinary web searches, it offered business-profile and business-directory searches. Its most distinctive advertised function was called “SuperTarget,” a feature intended to make search results more targeted. Accoona also supplied search technology to Chinese internet portals including Sina.com and Sohu, and entered into a long-term exclusive partnership with China Daily. The China Daily relationship was positioned as a strategic route into China’s comparatively isolated online user base, with Accoona reportedly expecting substantial traffic through the arrangement and its Chinese affiliates. The company pursued technology partnerships as part of its effort to improve relevance and ranking quality. It signed an agreement with FAST Search, a Norwegian search-technology company, to help enhance its search results. Accoona also used high-profile publicity to establish credibility. On December 8, 2004, it announced former United States president Bill Clinton as a spokesperson. In June 2005, the company staged a public demonstration in which its AI Accoona Toolbar, powered by a Fritz 9 chess-engine prototype, played against chess grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov at ABC Times Square Studios. The event linked the company’s artificial-intelligence message to a recognizable test of machine reasoning. Accoona attracted additional attention through internet-industry and mainstream media coverage. Time magazine included it among its “50 Coolest Websites” of 2006. At the same time, the brand generated criticism within webmaster communities after promotional Accoona entries appeared as spam on forum sites. This activity contributed to a mixed public profile: the company was marketed as an innovative search challenger, but its promotional methods were viewed negatively by parts of the online community. Accoona ultimately failed to establish a sustainable position in a highly competitive search market. After problems connected with its planned or attempted public offering, the company ceased operating its search services. On October 5, 2008, Accoona shut down; a contemporaneous notice stated that Accoona.com and Accoona.cn would no longer be active because of overwhelming competition in the search market. On October 30, 2008, Masterseek B2B, another business-to-business search provider, acquired Accoona’s domains and search facilities. Accoona is therefore best understood as a defunct mid-2000s search-engine and internet-services company rather than an active consumer brand.

Accoona emerged during the mid-2000s expansion of search engines and online business directories. It operated from Jersey City and Shanghai and sought to differentiate itself from larger search providers by describing its technology as artificial-intelligence driven. Its search service covered ordinary web queries while also supporting searches for business profiles. The company promoted a feature called SuperTarget, intended to make results more precise and commercially useful. China was central to Accoona’s distribution strategy. The company provided search technology to Sina.com and Sohu and established a 20-year exclusive partnership with China Daily. Through China Daily and related Chinese affiliates, Accoona sought access to a large potential audience that was not easily reached by overseas internet companies. The partnership was presented as a major strategic asset and was expected to generate significant daily traffic. Accoona also signed an agreement with FAST Search of Norway to improve the ranking and relevance of its results. The company invested heavily in publicity around artificial intelligence. On December 8, 2004, it selected former president Bill Clinton as a spokesperson. On June 23, 2005, at ABC Times Square Studios, an AI Accoona Toolbar driven by a Fritz 9 prototype played chess against Rustam Kasimdzhanov, the reigning grandmaster identified in the company’s publicity. The demonstration was intended to make Accoona’s technical claims understandable to a broad audience. In 2006, Time magazine included Accoona among its 50 Coolest Websites, further raising its profile. Accoona’s promotion was not uniformly welcomed. Webmaster communities reported that forum sites had been spammed with promotional Accoona entries. Although the available reference material does not establish a formal regulatory or legal finding, the episode became part of the brand’s internet-industry reputation. The company was unable to overcome the structural difficulty of entering a search market dominated by much larger and better-funded competitors. Following problems involving its IPO efforts, Accoona ceased its online services. On October 5, 2008, it closed Accoona.com and Accoona.cn. The shutdown notice attributed the decision to overwhelming competition. On October 30, 2008, Masterseek B2B acquired Accoona’s domains and search facilities. No active Accoona consumer search service is identified after that transaction.

• 2008

  Search services discontinued

  [1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Accoona shut down Accoona.com and Accoona.cn on October 5, citing intense competition in the search market.

• 2008

  Assets acquired by Masterseek B2B

  [1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Masterseek B2B acquired Accoona’s domains and search facilities on October 30.

• 2006

  Named among Time’s 50 Coolest Websites

  [1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Time magazine included Accoona in its 2006 selection of 50 Coolest Websites.

• 2005

  AI chess demonstration

  [1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  On June 23, Accoona presented an AI Accoona Toolbar powered by a Fritz 9 prototype in a chess match against grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov at ABC Times Square Studios.

• 2004

  Bill Clinton becomes Accoona spokesperson

  [1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Accoona announced former United States president Bill Clinton as a spokesperson on December 8, adding high-profile political recognition to its marketing effort.

An artificial-intelligence-oriented search challenger combining general web search, business information, and strategic distribution partnerships in China.

• Web search engine

  Accoona Search

  Accoona’s principal service was a general-purpose search engine marketed as using artificial intelligence to better interpret queries. It also incorporated business-profile search, extending beyond ordinary web-page discovery into company and commercial information.

• Search feature

  SuperTarget

  SuperTarget was Accoona’s signature search feature. The available descriptions associate it with the company’s effort to provide more targeted results, particularly within a service that combined general search and business information.

• Search toolbar · 2005

  AI Accoona Toolbar

  The AI Accoona Toolbar was a search-related product used in the company’s 2005 artificial-intelligence publicity demonstration. Its technology was represented by a Fritz 9 prototype during a chess match against Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

• Business directory

  Accoona Business Directory

  Accoona’s business-search capability allowed users to look for business profiles in addition to conventional web results. It formed part of the company’s attempt to make search commercially useful and distinguish the service from purely general web search.

• 2005AI Accoona Toolbar chess demonstration

  United States · International

  Accoona staged a public chess demonstration at ABC Times Square Studios, presenting its AI Accoona Toolbar and a Fritz 9 prototype against grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

  Outcome. The event gave Accoona substantial publicity for its artificial-intelligence claims and became one of the company’s most recognizable product demonstrations.

  Source
• 2004Bill Clinton spokesperson campaign

  United States · International

  Accoona used former president Bill Clinton as a spokesperson in a high-profile effort to raise awareness of its search brand and artificial-intelligence positioning.

  Outcome. The appointment generated press attention, although the available material does not provide evidence that it produced a measurable commercial result.

  Source

• 2008

  Exit the search marketStrategy

  Background

  Accoona faced what its shutdown notice described as overwhelming competition, following problems associated with its IPO efforts.

  Action taken

  The company discontinued Accoona.com and Accoona.cn on October 5, 2008.

  Aftermath

  Masterseek B2B acquired Accoona’s domains and search facilities later that month, on October 30.

  Source

• 2005

  Promote AI search through the Accoona ToolbarProduct launch

  Background

  Accoona positioned artificial intelligence as a way to distinguish its search technology from established keyword-search competitors.

  Action taken

  It publicized the AI Accoona Toolbar through a chess demonstration involving a Fritz 9 prototype and grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

  Aftermath

  The demonstration increased media visibility for the brand, but the available material does not show lasting adoption of the toolbar.

  Source

• 2004

  Pursue a long-term China Daily partnershipStrategy

  Background

  Accoona needed distribution and visibility in China’s large but comparatively isolated internet market.

  Action taken

  The company formed a reported 20-year exclusive partnership with China Daily and worked with Chinese affiliates, while also providing technology to Sina.com and Sohu.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement was regarded as strategically important and was expected to deliver substantial traffic, but Accoona ultimately shut down its search services in 2008.

  Source

• 2008

  Accoona search services shut down[1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy · Other

  Accoona discontinued Accoona.com and Accoona.cn, citing intense competition in the search market.

• 2008

  Masterseek B2B acquires Accoona domains and search facilities[1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Masterseek B2B acquired Accoona’s domains and search facilities after the service closed.

• 2006

  Accoona receives recognition from Time magazine[1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Time magazine selected Accoona for its list of the 50 Coolest Websites of 2006, providing mainstream visibility for the search brand.

• 2005

  Accoona stages artificial-intelligence chess demonstration[1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Product launch

  At ABC Times Square Studios, Accoona demonstrated its AI Accoona Toolbar, using a Fritz 9 prototype in a chess match against grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

• 2004

  Accoona appoints Bill Clinton as spokesperson[1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  Accoona announced former United States president Bill Clinton as a spokesperson, giving the emerging search company a prominent public representative.

• Accoona draws webmaster criticism over promotional spam[1]Accoonaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Accoona received negative attention from webmaster communities after promotional entries associated with the brand appeared on forum sites as spam.

1. 1Accoonaen.wikipedia.org