Believe it or not, it’s already time to look back at 2012 and reflect on the moments that most fascinated Americans this year. From one of the most hotly contested elections in US history, the pageantry of the Olympic Games in London and high profile IPOs to rising stars, reality TV and Gangnam Style, it’s been a pretty exciting twelve months.
Based on the aggregation of billions of search queries, the Bing Top Searches of 2012 Report highlights the “most searched” in the following categories:
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Also, don’t forget to check out our infographic that recaps the year’s top searches visually:
Most Searched Person Of The Year
Kim Kardashian is once again Queen, regaining her crown from 2010 as the most searched person of 2012.
There proved to be no cure for Bieber Fever however in 2012, as last year’s King Justin Bieber came in a close second in terms of searches and was still the most searched musician of the year.
Top 10 comparison for 2011 and 2012:
| Rank | 2012 | 2011 |
| 1 | Kim Kardashian | Justin Bieber |
| 2 | Justin Bieber | Kim Kardashian |
| 3 | Miley Cyrus | Jennifer Aniston |
| 4 | Rihanna | Lindsay Lohan |
| 5 | Lindsay Lohan | Jennifer Lopez |
| 6 | Katy Perry | Britney Spears |
| 7 | Selena Gomez | Katy Perry |
| 8 | Jennifer Aniston | Megan Fox |
| 9 | Nicki Minaj | Lady Gaga |
| 10 | Taylor Swift | Miley Cyrus |
Miley Cyrus had a busy year in the public eye, which showed with her jump from #10 in 2011 to #3 this year
There are four newcomers to the top 10 this year, with Rihanna coming in at #4, followed by Bieber’s former (current?) squeeze Selena Gomez at #7, Nicki Minaj at #9 and Taylor Swift at #10.
Falling out of the top 10 this year are Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Megan Fox and Lady Gaga.
Even in an election year, the public’s interest focused more on pop culture than our presidential candidates. Barack Obama came in as the 46th most search person for the year, while Mitt Romney came in just ahead at 43rd.
Kate Middleton remained strong this year as she jumped up one spot to #12 this year, while sister Pippa dropped from #21 to #75 in 2012.
There’s a new king of the sporting world when it comes to Bing searches, as Peyton Manning and his comeback to the NFL came is as the most searched athlete in 2012.
Last year’s winner Maria Sharapova came in as #4 most searched athlete overall, while remaining the most searched female athlete
Tiger Woods and his up-and-down performance on the links continued to capture the hearts and minds of fans, as he came in at #2 for the second consecutive year.
Tim Tebow entered the top 10 for the first time in 2012, as his trade to the New York Jets helped drive him up to the 3rd most searched athlete this year.
When it comes to the other major sports, Kobe Bryant proved to be king of the hardwood finishing at #5 overall while Derek Jeter again ruled the diamond for the second straight year as most searched baseball player, coming in at 15th overall.
Lebron James finally took home his first NBA title, but was the fourth most searched basketball player behind Kobe and Lamar Odom at #8 (Thanks Khloe Kardashian!).
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Rank |
Sports Stars |
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1 |
Peyton Manning |
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2 |
Tiger Woods |
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3 |
Tim Tebow |
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4 |
Maria Sharapova |
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5 |
Kobe Bryant |
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6 |
Serena Williams |
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7 |
Lamar Odom |
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8 |
LeBron James |
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9 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
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10 |
Terrell Owens |
When it comes to music, Justin Bieber remains king as he was the most searched musician for 2012.
Whitney Houston came in as the 2nd most searched musician, unfortunately largely driven by her untimely death in February 2012.
Several musicans returned to the top 10 from last year including Katy Perry (3), Selena Gomez (4), Rihanna (5), Nicki Minaj (6), Taylor Swift (7), Beyonce (8) and Jennifer Lopez (10).
Chris Brown, who was no stranger to controversy or number 1 hits in 2012, came in at #9.
Newcomers Fun and One Direction have begun to charge up the list coming in at #11 and #12 respectively and very well could be entering the top 10 next year…
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Rank |
Musicians |
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1 |
Justin Bieber |
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2 |
Whitney Houston |
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3 |
Katy Perry |
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4 |
Selena Gomez |
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5 |
Rihanna |
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6 |
Nicki Minaj |
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7 |
Taylor Swift |
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8 |
Beyoncé |
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9 |
Chris Brown |
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10 |
Jennifer Lopez |
Most Searched Olympic Athletes
Serena Williams had one of the best summers ever, winning the gold medal at the Olympics and then going on to be only the second player ever to win a career Golden Grand Slam, helping her to be the most searched Olympian of 2012.
Lolo Jones made waves for her on-field success and off-field personal beliefs, becoming the second most searched Olympic athlete for 2012.
While Michael Phelps couldn’t keep up with Lolo when it comes to searches on Bing, he did come in at #4 and of course also set a little record having to do with the most medals for an athlete in Olympic history!
The women’s gymnastics team was well represented in the top 10, as McKayla Maroney and her “Not impressed” face came in at #5, while fellow medalist Gabby Douglass was #8.
Usain Bolt established himself as the fastest man on earth, and also came in at #9 on the list.
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Rank |
Olympian |
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1 |
Serena Williams |
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2 |
Lolo Jones |
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3 |
LeBron James |
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4 |
Michael Phelps |
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5 |
McKayla Maroney |
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6 |
Hope Solo |
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7 |
Misty May-Treanor |
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8 |
Gabby Douglas |
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9 |
Usain Bolt |
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10 |
Ryan Lochte |
Most Searched Reality TV Stars
The Kardashians led a clean sweep for most searched reality TV stars in 2012, with Kim taking home top honors, followed by Khloe and then Kourtney.
Kate Gosselin dropped from second to #4 this year.
Honey Boo Boo captured the hearts and minds of America in 2012, showing up as the 5th most searched reality TV star.
Others rounding out the top 10 include:
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Rank |
Reality TV Star |
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1 |
Kim Kardashian |
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2 |
Khloe Kardashian |
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3 |
Kourtney Kardashian |
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4 |
Kate Gosselin |
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5 |
Honey Boo Boo |
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6 |
Snooki |
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7 |
Emily Maynard |
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8 |
Bethenny Frankel |
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9 |
Kim Richards |
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10 |
Teresa Giudice |
It’s safe to say that volatile relationships attract attention as Chris Brown and Rihanna were the most searched celeb couple, with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson coming in 2nd.
The Kardashian’s made their mark in this category as well, with Khloe and Lamar coming in 3rd and Kim and Kanye checking in at 4th.
The top 10 includes:
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Rank |
Celebrity Couples |
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1 |
Chris Brown & Rihanna |
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2 |
Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson |
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3 |
Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom |
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4 |
Kim Kardashian & Kanye West |
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5 |
Selena Gomez & Justin Bieber |
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6 |
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt |
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7 |
Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes |
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8 |
Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith |
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9 |
David & Victoria Beckham |
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10 |
Beyonce Knowles & Jay-Z |
Baby’s lead the way when it comes to most search celeb events, with Beyonce’s baby being the most searched, followed closely by Jessica Simpson’s baby.
Snooki’s baby and Kourtney Kardashian’s baby came in at 4th and 5th respectively, behind Whitney Houston’s death which came in 3rd.
Top 10 includes:
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Rank |
Celebrity Event |
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1 |
Beyonce’s baby |
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2 |
Jessica Simpson baby |
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3 |
Whitney Houston death |
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4 |
Snooki’s baby |
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5 |
Kourtney Kardashian baby |
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6 |
Coachella |
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7 |
Rodney King overdose |
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8 |
Grammy Awards |
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9 |
Jennifer Garner baby |
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10 |
Academy Awards |
Speculation and excitement around the launch of iPhone 5 built up throughout the year, making this the most searched news story on Bing in 2012.
Tech ruled the headlines in 2012 with the launch of iPhone 5, Kindle Fire HD, and Facebook’s IPO all landing in the top 10 most searched news stories.
The world joined together to watch competitions of all kinds in 2012, with the Elections (#2) and Summer Olympics (#3) driving the most interest.
While they couldn’t be more different, the crazy antics and unique personalities of Honey Boo Boo and Gangnam Style’s PSY landed these two celebrities spots near the top.
Hurricane Sandy had a huge impact on many lives, and search was no different. The natural disaster quickly became the fourth most searched news story on Bing.
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Rank |
News Stories |
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1 |
iPhone 5 |
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2 |
2012 Elections |
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3 |
2012 Olympics |
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4 |
Hurricane Sandy |
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5 |
Honey Boo Boo Reality Show |
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6 |
Gangnam Style Dance |
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7 |
KONY 2012 |
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8 |
Academy Awards |
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9 |
Kindle Fire HD |
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10 |
Facebook IPO |
New features and a much-buzzed-about IPO had Facebook at the top of its 1 billion users’ newsfeeds all year, and helped it come in as the number one most searched social network.
Meanwhile, Twitter’s 140-character movement propelled it into the second place spot, with MySpace moved into third place and its rebranding mission moved it into third place.
People’s fascination with the latest smart phones, tablets and games consoles remains unfettered in 2012, with products from Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Samsung topping the list.
Consumers are always looking for ways to access music, particularly free music. In 2012, three of the top five app searches were music players (Pandora, I Heart Radio, Spotify).
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Rank |
Social Media |
Rank |
Consumer Electronics |
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1 |
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1 |
iPhone 5 |
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2 |
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2 |
iPad |
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3 |
Myspace |
3 |
Samsung Galaxy S III/Samsung Galaxy S3 |
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4 |
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4 |
Kindle |
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5 |
Tumblr |
5 |
iPad 3 |
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6 |
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6 |
iPod Touch |
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7 |
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7 |
Xbox |
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8 |
StumbleUpon |
8 |
PlayStation 3 |
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9 |
Digg |
9 |
iPhone 4S |
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10 |
Klout |
10 |
Windows 8 |
The latest comic book classic turned movie to hit it big, The Avengers took home top honors as the most searched film in 2012
Although bittersweet given the unfortunate events surrounding it’s opening night, Dark Night Rises still caught mostly rave reviews and came in at #2
Is there anything better than Leonardo DiCaprio in a love story on a boat? How about that same love story told in 3D? Titanic came it at #3 thanks to its re-release in 3D.
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Rank |
Movies |
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1 |
The Avengers |
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2 |
Dark Knight Rises |
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3 |
Titanic |
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4 |
Magic Mike |
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5 |
Prometheus |
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6 |
Breaking Dawn Part 2 |
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7 |
Flight |
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8 |
Bachelorette |
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9 |
Snow White and the Huntsman |
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10 |
Dark Shadows |
While the majority of America couldn’t get Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” out of their head, Psy’s “Gangum Style” still couldn’t be stopped as it finished as the #1 search song for 2012.
Justin Bieber, who registered as the most searched Musician, had his hit “Boyfriend” come in at #3 for the year.
The top 10 includes:
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Rank |
Song |
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1 |
Psy – Gangnam Style |
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2 |
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe |
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3 |
Justin Bieber – Boyfriend |
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4 |
Gotye – Somebody that I used to know |
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5 |
Fun.- We Are Young |
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6 |
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful |
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7 |
Drake- The Motto |
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8 |
Maroon 5 Feat. Wiz Khalifa – Payphone |
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9 |
The Wanted- Glad You Came |
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10 |
Katy Perry- Part Of Me |
It’s no surprise that the catchy tunes from FUN. topped the list as the most searched videos on Bing in 2012. Other videos in the top five include Adele, Honey Boo Boo, Gangnam Style and Call Me Maybe.
Music-related viral videos rocked the list in 2012, beating out popular rants, sporting events and social media stars.
Video searches for activities like planking, flash mobs and horsemanning were big in 2011, but they were replaced by searches for music, reality tv stars and Olympic athletes in 2012.
American Idol continues to dominate when it comes to the small screen, as it came in as the #1 searched TV show for the second straight year.
And following suite, Dancing with the Stars finished #2 this year, just as it did in 2011.
After 40 years on air, The Young and the Restless stays strong jumps up four spots this year to #3.
Nearly 11 seasons on air hasn’t slowed down Family Guy, held steady from last year at #5.
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Rank |
TV Shows |
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1 |
American Idol |
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2 |
Dancing with the Stars |
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3 |
The Young and the Restless |
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4 |
The Walking Dead |
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5 |
Family Guy |
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6 |
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo |
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7 |
Glee |
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8 |
Vampire Diaries |
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9 |
The Bachelor |
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10 |
Game of Thrones |
Most Searched Daytime Talk Shows
Ellen Degeneres takes the top spot this year, overtaking last year’s top searched show Wendy Williams who fell to the number 5 spot this year.
Newcomer Bethenny Frankel makes a big splash this year coming in a close second behind Ellen.
Rachel Ray and Anderson Cooper rounded out the top five at #3 and #4 respectively.
The top 10 includes:
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Rank |
Daytime Talk Shows |
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1 |
Ellen DeGeneres |
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2 |
Bethenny Frankel |
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3 |
Rachael Ray |
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4 |
Anderson Cooper |
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5 |
The View |
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6 |
Dr. Oz Show |
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7 |
The Chew |
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8 |
Dr. Phil |
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9 |
The Talk |
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10 |
Kelly and Michael/ Live with Kelly |
Most Searched Fashion Designer or Label
The fashion industry was as competitive as ever in 2012, but Project Runway judge Michael Kors stood out from the competition as the most searched designer.
Louis Vuitton and Gucci remained strong in 2012 with returns to the top 10, coming in at #2 and #3 respectively.
Top 10 includes:
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Rank |
Fashion Designer or Label |
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1 |
Michael Kors |
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2 |
Louis Vuitton |
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3 |
Gucci |
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4 |
Ralph Lauren |
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5 |
J.Crew |
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6 |
Chanel |
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7 |
Prada |
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8 |
Juicy Couture |
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9 |
Burberry |
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10 |
Tory Burch |
Stealing the spotlight from Sin City, Los Angeles, the city of angels and home to Hollywood superstars captured the top spot this year as the most searched destination in the world.
While Paris has typically held the top spot amongst European destinations, London ruled the pack, moving out of the number two spot and into number one, as the London Olympics brought tourists, spectators and athletes from across the globe to the UK this summer.
The top searched destination in other regions of the world include:
o Asia = Hong Kong
o Africa = Johannesburg, South Africa
o Australia/New Zealand = Sydney, Australia
o Caribbean = Cancun, Mexico
o Europe = London, UK
o Middle East = Dubai, UAE
o South America = Salvador, Brazil
When it comes to holiday icons, no one looms as large as good ole’ St. Nick. And it showed as Santa Claus is the #1 searched holiday icon in 2012, narrowly edging out Elves for the top spot.
Apparently, we also all love a good villain. While the most frequently searched for holiday characters were typically do-gooders including Santa, Snowman, Rudolph, and Cindy Lou Who, Mr. Grinch came in at number four on the list. He might be as cuddly as a cactus, but he’s sure popular on the web.
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Rank |
Holiday Icons |
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1 |
Santa |
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2 |
Elf |
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3 |
Snowman |
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4 |
Grinch |
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5 |
Reindeer |
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6 |
Rudolph |
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7 |
Gingerbread Men |
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8 |
Jack Frost |
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9 |
Cindy Lou Who |
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10 |
Little Drummer Boy |
Other Interesting Search Data For the Year
Most Searched National Morning Shows: Not only did Good Morning America take over the number one spot in the ratings from the TODAY Show, but they also took over the number one topped search morning show for the year. Top five was rounded out by MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Fox & Friends and then CBS This Morning
Most Searched Economic Terms: With people still struggling with tight budgets and a growing number of money-saving sites to choose from, it’s no surprise that Groupon, coupons, deals and daily deals were among the top financial terms searched for in 2012. Other notable terms included real estate agent, loan and credit union, suggesting that buying and selling a home remains top of mind among consumers.
Most Searched Tech Apps: Social, music and games topped the list of most searched tech apps in 2012. Notably, Pandora was the number one most searched for app, with Words With Friends and I Heart Radio rounding out the top three.
Most Searched Charities: The YMCA remains the top most searched charitable organization for a second year in a row, with the Humane Society US, American Red Cross, SPCA and Habitat for Humanity rounding out the top 5.
Most Searched Standup Comedian: Funny ladies rule with Lisa Lampanelli as the most searched comic for 2012. Daniel Tosh, thanks to his highly successful show Tosh.0 and his recent controversy over certain comments came in at #2 and Kevin Hart, the host of the MTV Video Music Awards came in at #3. Robin Williams, Sarah Silverman, Bill Maher, Seth Macfarlane, Chris Rock, Azis Ansari and Jerry Seinfield rounded out the top 10 list respectively.
Most Searched Fast Food: Pizza Hut took home top honors for this year, which could have been largely fueled by their election debate stunt to have someone ask the candidates about their favorite pizza. Pizza proved to be the most popular type of fast food, with Papa John’s coming in at #2 and Domino’s finishing as the 7th most search restaurant chain. Subway, McDonald’s and Taco Bell rounded out the top 5.
Most Searched Holiday Food: When it comes to holiday feasting, Turkey is the top holiday food searched beating out other favorites like Apple Cider and Ham at #2 and #3. The top searched holiday sweet treats was Sugar Cookies, followed by Fudge and Gingerbread.
Most Searched Health & Wellness: Weight Watchers came out on top again this year as the most searched diet in 2012. The Paleo diet is also growing in popularity moving from number 45 in 2011 to number 9 in 2012. Yoga beat out weight lifting this year on the list of most searched workouts in 2012 and Jillian Michaels dominated as the most searched personal trainer of the year.
We hope you enjoyed our Bing Top Searches of 2012 report. Here’s to an incredible 2013!
– The Bing Team