Microsoft Advertising Blog

David Sable from Y&R on Best Bets for 2012 – #AdVision

Shelby Healy - MSFT — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:40:00 GMT

In this edition of AdVison, our very own Mel Carson looks into the crystal ball with Y&R’s David Sable on what to expect for 2012.

“Storytelling is getting much more important,” Sable said. With the increasing number of advertising channels entering the market so rapidly, advertisers must now carefully consider how to captivate their audiences without getting lost in the shuffle.

Listen in on what Sable has to say on the return to great storytelling and how you can begin penning your own great brand narrative destined for a happy ending:

Also, be sure to bring your storytelling magic to the first ever Microsoft Advertising Story Awards, where you can win a VIP trip to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Need even more inspiration? Be sure to visit our brand new advertising site chock full of case stories, research and more!

Stay Curious, Storytellers!

Shelby Healy – Microsoft Advertising

MSN Lifestyle has Transformed into MSN Living!

Gabriela Bayardo - MSFT — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:20:00 GMT

You know how it is with a new look – sometimes you need to shake things up a little. That’s what we’ve done at MSN ~~Lifestyle~~ Living. Not only have we updated our name, we’ve got a vibrant new look with larger imagery for deeper user engagement, new social tools for our highly social audience and more timely, targeted content. This transformation makes MSN Living the freshest face in the MSN portfolio of sites. Check out the new site today with this slideshow and contact us for advertising opportunities.

Guess what else? With MSN Living you can connect with 8.1 million people who aren’t on iVillage.com: The Women’s Network, Sheknows, Yahoo! Shine and AOL Lifestyle.₂ The MSN Living audience spends more money online than the audience of our competition (12% more money online than the AOL Lifestyle audience and 20% more than the Shine audience).₁ Our audience also spends more time on our site with more minutes per visitor than iVillage.com: The Women’s Network and Sheknows and more visits per user than Shine and iVillage.com: The Women’s Network.₁

We’ve created more powerful tools for you to reach and engage with our audience of over 8.7M₁ users.₁ The new scroll-initiated ad offering keeps your message with the scrolling user, the new Sliver ad snags attention right up front and the Interstitial ad displays in galleries where users are held captive by interesting content. Try adding Postbox in your sponsorship to integrate your brand where users are connecting socially.

When you put it all together, MSN Living’s new look is turning heads. Get more details (Sponsorships! Custom branding options! Rich media!) at http://advertising.microsoft.com/living and join the excitement.

Gabriela Bayardo - Sr. Brand Marketing Manager at Microsoft Advertising

1. comScore Media Metrix December 2011, 2. comScore Media Metrix November 2011

Challenging Global Marketers and Agencies to be Storytellers and Win a trip to Cannes!

Richard Dunmall - MSFT — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:43:00 GMT

Microsoft Advertising is inviting brand marketers and advertising agencies from across 30 countries to submit their most creative and innovative ideas to help drive a brand or nonprofit organization’s story forward. Right in time for TV and movie awards season, we’re launching the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards also known as “The MSAs”. Global winners of each category (a brand and a nonprofit) will be selected and awarded with an exclusive trip to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2012 to be Microsoft Advertising’s VIP guests for one full week!

Unlike other award competitions, this one won’t focus on work that’s already been executed. Instead, this contest will be a true measure of marketers’ acumen, pushing them to develop forward looking ideas using Microsoft’s advertising technology and solutions – across MSN, Mobile, Windows Live, Xbox, Messenger, etc. – to solve real marketing challenges.

And we have the best and brightest rating the work. David Sable, Global CEO, Y&R will chair the global judging committee. Other judges are being confirmed for the global and local panels – stay tuned.

Here’s what the judges will be looking for from entrants:

· A digital media solution and creative idea for the brand or nonprofit of their choice

· The key business challenge being addressed for the 2012 or 2013 calendar year

· Campaign submissions will be weighted among the following criteria: overall strength of idea, most innovative use of Microsoft Advertising solutions, creative impact and how it could be measured

· The deadline for all submissions is March 31, 2012. Local winners will be announced in April and global winners will be announced in June.

We’ve also created a short video starring actor, writer and producer Felicia Day of ‘The Guild’ web series fame to tell our own story and give you some inspiration. Take a look and get your creative juices flowing. We can’t wait to see the ideas you come up with. Click on our contest page for entry guidelines and full details on how to submit.

Good luck to you all – hope to see you in Cannes!

Richard Dunmall - VP of Global Agencies and Accounts, Microsoft Advertising

Look to the Stars: Microsoft’s IAB Rising Stars Successes

Jennifer Creegan - MSFT — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:35:00 GMT

As I reflect back on 2011, there are a number of successes I am incredibly proud of, including: two of our formats being selected for the IAB Rising Stars awards; the announcement of our intent with “Polymorphic” ads; we let the market know that Windows 8 will support advertising-in-applications; and last but not least, our views on the changing tide of social advertising and how brands are shifting the way they think about using social as an advertising medium. Each of these efforts are examples of how Microsoft Advertising is committed to making it easier for brands to launch digital ad campaigns at scale while also giving creatives new and powerful canvases upon which to tell their stories.

As part of that commitment, Microsoft Advertising was one of the first publishers to adopt all six IAB Rising Star Solutions and implement them across our display properties in the U.S. before the end of 2011. This meets the goal I laid out at Ad Week last year, and our commitment goes well beyond the U.S. I am very proud of the fact we’ve made the Rising Stars Solutions available in 42 markets worldwide and implemented well over 100 executions around the globe. Here’s a great example of the IAB Filmstrip ad in action in France:

“Lancôme represents elegance and beauty. We needed an online ad format that would live up to this brand promise and invite user engagement. The Filmstrip did just that, with its elegant interface of large, sliding panels.” Virginie Gerin , Digital and CRM Director at Lancôme France

In addition to launching all six IAB Rising Stars Solutions we have worked alongside multiple partners to implement the IAB Filmstrip that we developed, and are very encouraged by its broad adoption. To date, we’ve run dozens of IAB Filmstrips, including executions for Jaguar in Ireland, Alfa Romeo in Italy, Disney in the U.S., Audi in Germany, and Ford in the U.K. The Filmstrip has broad appeal across multiple verticals; we’ve seen executions for autos, retail, personal care, technology, and entertainment. To aid with adoption, we have provided key pieces of code to help the industry build an IAB Filmstrip (available here). We are thrilled to see advertisers like Mercedes and Botega Venetta run the Filmstrip on publishers like CNN and NY Magazine, and look forward to seeing many others in the coming weeks and months.

Even with the positive adoption figures, we fully understand that ROI and performance metrics will be important in order to continue the Rising Stars momentum. We’re currently collaborating with the IAB and IPG Media labs on research that will use biometrics (i.e., eye tracking) to track the impact of the IAB Rising Stars ad units versus standard ad units; the results will be revealed at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting .

And if you attend the IAB conference, be sure to keep an eye out for the IAB Rising Stars Creative Showcase. We’re partnering with Crispin Porter + Bogusky to develop a really spectacular campaign that will utilize the IAB Filmstrip as the primary ad format. I look forward to what the other IAB Rising Stars creators will submit to the showcase as well.

As for me, my next stop is Social Media Week in NYC this coming February 14^th. I’ll talk about Microsoft’s vision for Social Advertising and how we’re bringing consumers and brands closer together in a differentiated way using social as a tool. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign up here. As always, if there are questions please let me know in the comments section. I look forward to sharing more of our positive momentum soon.

Thank you!

Jennifer Creegan, General Manager of Brand Advertising

The Best of Mobile in 2011: Intel’s ‘The Chase’

David Pugh-Jones - MSFT — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:54:32 GMT

This year we’ll be talking a lot about mobile, and personally I’m excited about all of the innovative advertising solutions we’ll deliver for our clients via the mobile channel over the course of the next 12 months. In anticipation, I took a look back on some previous campaigns we’ve driven that effectively integrated mobile platforms and Intel – ‘The Chase’ – stands out to me as a fantastic example.

Intel wanted to launch a digital campaign that would increase its brand awareness and promote the incredible power of its new Core i5 processors. We can't see these processors, since they are embedded in our PCs, but they are in fact the backbone of these remarkable machines that we use everyday. The question was: how could Intel make these processors, which seem unfamiliar or even boring, come to life and really convey to the average consumer the possibilities they create? How do you build excitement around something that's, well, invisible?
The solution: immersing the consumer in an action-packed chase across PC programmes. A heroine outwitting two thugs trailing her through YouTube, Facebook, and Microsoft Office, all the while demonstrating the amazing things Intel's processor lets us do on our computers. The two-minute video was a big hit and was named an ‘Ad Worth Spreading’ by TED that you can watch here.

Following on the success of the video, Intel partnered with Microsoft Advertising to take elements of its creative and continue ‘The Chase’ on a global scale across Microsoft platforms--spanning mobile, web and Xbox Live, and covering the UK, Germany, France, Russia, Poland and Turkey. To make this phase of the campaign a truly engaging experience, we kicked off with a 24 hour bespoke HPTO across MSN sites, created 1-on-1 games on Windows Live Messenger, and offered Intel theme packs for Xbox Live Spotlight users. And importantly, we extended ‘The Chase’ experience to handheld devices with the use of expandable rich media.

The campaign was a great success for Intel. Research conducted by Dynamic Logic across the UK, Germany and Russia showed uplifts in the campaign association for the brand across all markets, with the highest spike seen in Russia. The campaign also boosted Intel Core i5 processor awareness, particularly amongst the Windows Live Messenger audience, which saw a 21 per cent increase. We were able to help Intel, a giant company that makes products people don't necessarily touch or see, bring its brand story to life.
By creating a branded experience with rich, interactive content across multiple markets and screens, we really demonstrated what Microsoft Advertising's unique offering is all about. In a way, today's consumer is like our heroine jumping effortlessly from screen to screen--our task as digital advertisers is to engage them holistically and tell a good story in the process.

David Pugh-Jones, Brand Strategist, Microsoft Advertising

pubCenter Expands Internationally to Seven New Markets!

Avi Sagiv - MSFT — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:02:00 GMT

It is our priority to provide developers around the globe an opportunity to make money using the Microsoft Advertising Solution and today we are happy to announce we are expanding our solution into seven new countries in late February, 2012 (updated from previous communication): Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Mexico, Sweden, and Switzerland. Now, developers from nineteen countries (full list below) can make money by taking advantage of Microsoft’s Advertising solution for mobile developers.

Our solution includes ad controls that are built right into the Windows Phone SDK; combined with pubCenter’s self-serve sign-up, reporting and automated payouts, we ensure a seamless experience. After your app goes live in the marketplace and users start to use it, you can watch your revenue grow.

Developers will need to provide account information into pubCenter required for payment. Once advertising revenue reaches the minimum amount required for payout (see table below), and the developer has completed the steps necessary for payment, Microsoft will start sending money their way.

The Microsoft Advertising solution for Windows Phone apps has been shown to make more money for developers than other solutions in the market… up to 71% more in a recent study!

Here are three easy steps to get started:

Have questions? Check out the Microsoft Advertising Forum. To send us feedback and have your voice heard, please contact psupport@microsoft.com (English only)

Thank you from Microsoft Advertising.

Avi Sagiv

Coca-Cola’s Jonathan Mildenhall on Advertising Innovation and #Creativity – #AdVision

Shelby Healy - MSFT — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:42:00 GMT

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to work in advertising. There was something so exciting and alluring about creating an ad that made people actually feel something. I had to be a part of that. I imagined myself creating one of those brilliant spots running during the Superbowl or being part of the team that made it happen. I wanted to bring the world the next “Herding Cats” or create thirty seconds of something so memorable, it would become part of our regular conversation like McDonald’s “The Shootout.” (“Over the second rafter, off the floor, nothing but net.” If you ever played basketball, you know you said this at least once). Coca-Cola knows exactly how it feels to be the advertising great I had dreamed of. In 1979, it aired “Mean Joe Green” that to this day remains in the top Superbowl ads of all time.

When we had a chance to interview Johnathan Mildenhall, VP, Global Advertising Strategy & Content Excellence for The Coca-Cola Co. at Advertising Week, I couldn’t wait take a peek into how such a huge global brand develops these campaigns and how they plan on transforming the user experience in the future. Take a look at what Jonathan Mildenhall had to say on innovation, creativity and so much more just after he took the stage at IAB MIXX:

There are many useful marketing tidbits in the interview, but my favorite part? “I think it’s really, really important that everybody feels very, very comfortable with change and very comfortable with innovation.”

I don’t know about you, but that statement alone gets me excited to see how Coca-Cola will be integrating new technology with advertising to bring us creative, all-new experiences in the future. More interactive ads on Xbox? Connected experiences with our TVs and PCs? We’ll have to wait and see, but you can believe I’ll be glued to the TV and sharing the videos online come February 5. How about you?

Stay Curious!

Shelby Healy – Microsoft Advertising

Video: Curt Hecht from VivaKi on Advertising with Microsoft in 2012

Mel Carson - MSFT — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:57:22 GMT

Along with our well-watched interview with Sir Martin Sorrell, we captured other delightful digital insight from a number of industry luminaries at CES 2012.

In this clip we talked to Curt Hecht from VivaKi, who gives his thoughts on how his teams approach advertising with Microsoft and what they’ll be looking to capitalise on in 2012.

Adore his comment on advertisers loving “sight, sound and motion”!

Watch on and let us know your thoughts!

More soon…….

Cheers

Mel Carson – Digital Marketing Evangelist

UK Finance Trends and Digital Opportunities

Lucinda Johnson - MSFT — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:52:18 GMT

UK Finance Trends and Digital Opportunities

With consumer confidence remaining at all-time lows, and negative perceptions of the high street banks, (45%* feel banks have lost touch with their customers) finance brands in the UK are under increasing pressure to rebuild relationships with the public.

Although times are hard, there is a real opportunity to engage with an audience who sees little differentiation in this marketplace (62%* agree that “most high street banks are pretty much the same as each other).

Finance brands need to rebuild brand confidence and create greater client engagement opportunities (43% of 16-24 year olds want to build a relationship with their bank*)

With consumers increasingly interested in their finances, we know that the internet provides them with a wealth of information. 69% of all adults say that the internet is the first place they look when they seek financial information.

Finance brands should consider the following digital opportunities to help rebuild brands and re-engage with their consumers:

1. Brand building with creative Channel Takeovers: To build brands you need to reach large audiences and with the MSN UK homepage having almost 19 million visitors per month (44% of the total Internet population**) you can do just that in a cost effective way. In two months more people visit the MSN Homepage than fly out of Gatwick Airport in a year!

Gone are the days of the humble banner ad format. MSN UK has recently launched several new creative ad formats including the award winning Filmstrip, a brilliant format that encourages deep levels of engagement in a very intuitive style with 5 separate panels that the user can scroll through to explore all different types of content.

The billboard, a huge canvas that sits as not only the largest image on the MSN homepage but also the first image a user will see, sitting above the editorial content, just below our site navigation bar, offering a perfect extension of any large format offline campaigns, in particular outdoor and press.

The 3D Cube combines the impact of a rich media homepage takeover with heightened engagement and interactivity through a user-initiated experience. Six panels showcasing a range of rich media content ensure that the 3D Cube combines a high-impact brand showcase with the opportunity for in-depth messaging.

Introducing the brand new MSN iPad app

Leena Shah - MSFT — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:13:33 GMT

The iPad app follows hot on the heels of MSN's first Xbox app, released last December.

What's in the MSN app?

The MSN app for iPad presents the same exclusive and original content as found on the new-look MSN UK.

It’s easy to find what you want with stories being split into six main channels: News, Sport, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Cars and Video. You'll also find our pick of the day's best features' in Editor's Picks.

In the News channel you can find all of the latest-breaking UK and world news, as well as the web's oddest news stories.
The Sport channel contains all of the latest happenings in the world of football, rugby, cricket, Formula One and more.
If you like Entertainment, you will find a wealth of TV, movies, music and celebrity gossip here.
MSN’s award-winning MSN Cars channel has everything for the motoring enthusiast, with comprehensive buyers' guides, car reviews and used car listings.
Lifestyle is the place to go to find everything you need to know to look good and feel great; it also includes expert insight into Tech & Gadgets, Food, Travel and Money.
MSN's Video hub includes a bumper-crop of classic TV shows and the web's funniest viral videos.

Search the MSN app with Bing
Just like its desktop counterpart, the MSN iPad app uses Bing to search the web. The Bing search box can be found at the top of your screen. To perform a search just tap into the Bing search box located at the top of the app. Don't worry about having to exit the app, Bing will perform a web search without leaving the app - just hit 'search' on the keyboard to begin. When you're done, tap the blue 'Done' button to close the search window.

How do I get it?

The MSN iPad app is available to download now, for free. You can easily install iPad apps using either iTunes (on your PC/Mac) or through the iPad App Store on your iPad.

iPad:Make sure you have turned on WiFi or have 3G enabled. Click on the App Store icon from your iPad home screen. Search for "MSN iPad".
iTunes: Open iTunes on your PC/Mac. Select the 'iTunes Store' from the menu on the left - it's underneath 'Store'. Click on the App Store tab. There are buttons for both iPad and iPhone apps, to see apps specifically available for the iPad click on the iPad button.

Happy viewing!

Online Privacy and Safety Center - Continuing Our Commitment to Transparency and Control for Consumers

Ying Li - MSFT — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Today, in recognition of the forthcoming Data Privacy Day on January 28th and in celebration of the ten-year anniversary of the Trustworthy Computing initiative at Microsoft, the Online Services Division (OSD) is unveiling its Online Privacy and Safety Center. The Center describes the privacy features of the groups that make up OSD – Bing, MSN, and Microsoft Advertising and provides information about OSD’s privacy practices and principles. It also has an explanation of the Online Advertising Industry’s self-regulatory program for behavioral advertising. Our intention is to provide our users with increased transparency and control while using the Internet.

Today’s announcement is one step in our ongoing efforts to provide transparency when it comes to online privacy and provide education opportunities for consumers and their families. Earlier steps included the launch of the OSD privacy portal at https://choice.live.com/ in early 2010. The goal of the portal was to provide consumers with informative videos and useful content about privacy, online advertising and to show how consumers could opt-out of behavioral advertising. In early 2010, we also launched a beta version of our advertising interest manager to give consumers a central location to manage settings for personalizing their online advertising experience. At that time, Microsoft was the first company to permit consumers to protect access to their interest settings and provide access from any computer using their Windows Live™ ID. This was also the first interest manager to provide the ability for consumers to express their advertising dislikes.

Later in 2011, OSD launched another interesting product, our Personal Data Dashboard. The dashboard permits consumers to view and manage some of their online personal information associated with selected Microsoft services. We continue to improve upon the dashboard giving consumers greater transparency and control over their online data from a central location.

Microsoft OSD is proud of what we have accomplished to this point and we are focused on continuing to provide our users with the best tools and information so they can manage their online privacy and feel safe while experiencing all of the wonders that are available on the internet.

Ying Li - Partner Engineering Manager, Online Service Division Privacy and Ads Technology Security and Compliance

Maria Luisa Francoli of MPG on Connecting with Consumers – #AdVision

Shelby Healy - MSFT — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:02:50 GMT

In our latest AdVision installment, we talk to Maria Luisa Francoli, Global CEO of MPG about the importance of storytelling for brands and connecting with consumers across platforms.

As a longtime Microsoft Advertising partner, Maria Luisa finds value with the relationship as Microsoft has been valuable in terms of “developing new ideas, sharing new experience and delivering value to our clients.”

Watch the video below to find out how she has leveraged the relationship with Microsoft and created relevant experiences for consumers using Microsoft technologies.

Looking for more insight on upcoming technology and how it can impact your business? Visit our entire series of AdVision videos here.

Stay Curious!

Shelby Healy – Microsoft Advertising

The Search for Incredible Comes to an End at Sundance Film Festival

David Pugh-Jones - MSFT — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:26:00 GMT

This week, amid the Hollywood glitz and glamour of Sundance, the world-renowned independent film festival in Park City, Utah, there is one incredible screening that I cannot wait to attend.

A few months ago I announced the global launch of the ‘In Search of Incredible’ campaign that Intel, ASUS and Microsoft Advertising partnered to create. This campaign was designed specifically to amplify the official ‘insearchofincredible’ brand experience that promotes ASUS’ new N5 laptop. With their lightening fast Intel i-5 processor and unparalleled audio technology by Bang & Olufsen, these devices are made for the adventurous and imaginative, those who seek to be captivated and amazed—in other words, people who are looking for incredible experiences. (For more information, check out my announcement and the campaign itself).

So Microsoft Advertising designed a bespoke digital campaign complimenting the official site that spanned mobile, web and Xbox Live and took consumers in 16 markets on a global journey ‘In Search of Incredible’. Finding and celebrating the most amazing stories on earth—that’s no small undertaking.

The adventure began by engaging viewers with original branded content on the campaign website, which was promoted across a range of Microsoft platforms: MSN, Xbox, mobile and Windows 7 themes. On the campaign site, viewers could explore extraordinary sights and sounds from around the world with singer and filmmaker Jason Mraz, who shared his most incredible places to sing; enjoy celebrity interview-based features that were released throughout the campaign; and peruse galleries of awe-inspiring images by the great photographer Don McCullin.

But of course, those who seek the incredible would not be content just watching or reading about other people’s experiences. They would want to tell their own stories, and this campaign encouraged them to do just that. Inspired by the spirit of the campaign, people from all around the world submitted their most incredible moments, whether they were stories, sights, sounds, or something they created. In the final instalment of the campaign, ASUS and Intel invited the creator of the most standout entry to develop their idea into a film, with the help of a professional film crew and acclaimed director Asif Kapadia of SENNA fame.

This week, the finished product will be screened at an exclusive Sundance event at the Bing Bar in Sundance. Guests will be invited to view the film and enjoy a special appearance/60 minute set by Jason Mraz streamed live onto the facebook pages of Bing, In Search of Incredible, Intel, ASUS and of course Jason Mraz’s with an accumulated reach of over 15 million fans! And of course the creator of the winning film will be there to experience it all.

As we wrap up the final phase of this campaign I feel proud of the work we have delivered for Intel and ASUS, as well as the close working relationship we have with both Digitas, the campaigns creative agency and the media agency for ASUS and Intel, ZenithOptimedia Worldwide. The campaign demonstrates some of the key resources that make Microsoft Advertising a unique partner for marketers: original branded content by our Global Creative Solutions team that engages consumers across screens; hubs on Xbox and MSN that connect with target audiences; and our core integration with Bing. But perhaps most of all I feel inspired by all of the incredible things I have seen along the journey—and inspiration is always the basis of good storytelling.

David Pugh-Jones, Brand Strategist, Microsoft Advertising

More Famous Faces Get Involved with Hyundai’s New Thinker’s Index

Jonathan Oliver - MSFT — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:17:00 GMT

Since launching at the beginning of last November we’ve had a fantastic response to our new campaign for Hyundai Motor Co., the New Thinker’s Index. It’s a multi-screen, multi-market campaign that lets consumers discover and share how new thinkers are shaping the future by taking a fun, online interactive test, before sharing and comparing their results with family, friends and celebrities.

Thousands of people across the seven participating markets have become part of the community by taking the test and we’ve had lots of interaction with the questions asked on the NTI Facebook page. Such success provides proof that ground breaking branded content experience such as NTI have really captured the hearts and minds of the community, with the Index is constantly growing and evolving through users’ socialisation.

Since we launched the New Thinker’s Index this year we are continuing to work with some of the best talent in the world creating 22 short films that bring to life the very essence of the campaign. It is great to see our celebrities deconstruct the way they would traditionally approach things in order to succeed in the challenges we have set them, and then, find out what type of thinkers they actually are, after taking the test.

After the first batch of these films,featuring Hollywood actors Kevin Spacey and Joseph Fiennes, and entrepreneur and record-breaker Richard Noble was well received we have now launched the 2^nd wave of episodes

‘Fancy Footwork’ sees legendary former England and Arsenal footballer – and my boyhood hero – Ian Wright swap his boots for dance shoes as he directs a group of performers in a short film exploring the common ground that exists between football , dance and other street freestyle moves. The episode sees tap, capoeira, gymnasts, break and street dancers come together with Ian to combine their disciplines with football skills. These carefully crafted sequences create a unique film showcasing the symmetry between these worlds to a backdrop of unique track produced by Lewi specifically for the film.

Continuing the sporting theme, we’ve also got golfers Richie Ramsey & James Morrison, who are challenged to think differently about a round of golf, using innovative new clubs and balls to get round a course. In other topics, English model and actress Lily Cole is asked to examine a new way of thinking about perfection, whilst Hong Kong’s TV star chef Alvin Leung is challenged in the kitchen as the Demon Chef!

The final new video features British catwalk model and self-confessed speed freak Jodie Kidd, who takes on former Top Gear ‘Stig’ and champion racing driver Ben Collins in a short film that pits the two petrol heads against each other for the title of most fuel efficient driver. Entitled ‘The Big Green Race’, the film twists a traditional race by awarding victory to the driver that manages to use the least fuel throughout. The task really forces both celebrities to think differently, sacrificing the need for speed in favour of economic fuel use. Can you guess who can change their thinking most effectively to take pole position?

To watch the new videos and take the test for yourself head over to The New Thinkers Index, or join the growing community interacting on the Facebook page. Also, don’t forget to keep checking back for new celebrity episodes released over the next few months, we’ve got some A-List stars still waiting in the wings

Thanks,

Jonathan Oliver, Senior Digital Strategist, Creative Solutions, Microsoft Advertising

Observations from CES: Advertisers are Hungry for Help Telling Their Story

Frank Holland - MSFT — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:32:00 GMT

Having just returned from my first CES, I want to share some of my key observations from an advertising perspective. First and foremost, I was struck most by the incredible density of both brand clients and agency partners in attendance. Marketers and advertisers are hungry to understand how technology can help them tell their story with more consumers. In addition:

1. The attendees were a who’s who of brand marketers rarely seen together outside of the Cannes Lions Festival. The discussions I was involved in centered on Microsoft Advertisings unique ability to reach consumers across virtually any screen, whether on MSN, Windows Live or Xbox, or connecting with them while they are searching, browsing, watching or buying.

2. As Steve Ballmer showcased in the opening keynote, Microsoft is bringing together all the technology consumers love – simply and magically, like the two-way interaction with Kinect. As one client said, “If touch is like magic, Kinect is like a miracle.”

3. The Windows 8 Metro UI will offer a variety of advertising formats, from basic text ads to rich and immersive new advertising experiences that give customers the power, the mobility, and the familiarity to effortlessly move between, not only what they want to do, but what they need to do.

Overall, there is no question advertisers are hungry for interplay across the phone, PC, tablets, and console to tell their brand story. The ad solutions Microsoft Advertising offers and the campaigns we help build people engage with our technology across virtually any screen and device.

2012 is going to be an exciting time for advertisers and marketers working with Microsoft.

Frank