This Year’s Top Bing Search Trends

SRK ran out SRT… Milkha raced India’s top sportspersons to the finish line… Kat purred on ahead of Deepika ‘Meenalochni’ Padukone... even as Sonu Nigam out-serenaded Mohit Chouhan. And all this happened on Bing! Based on the aggregation of millions of search queries on our search engine, we’ve found what enthralled and engaged, intrigued and interested Indians in 2013.

Here’s what Bing’s Top Search Trends reveal:

Most Searched Persons:

• The Khans continue to rule Bollywood! Salman ‘Dabangg’ Khan is one of the most bankable heroes in India. The records his movies make are broken only by his own movies. SRK follows not far behind, riding the Chennai Express.
• Was it her bikini-clad images from her holidays that made Katrina Kaif the third most searched person on Bing? Or was it her beauty and work? There isn’t any clear answer to it. However, there’s no doubt that she deserves to be on the list.
• With all the buzz around Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, finding him high up on Bing’s most searched person’s list is no googly at all. There has never been a sportsperson like Sachin Tendulkar in the history of Indian sports. And the chances of finding someone to replace the Master Blaster seem well outside the off stump.
• People were raving when they saw Deepika Padukone romancing her ex-beau Ranbir Kapoor. Starring in two movies that grossed over Rs 100 crore has catapulted her to the top ten on the Bing Search Trends.
• You thought Priyanka Chopra’s forte is limited to acting? Think again! While her jaw dropping performance in Barfi can’t go unnoticed, her second music album kept her in the searchlights.

Most Searched Songs:

• Not only was the movie a humdinger at the box office its peppy numbers have everyone on dance floors across India shimmy and shake. Little wonder then that Lungi Dance from Chennai Express hummed itself into most searched song of the year!
• Challa from Jab Tak Hai Jaan is the perfect combination of Rabbi Shergil’s melodious voice and SRK’s sizzling onscreen romance with Katrina Kaif. Seems like everything King Khan touches turns to gold.
• Shuddh Desi Romance may have faded at the box office but its songs will waft on for years to come. And the presence of Gulabi among the most searched song list of 2013 is evidence of that.

Most Searched Movies:

• Sometimes sequels come with a certainty of success. While 2013 anticipated the release of a number of sequels, Race 2 emerged as the most searched movie on Bing.
• For Chennai Express, it all started with the release of a teaser and then the buzz reached a crescendo even as the SRK starrer sailed across the Rs. 200 crore landmark.
• What makes a good movie? A flashy star-cast or a combination of good script, fine acting and a catchy soundtrack? Going by the success that Aashiqui 2 met with, it’s clear that the latter combination works well--even in a year that saw over 10 much-hyped Bollywood sequels being released.

Most Searched Sportspersons:

• No surprises here at all. Had to be Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar in the year of his last hurrah. With epithets pouring and eulogies overflowing, the God of cricket was all over our mindspace and search space.
• What makes Virat Kohli so popular? Is it his confidence on and off pitch, the game he plays or his looks? This poster boy shot into limelight after winning the under 19 World Cup and has been a constant figure in the Indian cricket team almost ever since. No raised eyebrows on this chartbuster.
• Milkha Singh became the surprise dash in this year’s search trends, all thanks to the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that depicted his life as the “Flying Sikh”.

Most Searched Travel Destinations:

• What is Bangalore famous for? The first thing that would pop in your mind is the IT industry. However, the Silicon Valley of India is also surprisingly being scouted by travelers across the length and breadth of the nation.
• The commercial capital of the nation and the home to the glamour industry, Mumbai has emerged as the number 2 travel trendspot. It has something to offer to people from every walk of life.
• Clean beaches, serene locations, and some exotic food set against Portuguese architecture makes Goa a hot destination for Indian and foreign travelers alike.

Most Searched Music Artists:

• Shreya Ghoshal is leading voice for the next generation of songstresses. The sheer chorus of searches across India set this extremely versatile singer firmly up as the most sought after music artist on Bing this year.
• “Ajeeb dastan hain yeh” may be her favourite song, but no one will think it strange to see Lata Mangeshkar as the second most searched Indian music artist on Bing. The Nightingale of Bollywood, who celebrated her 84^th birthday earlier this year, has lent her voice to generations of actresses and has sung thousands of songs.
• Sonu Nigam does it time and again and versatility is his signature. One of his recent songs that became chartbuster is “Mar jaau ya jee loon zaraa” from the movie Agneepath.

Most Searched Social Websites:

• There is no arguing Facebook's popularity and it’s level of engagement among its users. Top of the search charts for this social media juggernaut is a nobrainer of sorts.
• Nipping at Facebook’s heels in the Bing trend sheets as it does in the real world, Twitter must play second fiddle as it forces you to play with 140 characters smartly.
• Here’s the attack of the messaging apps, led by WhatsApp, and Line alongwith Viber pinging right behind. With 3 out of 10 spots taken by these, the trend is loud and clear: instant mobile messengers are here to rule. Missing all the action on this front oddly is BBM.

Interested in how Indian searches on Bing compared to other countries around the world? Check it out the top Bing searches in 2013 for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom for yourself at http://bingtrends.com.

Happy New Year!

- The Bing Team