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CNet raises the question that Google may be losing its coolness after popular nighttime soap "The O.C." plugged Amazon's A9 in a recent episode.

...instead of using the well-worn phrase "I Googled it," like leagues of others. "I A9.com'd him last night, and according to the O.C. Weekly, he's pretty much everything that's wrong with Western civilization," one of the cast members said to another on Thursday night's episode.

A9 Chief Udi Manber claimed the company didn't pay for the plug. I don't think Google has too much to worry about, "Google it" trips off the tongue just a little easier than "A9.com it".

CNet continued ...

"Western civilization (the media) has pretty much been obsessed with Google in recent years, making it a household name and a verb for Web research on anything from shopping to prospective dates. But apparently in hipper echelons of entertainment and media, there's a new game in town. In testament to that notion, A9, which launched in September with a more personalized approach to Web search, said it did not pay to have its name mentioned on "The O.C."

"We didn't even know it was going to air," A9 Chief Udi Manber said. But "it shows people like...A9...and that they are telling their friends and family.""

Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world's most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.

You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.