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Sneak Peek: Microsoft Showcasing Experiences That Go Beyond at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Frank Holland - MSFT — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:00:00 GMT

The following was originally published on The Official Microsoft Blog.

Over seven days in June each year, the advertising industry comes together at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to learn from the best and celebrate work that is changing the marketing landscape. Celebrating its 60th year, Cannes Lions 2013 is expected to be the largest ever with at least 11,000 delegates attending from more than 90 countries. We have been a proud sponsor of the Festival and the Cyber Lions Awards for the past 12 years and will have a strong presence at the event again this year, which starts on Sunday, June 16.

Throughout the week, people will be asking what the next advertising technology or platform will be and how to leverage the current ones. As you will see and hear from us at Cannes Lions, our vision for digital advertising goes beyond just products and specific technologies, trends and tactics. It is truly about putting the consumer experience at the center of everything we do.

We invite Festival delegates to do the same by going beyond… beyond advertising, beyond insights, beyond technology to explore the advertising experiences people want, on platforms they love. We are focused on exploring and creating experiences that matter to people, regardless of channel or device.

To give you a taste of what this means, here is a sneak peek of what we will be sharing during the Festival:

News on June 18 about the second stage of a journey we began at Cannes last year, with a new round of Co-Ideation with agencies, brands and publishers on advertising experiences. We’re eager to show some new and exciting concepts that push the boundaries of innovation and creativity. We also will be sharing Ads in Apps for Windows 8 momentum news—including a new ad format and effectiveness research results.

An on-stage session on June 19 by Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing and strategy for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, on “Beyond the Device: How Entertainment is Becoming More Personal.” On the heels of the Xbox Oneannouncement last month, Yusuf will talk about how entertainment and advertising are evolving on Xbox and showcasing innovative experiences that engage consumers.

A discussion entitled “Beyond Technology: Designing for People” on June 19 with Bill Buxton, principal researcher at Microsoft Research, and Stephen Kim, vice president of global agencies and accounts and Yarn (our team that partners with leading creative agencies on next generation ad experiences and delivers them at scale).

Also on June 19, news about a new Consumer Co-Creationproject featuring input from people across Europe and the U.S. on ideal online engagement and advertising experiences. The results will be shared during a news briefing that morning.

If you will be joining us at Cannes, please stop by the Microsoft Lounge (on Level 1 of the Palais des Festivals), which will be open to all Festival delegates for the entire week. At the lounge, attendees can explore how consumers are interacting with devices and how advertisers can use this knowledge to better connect with people. Grounded in our latest research, the lounge will take delegates on a journey through a consumer’s day – from the functionality of Windows 8, across a range of devices, to home entertainment provided through Xbox.

For those of you not able to join us at Cannes Lions, I encourage you to keep an eye on the Microsoft Advertising site for Cannes and Microsoft News Center for all of the latest stories from us at the Festival. Finally, you are welcome to follow us on Twitter (using #MSACannes) and Facebook.

Stay tuned for more!

Microsoft and Nielsen Collaborate On Research to Test Windows 8 In-App Ads Effectiveness

Natasha Hritzuk - MSFT — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:00:00 GMT

As an industry, we spend a lot of time talking about native advertising and building better user experiences. Ads that are intrusive, inauthentic or not useful are not going to make consumers feel closer to or better about a brand. So, the big question is, how can digital advertisers deliver more compelling, contextual and meaningful ad experiences? To begin with, Microsoft believes the industry needs to shift from a marketer and device centric view to one that genuinely puts consumers first.

At Microsoft Advertising, our intent is to put consumer needs and motivations at the center of every ad experience we deliver. Core to doing this is going beyond tracking what people do to unearthing the why driving their behavior. We have also realized that a consumer-first approach to advertising requires putting in place a rigorous test and learn program to assess ad experiences directly with consumers and optimize on the back of what they tell us. Considering that Ads in Apps for Windows 8 are so new, we saw these as a perfect opportunity to test and learn early in the development phase.

To ensure Windows 8 creates meaningful connections between consumers and brands with in-app ads, we recently collaborated with Nielsen to run two studies. The first kicked off a dialogue with consumers at Nielsen’s MediaLabs to gather in-the-moment feedback on the Windows 8 ad experience. But, we want to go deeper – and figured why not match an innovative new ad experience with an innovative research approach? So, for the second phase, we used Nielsen’s NeuroFocus approach to actually measure brain impulses that gauge consumers’ subconscious reactions to Windows 8 ads. Here is a video highlighting what we did:

What we love about the NeuroFocus approach is that we can actually see how engaged consumers are with the Windows 8 in-app ads, and whether the ads are triggering an emotional reaction. It’s pretty exciting to be able to move beyond just asking people what they think of the ad (i.e. is it engaging? Attractive? Interesting? Does it make you want to buy something?) to checking actual brain responses. Self-reported responses are not always very enlightening or accurate. But the brain impulse responses were very illuminating.

So, what did we learn about the effectiveness of Ads in Apps for Windows 8 from people? The most interesting result from my perspective is that brands advertised in Windows 8 apps experienced a halo effect, e.g. advertising on Windows 8 drives perceptions that the advertised brands are more interesting, innovative and compelling because they are being showcased in a new, interesting ad platform. The unique design approach of Windows 8, which allows for an immersive app experience, while being non-intrusive is a key driver of that. Other findings included:

- Windows 8 is an effective platform for digital advertising: consumers exposed to Ads in Apps shift their perceptions of the advertised brand, and we see bumps in brand familiarity, affinity and purchase consideration.

- The Ads in Apps campaigns are seen as contextually relevant to adjacent content – and this drives positive brand recall in a meaningful, non-intrusive way. The flip side to delivering seamless contextual content is that it can take a while for consumer to actually spot the ad. This is a great learning for us – and we need to explore creative tactics to call attention to the ad without sacrificing the non-intrusive experience.

We will be taking these learnings into consideration as we continue to evolve our advertising experiences to put the consumer first. Expect more details from these studies over the next month as we share updates on Ads in Apps for Windows 8 at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Stay tuned for more insights as we continue to roll out our test and learn approach.

Thanks!

Natasha Hritzuk

Microsoft Advertising Announces New Ad Format for Outlook.com

Jennifer Creegan - MSFT — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

In February, Outlook.com came out of preview with more than 60 million consumers actively using the new e-mail service, making it the fastest growing e-mail service in history. The new e-mail service from Microsoft is optimized for modern browsers and devices, with a sleek interface and powerful, innovative features. Given its rapid rate of adoption, it’s clear that the fresh and intuitive design of Outlook.com hits the mark with consumers. Similarly, we have applied our consumer-first design philosophy when creating fresh advertising experiences in Outlook.com.

In keeping with that philosophy, today I am happy to announce the availability of versaTiles in Outlook.com.

The new advertising format – currently being sold in Brazil and the US, with availability in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK coming soon – consists of flexible sized tile strips that give brands the opportunity to engage in deep storytelling. They’re built with the same modern design philosophy to ensure people using Outlook.com have a great experience and see ads in places that can enrich their mail experience, not deter from it.

versaTiles also provide a valuable surface area for advertisers to deliver relevant content in scenarios where people expect and look for commercial content. Currently, versaTiles offers advertisers three customizable templates to choose from to help tailor ads to meet specific campaign objectives. But first, here is what versaTiles look like:

As I mentioned above, we have created ads experience that we believe will fit any advertisers’ needs – no matter what vertical. Here is a list of the three customizable templates versaTiles currently offers advertisers:

Online Retailer: Allows the advertiser to capture consumers’ attention, and showcase a product or a service, and then connect the consumer to the advertiser’s online distributors. From a consumer standpoint, this template enables them to locate brick and mortar retail outlets in their area, alongside viewing and discovering product or service details within the tile experience.
Media Showcase: Gives a unique ad experience to get a brand’s message conveyed by using a combination of video, image galleries and text. The template is applicable to multiple verticals aiming at building awareness and consumer engagement.
Catalogue: Applies to campaigns that feature multiple products. The first tile shows the theme of the campaign and the others feature different products in an engaging way to build consumer interest to learn more.

As you can see from the above, a versaTiles strip consists of four or five tiles that sit along the right side of the Outlook.com page. versaTiles help put the consumer in the driver seat by offering three different ways to engage with the ad, including:

Default state (below left image): Consumers see the Default state as they login to Outlook.com. For example, an advertiser can choose to render displaying the tiles with their logo in the top tile and text with more information in the subsequent tiles.
Hover state (below middle image): Consumers can view more in-depth information and see additional images/information if they hover over the tiles.
Click state (below right image): Consumers will only see each tile’s Click state if they click on that tile. The ad content will then expand to the left to show different creative elements and brand messaging depending on the ad template chosen by the advertiser.

versaTiles are another example of how Microsoft Advertising continues to deliver innovative, rich advertising experiences for advertisers to creatively tell their brand stories, while providing the best experience possible for consumers.

Jennifer Creegan – General Manager for Display Advertising Experiences at Microsoft Advertising.

New Microsoft Advertising Study: Consumer Experience is the New ‘Crown Prince’

Natasha Hritzuk - MSFT — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:00:00 GMT

As a busy, working mom I have no choice but to multi-task every day, and multiple devices such as my PC, Surface Pro and mobile phone help me get the tasks I need done so I can spend more time with my 3-year old daughter.

Like me, most people are multi-tasking throughout their day and we wanted to dive deeper into the consumer motivations behind why they use multiple screens. In our new study, called Cross-Screen Engagement, we found that while the era of ‘Content is King’ isn’t over per se, there is a new ‘Crown Prince’ coming on the scene: consumer experience. While marketers once generated content to fit manufactured and static advertising placements, consumers now control their own flow of content—from day to night, and from screens large and small. So it’s even more imperative that marketers understand consumer motivations in order to meet them in their moment.

We partnered with Flamingo Research and Ipsos OTX to recruit consumers across five markets— including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the UK and the US— to learn more about why consumers are using multiple devices and to understand the motivations that drive simultaneous or sequential usage across screens, and the opportunities for marketers.

Our study identifies that consumers typically follow four multi-screening pathways:

Content Grazing: This is the most common pathway 68 percent of consumers Content Grazing. This occurs when consumers use two or more screens simultaneously to access unrelated content; for example, watching a show on TV while at the same time checking email on your PC and texting a friend on your mobile phone.
Investigative Spider-Webbing: This is the second most common multi-screening pathway with 57 percent of consumers in this category. It’s a simultaneous path where consumers embark on a content driven investigation across devices at the same time, either to gather more information or for pure exploration. For example this could consist of watching a movie on the TV and looking up what other movies the actors have been in on a tablet or PC.
Quantum Journey: Forty-six percent of consumers land in the Quantum pathway. Here, productivity and efficiency are paramount as consumers are trying to accomplish a task. Each screen separately and additively takes them closer to achieving their goal. For example, you snap a picture of a pair of shoes on your mobile that you see for sale while shopping, and then look up reviews about the shoes on your PC at home before purchasing.
Social Spider-Webbing: This is the least common multi-screening pathway with 39 percent of consumers engaging here. Consumers in this instance are extroverted and focused on sharing content and connecting with others across devices. For example, you beat your friend’s high score for a game on your Xbox, and then use Skype or other social channels to brag about your win to friends.

Here are just some of the tips we suggest to marketers based on the research findings:

Keep Content Seamless: Windows 8 enables a consistent and cohesive experience across desktops and laptops, tablets, mobile phones and the Xbox gaming console. Marketers should think about utilizing SkyDrive for easy cloud storage and implementing content into apps such as Xbox SmartGlass – both provide seamless movement from one screen to the next.
Be ‘Always On’: In the morning, consumers tend to be more task focused and in the evening hours, all four multi-screening pathways kick into high gear. Marketers should tailor their messaging throughout the day. For example, connect them with commercial content that can be consumed in small bites via Bing and casual gaming apps, and then help them investigate or communicate deeper in the evening through Windows 8 Ads in Apps, MSN Video and interactive rich media ad units such as the new IAB standard Filmstrip unit.
Think Personal and Portable: The mobile phone is a highly personal device, but is also the bridge between work, on-the-go and home. Marketers should leverage the intimate feel consumers have with the mobile to drive relevant messaging, and apps are a natural fit here.
Keep it Contextual: MSN via the portal or Windows 8 apps disseminates contextually rich content around the topics consumers care about most: Lifestyle, Food, Finance, Autos, Entertainment, Sports and more.
Spark Conversation: Connect through rich, engaging ad experiences in environments where consumers make more personal social connections. Marketers should consider using Skype or gaming via Xbox to tell their brand story at scale and on the platform that consumers prefer: across PCs, TVs and mobile devices.

We’re continuing to build upon and dive deeper into the implications of these four pathways, as well as how they map back to our ongoing Consumer Decision Journey research. You can find more information within our full research report: Microsoft Advertising’s Cross-Screen Engagement.

As always, be sure to get in touch with questions or feedback. We love hearing from you!

Natasha Hritzuk, Senior global director of Research & Insights, Microsoft Advertising.

The Story Behind the Story: Why We Sold Atlas to Facebook

Tom Phillips - MSFT — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:30:00 GMT

You may have heard today that Microsoft announced its intent to sell the Atlas Advertiser Suite to Facebook.

Our reasons for wanting to sell Atlas are really pretty simple: the time was right; the agreement allows us to focus more aggressively on the evolving vision we have our digital advertising business; it was mutually beneficial to both parties; and we feel that Facebook will afford the Atlas business and employees the greatest opportunity for continued growth. Moreover, in no way does this announcement change or diminish our commitment to online advertising, in either display or search.

In terms of timing – why now? Here’s my perspective.

The online advertising business, and our place in it, has evolved significantly since we acquired aQuantive (and by extension, Atlas) more than five years ago. At the time of the acquisition, Microsoft was in a race to build a single ad technology platform and tools stack that would become a marketplace where first and third party online advertising entities could conduct their business, either in pieces or holistically.

That vision of a singular ad technology and tools platform, however, became more challenging given significant changes in the industry ecosystem, technology platforms and content consumption (the “appification” of the web).

We needed to sharpen our focus and concentrate on identifying, building and executing on the things that are core to our vision for the future as our entire company transitions to a devices and services model. The continued investment in third party ad serving technology like Atlas, while important, is less of a strategic pillar for our business than it once was.

Perhaps more important than anything, five-plus years ago we did not have the stable of mature owned & operated media/screen assets with global reach that we now have, including: Xbox/Kinect, Skype, Bing, Windows Phone, a new and improved MSN that delivers premium ad experiences, and last but certainly not least, Windows 8 applications.

Our vision has evolved. We want to stay laser focused on building devices and services that we believe will represent the advertising platforms of the future.

We believe that the future of digital advertising will manifest in the following ways:

•   Effective advertising will continue its inexorable march toward becoming a “pull” experience that people invite into their lives as opposed into a “push” experience where advertising is served to them indiscriminately across devices and screens.

•   Compelling advertising experiences will be centered around the user. Relevance will be the Holy Grail; user experience will be king.

•   Data and insight will provide a 360-degree view of the consumer – capturing signals like social, location and intent. This requires the ability and engineering horsepower to process these new signals as well as the ability to put the user in control of their data; it    also requires a foundation built on trust.

•   Relevance will be defined at a more granular level through both 1st party and 3rd party content and services.

We believe that digital advertising today is not fulfilling its promise. Consumers really don’t want ads per se -- they want digital content and experiences that enhance what they’re doing, whether that comes from brands, publishers or peers. For us to deliver on these consumer needs and help marketers do the same, we need to be precise in how we’re investing our resources.

This is the vision we are calibrating toward, and is the single biggest reason why we made the decision to sell Atlas to Facebook.

We believe that we now have more clarity in what our vision for the future is, more incredible assets upon which to bring that vision to life, more focus to deliver on that vision, and more commitment than ever before to dedicate the resources necessary to back up our promises.

Thanks.

Tom Phillips

Stephen Kim to lead Microsoft Advertising Global Agencies and Accounts

Frank Holland - MSFT — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:10:00 GMT

I’m pleased to share that, effective immediately, Stephen Kim is Vice President of Microsoft Advertising Global Agencies and Accounts. Stephen started in digital advertising 15 years ago and has spent the last decade at Microsoft working in close partnership with agencies, brands and publishers. He is passionate about digital advertising and our industry. At Microsoft, Stephen has led our efforts in a range of areas including research, marketing, branded entertainment, and most recently our work developing the next generation of digital advertising experiences, which are now live on Windows 8 devices.

In taking on this new role, Stephen will continue to oversee Yarn, Microsoft Advertising’s team that works with creative agencies and developers to create fresh digital ad and content experiences.

Based in New York, Stephen has been an active leader in our industry, currently serving on the board of the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California Annenberg School and the Future of Advertising Project at the Wharton School of Business. Previously Stephen also served as Chair of the Board of the Advertising Research Foundation from 2007-2009 and Co-Chair of the US Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Research Council from 2004-2010.

I couldn’t be happier to have Stephen take on this important role in helping Microsoft Advertising work more closely with agencies as they build brand and integrated marketing campaigns across Windows 8, Xbox, Windows Phone, Skype, MSN and Bing.

Please join me in congratulating Stephen by commenting or tweeting to @MSAdvertising with your well wishes.

Thanks
Frank Holland, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Advertising & Online

Microsoft Advertising and Agency Partners Bring Windows 8 Ads in Apps Concepts to Life

Stephen Kim - MSFT — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:00:00 GMT

In a post from Ad Week New York, I shared my excitement about a host of Ads in App concepts being developed for the Windows 8 environment. And if I was excited about the potential then, imagine how I’m feeling now as we announce that four of the concepts – co-created with Razorfish, Team Detroit, This is Tommy, Universal McCann and Sapient – are now live on Windows 8!

In a second – with the help of a little video – I’ll share what makes these new ad formats meaningful to both consumers and advertisers. But before I do, I want to talk about the unique and collaborative journey we’ve been on these past few months, which is as important as our eventual destination.

As part of the digital industry and through conversations with agencies, brands and publishers, we know that audiences are ready for something new. And with Windows 8, we have a rich canvas that allows and inspires us to tell brand stories in a completely new way. That’s why we opened our doors early – before the product launched – to creatives, and invited them to play. As we sat down together waiting for the caffeine to kick in, we had no idea how the day would go, the direction we would take or what we would create. Collectively, we let our creativity push what we thought was possible and leaned on our new technology to make it real. What you see below is the fruits of that co-ideation process.

Each of the four ad experiences – the Paramount Pictures film Jack Reacher, Delta, Ford and Jeep – emerged from the co-ideation process with features that are distinct to the Windows 8 ecosystem. They’re scenarios and executions that we couldn’t have realized before Windows 8, and that allow customers to engage in a new way. Now it’s time to show them to you:

Delta

Agency Partner: Razorfish

Publisher/App: NBC News

With touch and gesture capabilities in our Windows 8 arsenal, we were able to bring to life the airline’s ‘Up’ brand campaign focused on ‘upping the ante’ in travel. Through this experience while inside the NBC News app, the motion of swiping up on the Delta ad takes you on a visual journey through an airport as you travel through the airline’s brand story and message.

Jeep

Agency Partner: Universal McCann/Sapient

Publisher/App: AccuWeather

With Windows 8, we’re able to seamlessly integrate and tie in advertising to directly relate to the content that consumers are looking at within the app. This brand experience for Jeep brings to life the vehicle’s ability to handle any weather condition thrown at it, created in a contextually relevant environment; the AccuWeather app. It uses a technique called ‘dynamic layering,’ using visual layers to create rich background effects – rainy, stormy weather transitioning into beautiful bursts of sun behind the Jeep – within one single ad unit.

Ford

Agency Partner: Team Detroit

Publisher/App: Chicago Tribune Business Section

Windows 8 provides new ad real estate and an impactful opportunity to reinforce a brand’s message and product features to consumers in a relevant and non-intrusive way. As consumers scroll through this ad experience for Ford Fusion, three separate units in the foreground highlight the vehicle’s key features while an additional subtle background branding element serves as an extra layer for telling the Ford Fusion’s story.

Paramount Pictures (for the theatrical release of Jack Reacher)

Agency Partner: This is Tommy

Publisher/App: BBC Top Gear

Leveraging the action thriller nature of the film, we maximized the new opportunity with gesture language to introduce key elements of the film as navigational tools in the ad experience. Targeted at a strongly male demographic, the ad for Paramount Pictures’ film Jack Reacheris incorporated into the BBC’s Top Gear app. The user is presented with a gear shift that, when manipulated with swipe or trace gestures, opens up different content windows such as the trailer, photos and screening information.

We want to continue to deliver compelling digital solutions that are consumer-centric, beautiful, useful and relevant. We saw from the Windows 8 co-ideation that the best way we can achieve this is with our creative partners by our side.

As we launch these four campaigns, we’re gearing up for new collaborations and the next wave of future ad experiences across our portfolio. We invite you to experiment and explore with us.

Positive Momentum Continues for Bing Ads and Yahoo! Bing Network

David Pann - MSFT — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:00:00 GMT

These past few months have been busy here at Microsoft. At Bing Ads we have focused our efforts on creating a stronger foundation for our search advertising business so we can accelerate our vision into 2013. In November, for example, I shared that the Yahoo! Bing Network is now available in more than 22 countries, which came on the heels of the Bing Ads and Yahoo! Bing Network rebrands in September. These two initiatives were driven by our mantra, “customers first, results focused.”

I’m excited to say that the fruits of our labors are beginning to pay off. The industry, and most importantly our customers, are beginning to take note.

Over these past few months, the product and business leaders on my team have traveled the globe to listen to feedback from customers. One particular request we’ve heard loud and clear from advertisers is the need for higher click volume. We took that feedback to heart. Today I’m proud to say that now we are seeing 25-45% more click volume coming from the Yahoo! Bing Network than was the case one year ago. That is fantastic momentum, but we are not about to rest on our laurels.

In addition, I have seen firsthand the positive results advertisers are experiencing with the recent launch of Sitelink Extensions and Long Ad Titles, as well with as our Import Campaigns tool that makes it easier for advertisers to do business with us.

Those are just a few of the examples of the work we’re doing to make search advertising easier for our customers. According to a recent report from RKG:

“In late 2012, Bing Ads finally seemed to be hitting its stride. Bing’s expanded ad matching capabilities are now delivering quality traffic to advertisers at much greater rates” and;

“Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to bring Bing Ads’ core functionality more in line with AdWords have made it easier to manage both programs, reducing barriers to entry for smaller advertisers.”

In addition to the RKG, we’ve also seen positive numbers in recent reports from Marin and Ignition One. Highlights from those reports include:

· On Yahoo and Bing, advertisers saw marked improvement in clicks. On a year-over-year basis, advertisers saw 25% higher click volumes along with a 22% jump in CPC and a 13% increase in the average CTR. [Marin]

· Bing search spending rose 54% on 39% higher clicks and 11% higher CPCs. [RKG]

· For the fourth quarter in a row, Bing Ads gained paid search spend share from Google. [RKG]

· Yahoo! Bing continued to accelerate its growth with a YoY increase in spend of 48% compared to Google’s 12% . This helped the Yahoo! Bing Network grab the largest share (24%) of the US market since Q1 2009. [Ignition One]

With the next Bing Ads feature release cycle coming out in March you will see that we are continuing to improve the accuracy of search results, expand the ad types and formats available, and drive rich consumer experiences. A few of the updates/features that customers can expect to hear more about this year include:

· Additional work in the product ad space;

· Click-to-call ad capabilities for mobile using Skype; and

· New capabilities for small and medium businesses to be successful with the launch of Bing Ads Express.

While Bing is committed to evolving consumer experiences through innovation, our partnerships are just as important – as you can see with the recent news from Facebook around their Social Graph, which includes Bing-powered web results.

And don’t forget mobile and tablet devices. We know this is an area of continued growth and concentration for our customers. I’m pleased to report that, according to The Search Agency, over the past year (Q4’11 to Q4’12), the percent of total click share on these devices across our network tripled from 4% to 13%.

We’re scrappy, agile, and laser focused on continuing to grow and invest in search in a variety of ways; be it traditional search ads or local and mobile opportunities.

What does all this mean for you as an advertiser? It means that Bing Ads connects you to a distinct, unique audience only found on the Yahoo! Bing Network – connecting you to high quality customers for your business. We will continue to work tirelessly to make Bing Ads and the Yahoo! Bing Network the easiest to use and best performing search ad network on the market today.

We are making Search advertising easier for our customers to use, and we are delivering features that advertisers are asking for to drive real results for their very real businesses. The proof is in the pudding.

Stay tuned, this is just the beginning,

David Pann

Sainsbury's Launches Meal Planner Tool on MSN UK

Gemma Barker - MSFT — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:39:00 GMT

For some time now we’ve been giving you updates about the inspiring digital campaigns retail advertisers have been launching with Microsoft Advertising. And this is certainly the case with one of our most valued retail clients; Sainsbury’s who through their partnership with Microsoft and MSN Food, are launching a new and highly innovative tool.

Sainsbury’s are actively engaging with their community to build loyalty and drive customer conversion. They have demonstrated this by increasing their brand favourability - up 14% points with an integrated content solution.

Last week Microsoft Advertising UK launched the Sainsbury’s Make the Most of Your Roast Planner Tool: http://food.uk.msn.com/sainsburys/roast-planner. This, like much of the Sainsbury’s activity, is designed to help people through their lives; in particular to conquer the mysteries of timing their meals and making the most of their left-over food. Offering true utility to consumers and helping them to literally Live Well for Less.

Sitting within the Sainsbury’s and Food Channels, the custom solution offers 8 main recipes to cook, 8 additional side recipes and a mouth-watering 24 left-over recipes to download and share.

This initiative is in response to the fact that the average British family wastes a staggering 5.8 kg of meat, potatoes and vegetables, equating to 1.8 billion Sunday roast meals each year and reflective of a growing desire for tools and features from brands and agencies to distinguish their campaigns and deliver real value to users. Find out more on the Sainsbury’s website.

This is a never been done before browser-based tool running across MSN, Facebook and the Sainsbury’s site!

So give it a go! Make the Most of Your Roast with Sainsbury’s: http://food.uk.msn.com/sainsburys/roast-planner

Gemma

Gemma Barker - Microsoft Advertising Marketing Executive

Do Ads Really Need to Go Away?

Tom Phillips - MSFT — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:35:00 GMT

Dish Network (Dish) stirred up some serious dust at CES earlier this month talking about its Auto Hop feature that gives customers the option to skip commercials on major broadcast networks a day after the original air date of network programming.

This is not the first time Dish has incurred the wrath of the networks, and it may not be the last. Subsequent to Dish’s comments at CES, rumors circulated that CNET was forced by its parent company CBS to remove Dish’s Hopper set-top box from its “Best of CES” awards due to pending litigation between the two companies. One of CNET’s reporters, Greg Sandoval, announced over Twitter his resignation due to the controversy shortly thereafter.

This very public tug-of-war is being fought over advertising – the lifeblood of the media business – and more specifically, Dish’s apparent belief that people just don’t want to deal with ads if they don’t have to.

This may sound strange coming from a person who works in the digital advertising industry, and I am not taking sides, but I actually think we need to have a serious conversation as an industry about doing away with ads as we know them.

Wait…what?

I’m not saying that we should do away with the model of an ad-supported internet. Far from it. What I am saying is that we should rethink what an ad is and does, and start to really address what consumers want – then we can work backwards.

If you ask a consumer, “Do you want an ad with that content?” most will say no. And why should they say anything else? The digital ad industry today still spends billions of dollars pushing ads at people that have very little relevance and do little more than clutter up a person’s online experience.

What consumers want are content and experiences. If it’s content that people want, then advertisers and agencies should deliver their messages in the form of content and experiences that people want to pull into their lives.

Some of the best digital advertising today bears little resemblance to what it looked like even just a few years ago (see my blog on the topic a couple months ago). The good news is that there’s plenty of inspiration to draw from. At Microsoft Advertising, we’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible companies who understand well this notion of “advertising as content” to win the hearts and minds of consumers. For instance, the experience we created with 20th Century Fox for its ‘Life of Pi’ promotion within the Windows 8 Xbox video app was relevant to the other content, entertaining and non-invasive.

Another client, Buick, recently turned to Microsoft Advertising to create a custom-branded destination on MSN called “re:discover” http://rediscover.msn.com/, a visual array of rich content that inspires, excites and empowers the most discerning experience junkie to discover our country’s most compelling people, places and things. The custom hub presented unique perspectives on 28 major U.S. cities through videos, original articles, city profiles and syndicated content from MSN Autos. The tie-in was clear: while site visitors rediscovered the uniqueness of each city, they would also rediscover Buick.

A third client, L’Oreal, created "The Next Level," a beauty and style app for Xbox LIVE. On the surface, Xbox may seem like an unconventional channel for beauty marketing – but it actually makes a ton of sense according to a study by Experian Simmons. The study found that approximately 40% of Xbox LIVE users are female. L'Oreal used this richly interactive "total style experience" to reach a valuable audience with highly relevant content. Users can get fashion tips, watch video tutorials and buy products. Conde Nast’s Lucky magazine is helping build out some of the content, which will be updated regularly and will run for at least a year.

All of these companies – and many others we work with -- have determined that when it comes to digital, just putting a traditional ad in front of someone is so, well, yesterday.

Now, all that said, there are of course times when the ads are “the show.” Clearly, there are a ton of people who tune into the Super Bowl more for the ads than for the game itself (see here). But even in the case of the Big Game, it’s probably safe to say that the ad watchers aren’t really tuning in so they can be advertised to…they’re tuning in because the commercial breaks deliver entertainment (another form of content) that often times is more interesting than the game itself.

So back to the controversy stirred up by Dish. Maybe it’s not that people don’t want ads, it’s just that the traditional definition of ads – and the value they should be delivering but often times aren’t – is what needs to be scrutinized.

We need to examine and act on the primal nature of the consumer to consume. This requires that the industry pull out the stops and begin, once and for all, the march toward making advertising experiences something that people pull into their lives instead of something that is pushed on them without a paying heed to whether it’s relevant or not.

Tom Phillips is Senior Director of Communications for Microsoft Advertising. In this capacity, Tom has global responsibility for external communications and Public Relations for the Microsoft Advertising Business Group (MSA BG). Follow him on Twitter at @tphillips59.

Microsoft Advertising Digital Trends & Opportunities in 2013

Frank Holland - MSFT — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:00:00 GMT

The turning of the New Year is a good time to look ahead. As we start into 2013, we are excited about the shifts in the digital advertising industry. Banners and buttons are turning into more native experiences. Marketers are creating content that people want to interact with, leading to brand building. Buying and selling is possible with less friction, and more efficiency.

All this and more is setting the stage for our industry to grow. One indicator: last month ZenithOptimedia predicted that global online ad spending will reach $101.5 billion this year to overtake newspaper expenditures. Here are a few major trends that I’m hearing from customers and seeing build across the online advertising landscape in 2013, which will shape how and where that spend and growth takes place.

Opportunities Across Devices

We live in a devices and services world, where experiences are connected across screens and online engagement happens anywhere and at all times. This is empowering a new generation of consumers who are active critics, fact-finders, content creators, buzz-marketers and user-innovators. They demand highly personalized, socially relevant experiences. Time and place are no longer constraints when it comes to engaging with media, discovering and researching brands and making purchases. This year we will see the promise of integrated devices and services offer marketers more opportunities than ever to advertise across screens. The challenge is up to us to step up and to adapt and innovate in this ever-changing marketplace.

Microsoft stands out with Windows 8 across tablets, PCs and phones. We’ve embarked upon a new era for the company where devices come with core experiences and services built in – like consistent user experiences across devices, a rich combination of premium first- and third-party content and services. Coupled with the strong consumer focus and very, very large market footprint deployed worldwide, the opportunities for marketers are enormous. The more than 25 brands around the world that initially signed on for Windows 8 Ads in Apps campaignslast November is just the start.

With consistent user experiences across devices and our own native Microsoft advertising experiences, we are working to transform advertising into something that is more personal, immersive and more valuable to consumers. A recent study in the US found that 72 percent of consumers will share data in exchange for “fair value” – defined as rewards and monetary benefits, better service, and transparency and control in data usage (OgilvyOne Worldwide in partnership with MarketTools, August 2012).We believe that creating a value exchange between consumers and marketers is the key to a new era of more relevant, engaging, and successful advertising in the year to come.

Social Becomes Interactive

For the most part, “social” in the digital world has been equated with Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare or other types of “check in” sites where people typically just post and wait for reaction. I’m not sure I buy that one-dimensional, passive experience as “social” when there is the potential for more actual conversations, where people interact with each other in real time. The boundaries that prevented us from communicating online instantaneously and even “face to face” are slipping away as technology advances and devices become more location-aware, which is redefining social as more interactive.

We’ve allowed for passive posts and review later and not something that’s real time, actual interactions with people.

When I talk about social with customers, I point to the real-time interactions possible on Skype and Xbox. How people can carry on real-live conversations with their most intimate circle of friends and family on Skype. There is nothing passive about the social interactions through Skype conversations – from talking to your mom about planning a family vacation, getting advice on clothes or a new car from your best friend, or deciding where to go to dinner with your spouse. Or how people can play with friends all around the world on Xbox LIVE and with Kinect, as well as directly interact with those in their living room through everything from dance-offs to play-offs.

Social is a big concept that we need to think of more broadly and help redefine in the marketing and brand building community. I see 2013 as the year when brands will find ways to help people connect and share online, and actually join into conversations and interactions with consumers. Why? To gain trust, to build relationships, to get back to loyalty.

Programmatic in the Mix

In the next five years, television advertising will be eclipsed by online ads. Television still receives the lion’s share of total spending at 38%, or nearly $64 billion, but money from traditional media, most notably newspapers and magazines, is moving to digital. Forrester is convinced programmatic buying methods will account for a majority of display transactions within five years. That means less friction, and real efficiency gains for marketers and agencies looking for audience-centric buying. We believe buying methods will consolidate with programmatic playing a large role, but there will continue to be a strong role for sellers who service “custom buyers” looking for nonstandard, rich, immersive brand experiences.

The Microsoft Advertising Exchange is currently available in the United States, Canada, most of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We support programmatic selling but also believe in the value of custom sales strategies and will be investing in both.

. . . . .

As we kick off 2013, I want to challenge us to think outside today’s norms and to find new experiences and ways of reaching consumers that are far more reflective of the potential that today’s platforms have to offer. If you have other trends that you see taking shape in 2013 that you want to share, please feel free to comment or send via Twitter to #MSApredictions.

Hope that everyone has a prosperous and happy 2013!

Thanks
Frank Holland, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Advertising & Online

Star Brands Have the Opportunity to Shine with the Launch of MSN Stars

Shelby Healy - MSFT — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 23:01:00 GMT

MSN launches MSN Stars, a content rich and social celebrity entertainment solution in 16 markets across Europe.

This new section of MSN will deliver the latest news, features, opinions and gossip around all the most talked about celebrities; celebrating their lives, talent, anniversaries and style. Advertisers will have a unique opportunity to associate their brands with the glamour and novelty of this section of MSN where consumers come to enjoy time getting their daily fix of inside news on their favourite stars.

Today advertisers can make valuable connections with this audience (70% female, aged 25-34, average income 35 000 Euros ) in 16 markets with 380million per view each month through a variety of solutions and packages including; skins, super banners, rich media, takeovers, advertorials and video pre-rolls. Brands will bring relevant and engaging experiences in context across devices to this audience as they indulge in both global and local daily news and video, pictures of celebrities caught on camera, reviewing the best and worst dressed, those who have walked the red carpet and more.

MSN is the world’s leading portal operating in 52 markets and 27 languages with an average of 585 million unique users worldwide according to comScore Media Metrix. Users spend a total of 18+ billion minutes within MSN and watch an average of 400 million video streams each month as part of the 36 minutes dwell time per user. Importantly, MSN is also an integral part of the Microsoft ecosystem, integrating with the recently launched Windows 8, Bing, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, Outlook.com, Windows Phone, and Skype.

MSN Stars launches on 12 December 2012 in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey and Russia.

To enjoy the MSN Stars experience yourself, visit http://celebrity.uk.msn.com/

Shelby Healy – Microsoft Advertising

Affluent Aspirations: New Research Examines Luxury in China

Heidi Lau - MSFT — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:36:00 GMT

Men in the Greater China Region are nearly 44 percent more likely to purchase luxury goods than women. Men in the region are also more generous than women, giving a quarter of all luxury purchases as gifts. Apparel and handbags are the most commonly purchased items, while the most money is spent on watches and jewelry.

This does not mean women in Greater China are shy about purchasing luxury goods. Greater China – or mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong – is the second-largest luxury market after the United States reaching $34.6 billion annually, according to the Bain & Company Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study for 2012. More than a quarter of luxury purchases worldwide are made by Chinese consumers, a number that is expected to grow to 44 percent by 2020.

On Thursday, we launched our latest study looking at the luxury market in Greater China. “Luxury Connoisseurs” reveals the role of online media in luxury purchase patterns, the effectiveness of online and offline media, and the preferred types of online advertising. The research also provides insights into important social nuances that define consumers – such as gender, age, and life experience – to explore the psychology driving the purchase of luxury goods.

Here is a look at the numbers uncovered by the research. More insights can be found in the infographic below:

· 72 percent strongly agree that the Internet is important for staying up-to-date with luxury brands.

· 92 percent use online sources to learn about luxury products.

· 81 percent use the Internet to make purchase decisions – relying on word-of-mouth via social media, recommendations from bloggers and endorsements from celebrities to support their intent to buy.

· After making a purchase, 23 percent share their experience on social networking sites while 43 percent prefer to share in a more intimate, one-to-one setting over Instant Messaging services.

· 61 percent would like to see more online advertising of luxury goods.

Luxury marketing truly shows how the Internet has revolutionized the consumer journey. From building awareness, to building an emotional connection through beautiful video and innovative ad formats, online media follows the consumer every step of the way.

Aside from the role of online media, the study also reveals new insights into the emotional motivations behind luxury purchases. Sophisticated shoppers generally have more individual motivations – they want to be part of the brand story and heritage. In comparison, ‘nouveau riche,’ or individuals with recently acquired wealth, tend to purchase luxury goods as a way to impress social groups and show a desire for a higher social position.

Here are a few tips for luxury marketers found in the study:

· Communicate to luxury consumers via social networks and leverage endorsements from online experts and celebrities.

· Provide communication or messaging platforms that allow luxury consumers to share purchasing experiences among a smaller peer group.

· Use interactive online ad formats to create rich experiences that allow consumers to more deeply connect with luxury brands.

Take a look at the infographic to learn more:

Digital Advertising: Surviving the Teen Years

Tom Phillips - MSFT — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:00:00 GMT

By most accounts, the first internet ads appeared around 18 years ago, in October 1994. The ads weren’t much to look at…more a curiosity than anything else. In fact, in a recent blog, John Battelle dug up an image of what he says was the very first banner ad that appeared in HotWired:

Little did anyone know then that these annoying ads would signify the birth of what is today an $80BB+ global industry. We’ve come a long way since those first ads appeared. Compare them to the digital ad experiences the industry is creating today and the difference is striking. Here’s an example of what Microsoft Advertising is doing on the Windows 8 Ads in Apps canvas.

To learn more about our Windows8 Ads in Apps experiences, click here

But as fast as the digital ad industry has grown, as many people as it employs, and as sophisticated as it has gotten – the industry is really still just a “teenager.”

As the father of two teens myself, I am struck by the similarities between teenaged people and this teenaged industry we work in today.

Like most teenagers, our industry is gawky and not entirely comfortable in its own skin. We’re not really sure what we want to be when we “grow up” -- yet we seem to be in a race to get there. Moreover, the definition of “there” seems to change every month. But if you step back, you realize that we actually have come a long way in a relatively short time. Online advertising has already lapped newspaper advertising, and as of this year, 38 percent of US households have at least one TV connected to the internet. For a gawky teenager, we’re growing up fast.

Walk into any teenager’s bedroom and odds are that you be struck by how messy it is. Our industry is similarly messy. We operate in a world filled with thorny issues, like: Who owns user-generated data? Is there a uniform response to the DNT signal? How do we convince consumers of the value of an ad-funded digital ecosystem? None of these issues are perfectly clean, but there is value to be had when we navigate the obstacles, exercise our brains and build grey matter. We should embrace the mess -- rather than sweeping it under the rug -- and use it to get stronger and smarter as an industry.

Finally, teenagers of course make mistakes. But as a parent you avoid the temptation to say “I told you so” because you realize that you were once, well, a mistake-prone teen yourself…ahem…

…and that is how lessons are learned, sometimes the hard way. No one in the digital ad industry has it all figured out. Every company in this industry, in some way, has made a big bet that didn’t pan out, created a “revolutionary” product that never revolutionized anything or hitched onto an emerging trend that didn’t materialize. The teen years are characterized by trial and error. But these mistakes -- big ones at that -- are what continue to build our industry.

So as we mature past this gawky, sometimes chaotic teenage phase, what’s next? Our 20’s of course, where “real” adulthood starts. A person’s 20’s are characterized by formal education, their first real job and lots of other firsts. You’re still learning from mistakes and finding out what you do well, where your passions lie and how to turn your aspirations into reality.

I would like to think that our industry’s 20’s will be an era where the lessons we’ve accumulated will start to give us more clarity, structure and stability.

We’ll see more ad and content innovation in areas that even just a few years ago were uncharted territory, like touch, sensory, and voice activated advertising.

We’ll see greater emphasis placed on user-centric advertising, not necessarily top-down and brand driven. We may even see – perish the thought – more programmatic decisions made in which the best ad to show a consumer may be no ad at all.

We’ll see more industries follow the U.S. automakers’ lead and not just consider digital advertising as an add-on, but as a “must-have” in order to engage consumers, sell products and build brands.

We’ll continue to push the boundaries of conventional wisdom and blow up the myth that consumers live in our purchase funnel. They don’t. The linear funnel is dead – digital advertisers live in the consumer’s multi-dimensional world today, not vice versa.

We’ll see more companies partnering with each other to deliver products and services to the marketplace instead of trying to do it all themselves. This partnership philosophy drives much of what we do at Microsoft Advertising, such as bringing in the creative community early to imagine potential ad experiences on Windows 8 before the platform even launched.

We will -- I hope -- see the collision between privacy champions and the ad industry move from divisive rhetoric to progressive engagement that benefits both consumers and the ad business. It will happen if we continue to evolve and mature as an industry.

For me personally, writing about things that I think are interesting about our business – both inside Microsoft and within the industry in general – is my way of contributing to the discussions that are taking place, and that I believe need to take place in the future. In posts to come, you’ll see a deeper dive into areas that we are particularly intrigued by here at Microsoft Advertising, and I will also use this forum to break news when we have it. So, as they say, “watch this space.”

It was either Ralph Waldo Emerson or Steven Tyler, I can’t determine which, who said “it’s not the destination but journey.” In the digital ad business, we’re still in our teenage years. But as much fun as they’ve been, I’m even more excited about how the journey into our 20’s is shaping up.

Bing Ads and Yahoo! Bing Network: European and LATAM Expansions Continue

David Pann - MSFT — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:06:00 GMT

In September, I share the news that we were rebranding our search alliance with Yahoo! to the Yahoo! Bing Network, as well as rebranding adCenter to Bing Ads. We did this to help make the process of buying ads on Yahoo! and Bing easier for our search advertising customers. Initially, we rolled out Bing Ads and the Yahoo! Bing Network to a few select markets, and now, I’m proud to share that the Yahoo! Bing Network is available in over 22 countries and four continents.

This has been a herculean task that the teams at Yahoo! and Microsoft have worked painstakingly hard to achieve. As we continue to move forward, we believe this hard work will pay off and our customers will see the benefits. In fact, we’ve already seen great momentum as a result of simplifying and streamlining our digital advertising platform. According to Kenshoo, paid search budgets in Q3 2012 are growing faster for the Yahoo Bing Network than for Google. In addition, according to the most recent comScore numbers, the number of unique searchers who use Bing and/or Yahoo! but not Google numbers 83 million.

The most recent comScore numbers are also telling when looking at the Buying Power (BPI) for all Bing/Yahoo searchers, which is 223, meaning that searchers on the Yahoo! Bing Network are likely to spend 123% more than the average internet searcher. The WW BPI index for Bing/Yahoo searchers who don’t use Google (the 83 million mentioned above) is even more dramatic at 417. That means they’re likely to spend 317% more than the average internet searcher. That is an audience every advertiser should be intent on reaching.

When Microsoft entered into the agreement with Yahoo!, we embraced the mission to deliver a competitive search offering that provides advertisers both quality audiences and opportunities to leverage strategic partnerships to drive ROI. The landscape is shifting and we are closer to achieving that promise today than ever before.

However, search is changing, and as you might have seen, in October, Microsoft unveiled Windows 8. Bing plays a central part in the Windows 8 experience and is evolving into more than a web service. Bing is at the center of a consumer’s online experience whether on PCs, tablets, Windows Phone 8 or Xbox. We will continue to integrate Bing into future devices to help drive volume, and provide engaging experiences for both consumers and advertisers.

What this means for brands

New search experiences and additional markets lead to new opportunities for advertisers on both Yahoo! and Bing. With our ongoing expansion and investment in the search landscape, we are evolving the Yahoo! Bing Network from a competitive choice for brands and search marketers – to a must-buy. Our distinct, worldwide audience is significant in size and in online purchase activity. The unique searchers on Bing and Yahoo! Search (including Microsoft and Yahoo! sites) are likely to spend 124% more than the average searcher and represent 92 million unique searchers worldwide.

Next steps

As always, we are not done innovating. We’re driving search supply aggressively, developing new ad formats, uncovering search campaign opportunities through Bing Ads and delivering new insights around our audience on the Yahoo! Bing Network, making it easier for our customers to do business with us.

We will continue to work closely with advertisers, publishers and developers to make search campaigns on Bing Ads as easy and efficient as possible. Stay tuned, there is much more to come.

To learn more about the Yahoo! Bing Network, visit: http://yahoobingnetwork.com/

David Pann – Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Advertising Signs Top Brands and Publishers for Windows 8 Ads in Apps

Frank Holland - MSFT — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Today we are excited to share that as of October 26, when Windows 8 became globally available, Microsoft Advertising had signed on more than 25 brands from around the world for Windows 8 Ads in Apps campaigns. Our teams across various countries have signed on numerous advertisers across a range of verticals – from autos to entertainment, beauty to banking, beverages to technology. We are thrilled that the following brands are among the first to join us as we reimagine consistent and connected advertising experiences across screens in a beautiful, brand safe Windows 8 apps environment:

20^th Century Fox (Global)
Ambev-Skol (Brazil)
Bouygues Telecom (France)
Bradesco (Brazil)
Cadillac (Canada, US)
Caisse d’Epargne (France)
Citi (US)
Claro (Brazil)
Coca-Cola (Brazil)
Coca-Cola Zero (France)
El Corte Inglés (Spain)
Ford (Brazil)
Hyundai (Spain)
Intel (Brazil)
LG (Spain)
Lloyds TSB (UK)
Media World (Italy)
Movistar (Spain)
Nissan (Global)
Nivea (Brazil)
Nutrexpa (Spain)
Rogers Communications (Canada)
Samsung (Italy, Spain)
Scotiabank (Canada)
Sky (UK)
Telecom (Italy)
Trend Micro (US)
Vodafone (UK)
WestJet (Canada)
Wind (Italy)

These brands are rolling out Windows 8 Ads in Apps campaigns over the next several months in designated markets around the world within various Bing apps, Xbox apps, the Skype app and third-party apps independently developed by publishing partners. These advertising experiences within Windows 8 apps will be smarter, richer, more relevant and more valuable to consumers.

20th Century Fox and Nissan are the first campaigns that will run globally. 20th Century Fox is running its Windows 8 Ads in Apps campaign—which will first feature “Life of Pi” directed by Ang Lee—in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US. The ads will be featured within the Xbox Video app, SmartGlass app and across the Casual Games app.

“Windows 8 will be a perfect place for consumers to discover the beautiful imagery and epic story of Ang Lee’s masterpiece – Life of Pi,” said Bettina Sherick, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategic Marketing at 20th Century Fox International. “We are excited to showcase our spectacular holiday film in the biggest technology launch of all time.”

Example of 20th Century Fox “Life of Pi” Windows 8 Ads in Apps Campaign in Xbox Video App

Example of 20th Century Fox “Life of Pi” Windows 8 Ads in Apps Campaign

Nissan is the first brand to advertise in both Bing apps and Xbox apps in all markets where Windows 8 Ads in Apps is launching – including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US. The Nissan ads will be featured in Bing apps through December, and in Xbox Music from December through January.

“Nissan is delighted to be one of the first to run a Windows 8 Ads in Apps campaign globally,” said DeLu Jackson, General Manager of Nissan’s Global Digital Strategy. “The new Windows 8 platform allows us to reach a worldwide audience of people interacting with innovative technologies. Bing and Xbox apps enable these users to directly engage with the Nissan brand and experience our global commitment to "innovation that excites.”

We are also thrilled to have a host of publisher partners signed up for Windows 8 Ads in Apps. As of October 26, we’ve signed on premium publishers from around the world, including Allocine (France), The Associated Press (US), BBC Worldwide (UK), Bonnier (US), Deutsche Telekom AG (Germany), iLMeteo.it (Italy), MTV (UK), MusixMatch (Italy), News Republic (France), Photobucket (US), The Register (UK), Slacker Radio (US), The Tribune Company (US), Vocento (Spain) and many more, with others to come.

“Windows 8 brings scale and broad appeal to support our portfolio of more than 50 brands, including Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Parenting, Popular Science and Saveur,” said Sean Holzman, Chief Brand Development Officer for Bonnier Corporation. “We are also impressed with Microsoft’s ad products, which are designed to enhance the user experience, a critical element to keeping our audience engaged.”

Consumers will see the difference as well. We conducted initial creative evaluation research with Metrixlab in the US to understand consumer reactions to Windows 8 Ads in Apps, and found out the following:

This is just the beginning (literally)! Along with the great work by our sales team, Stephen Kim’s Yarn team is continuing to work with top creative agencies to co-ideate innovative ad concepts for Windows 8 Ads in Apps – check out Stephen’s blog post on what the team and partners shared at Advertising Week earlier in October.

We are looking forward to working with more agencies, brands and publishers to create innovative Ads in Apps experiences that consumers love across Windows 8.

Who Will be the Next Big Thing? Intel Helps People Learn what it Takes to be Discovered

Stephen Kim - MSFT — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:45:00 GMT

We’ve all heard stories of how a dancer was singled out of the chorus line, an actor was spotted by a director while waiting tables, or a model was noticed while shopping in a suburban mall. Many people have the dream, the desire, the drive to make it big -- they just need to be discovered. But in the hyper-competitive world in which we live it’s not easy to stand out.

Intel wanted to set people on the path to achieving their dreams. So they tapped our team to develop a campaign to help people find out if they are slated for stardom – online. What we created represents the historic evolution in digital advertising, building from the high-quality production value of BMW films, the interactive engagement of Burger King’s subservient chicken and the unique capabilities of Kinect for Xbox 360. “Discovered” is a multi-platform brand experience that puts consumers into the first-person point of view of an aspiring star as they try to find out what it takes to become "the next big thing.” And while on the path to fame, Intel also wants consumers to discover another star – the new Intel-inspired Ultrabook.

Intel’s goals for the Discovered campaign were to make learning about Ultrabook devices interactive, fun and informative for younger audiences. Keeping these goals in mind, we put together a number of elements to engage and educate consumers on how to take the next steps on their road to discovery, including:

One of the first Kinect for Xbox 360 interactive films, which we developed in partnership with Amusement Park Entertainment. Fans can actually participate in scenes using the power of Kinect to interact with real videos of A-List celebs as they learn how to become an action film star, rock the room as a celeb DJ, and walk a red carpet with style. The film features actor Chris Evans ("The Avengers," "Captain America: The First Avenger"), Redfoo of electro pop duo LMFAO and model Chanel Iman. The film was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra ("Unknown," "Orphan" and "Goal II: Living the Dream") and signifies one of the first times an advertiser is embracing Kinect to create short-form and interactive commercial content using full-motion video. Check out the trailer.

An original Web series on MSN called "Becoming" from Electric City Entertainment at http://www.discovered.msn.com. The series showcases stars — including Chris Evans, Johnny Knoxville, Charlotte Ronson, Nas and Jake Johnson — in a “cinema verite” format that delves into their inspirations, the people that helped them “make it,” and upcoming projects.

Rising Star mobile games for iOS and Android phone users that allow people to test their DJ skills, memorize scripts, or pick out the right movie star look. The games, built by Ansible Mobile, also allow you to easily post photos of your game experience to your social networks.

There also will be a six-city college tour where we take Kinect-powered kiosks featuring Discovered to campuses and allow students to play and win prizes like the Intel-inspired Ultrabook.

According to David Veneski, Intel's U.S. media director, the campaign is a prime vehicle to reach the target audience as his company builds the category of Ultrabook. "Ultrabook is our single objective for our customer campaign this year, and Discovered will help us reach the right customers," he said. "The youth/millennial demographic has never been on our radar before, but through this campaign we're focusing on who we're after and with a novel approach we hope they enjoy."

We’re excited to see who the stars of tomorrow are going to be and the Ultrabook devices they carry -- lights, camera, action!

Stephen Kim, General Manager, Yarn, Microsoft Advertising

Driving Digital Forward: Rising Star Formats, Skype Ad Effectiveness

Jennifer Creegan - MSFT — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:43:00 GMT

It’s been an interesting and exciting week at Ad Week. For us – this is a big week for our advertising offerings coming out in the Windows 8 app ecosystem. It was great to hear Qi Lu’s keynote at IAB MIXX as he shared Microsoft’s perspective on the evolution of the online industry and the opportunities for the advertising world moving forward – particularly around putting the consumer at the center of our approach to advertising. Then, Bob Visse joined Qi on stage and debuted the new MSN on Windows 8. If that wasn’t enough, later that afternoon, my colleagues Keith Lorizio and Stephen Kim showcased the amazing Ads in Apps concepts that came out of our co-ideation program with our agency partners (and then they did it again today for the AdWeek audience!).

The common narrative behind each of these sessions is that they demonstrate how Microsoft Advertising is pursuing innovations that elevate the brand story in the consumer experience.

Everything we’re creating at Microsoft Advertising is designed to lead our evolving industry into tomorrow. The ads of today will not work tomorrow. We need to stop thinking of advertising as just advertising, and start thinking of advertising as a solution to a consumer’s problem.As an industry, we have to find better ways to help brands reach people online with engaging stories that put brands at the epicenter of the consumer experience. With advances in technology combined with the stunning creativity that can happen in a touch-enabled world we’re beginning to push the boundaries of what’s next in digital advertising. We’re beginning to see examples of what consumer centered advertising means.

We continue to believe that an important key to consumer satisfaction w/advertising is engagement. Nothing captures that more than what we are doing to support the IAB Rising Stars and how the audience on Skype is engaging in new and innovative ways.

IAB Rising Star Updates

This morning at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Global Summit, I shared the stage with Peter Minnium of IAB and others to talk about the IAB Rising Stars ad units and how we believe they are transforming consumer engagement. During the session, I shared the results we’ve seen from the IAB Rising Stars formats. As you may know, MSN was the first publisher to adopt all six Rising Stars and we’ve seen tremendous growth and success in deploying them across the globe with over 500 executions on six continents for all major verticals. We partnered with the IAB on research to see how effective these units are compared to the standard IAB formats established more than a decade ago. The results represent a powerful vote of confidence for Rising Star ads:

· Rising Star ads boost interaction rates by 2.5x, interaction time by 2x, and brand recall by 4x

· Rising Stars ads were perceived to be better designed, more engaging, and more enjoyable than most ads online

· The ads were accretive to the user experience, improving a user’s impression of the website while delivering more useful info about the products advertised

· Rising Stars were even 25 percent more likely to raise a smile than the old IAB standards – what a great way to measure success!

Of course you can’t talk about Rising Star formats without mentioning our IAB Filmstrip. To-date, we’ve implemented the IAB Filmstrip more than 80 times just on our own network, not including other publishers using IAB’s display units. The IAB Filmstrip’s impressive features have attracted big name brands, including Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford, Disney and Alfa Romeo, some of which were just announced as 2012 IAB MIXX finalists. Our Mobile IAB Filmstrip is offering advertisers the same opportunity presented by our Display Filmstrip but optimized for user behavior on mobile technology. This powerful new mobile ad unit will be available for advertisers later this year.

So what’s next? We recently submitted two additional ad units – the Video Filmstrip and the Switchboard – to the IAB Video Rising Stars competition, the IAB’s third such competition. We partnered with VPAID provider Mixpo on these submissions and look forward to seeing how these will help brands better engage with their audiences. The winners won’t be announced until February, but we have already operationalized and begun offering these units to advertisers.

Skype Research Produces Promising Results

Skype is at the heart of consumers’ daily lives, providing social experiences for the most important moments. We see it as a platform that not only puts the consumer experience at the center but that also offers brands a global reach that can’t be ignored. We recently partnered with comScore and Ipsos MediaCT to confirm what we instinctively knew already - that Skype offers a unique, special and effective brand engagement opportunity. We explored elements of Skype users’ habits, preferences and attitudes towards the service and the brand opportunities within, and also ran ad effectiveness research with comScore.

The research with comScore found that ad exposure on Skype drives considerable lift in both attitudinal and behavioral change among users, including:

· 15 percent increase in brand favorability

· 17 percent increase in likelihood to recommend

· 26 percent increase in intent to purchase

In addition, the research with Ipsos MediaCT found that more than half of all respondents use Skype weekly, with average usage settling at twice a week. Additionally, half of Skype users share content and take/provide recommendations to those in their trusted Skype network, and three in five are open to taking purchase recommendations from their Skype contacts.

Overall, we found that ads on Skype are seen as more trustworthy and relevant than most other sources with 83 percent of respondents seeing ads on Skype as very or somewhat trustworthy.

We’re gratified to see these great results around consumer engagement across our portfolio. What’s even more exciting is this is just the beginning. We have an unparalleled lineup of new and exciting consumer services including Windows 8 Ads in Apps, Skype, Xbox, Windows Phone and a continually evolving MSN, not to mention innovative solutions to match.

I can already see the possibilities with the products we have in the pipeline, partnerships with some of the best creative agencies in the industry and innovation coming in a steady stream across all our services and devices.

Thanks,

Jenn

Microsoft Advertising Unveils New Windows 8 Ads in Apps Concepts with Agency Partners at Advertising Week 2012

Stephen Kim - MSFT — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 01:01:00 GMT

Hello from Advertising Week! You may remember a couple months ago at another industry event across the pond I shared how we were bringing in creative agency partners earlier than ever before to co-ideate on potential advertising opportunities with Windows 8 Ads in Apps. Bringing partners on board from the beginning is vital to the long-term success of the Windows 8 ecosystem. Working together in the co-ideation process demonstrates what can be gained from great collaboration when you involve creativity and technology. It’s exciting to see how we’re driving innovation in this opportunity to create new industry standards.

We’ve enjoyed digging in and getting creative with folks from the IAB creative board including Big Spaceship, Razorfish, Team Detroit, Universal McCann and Y&R Group on blue sky thinking for in-app ad concepts, as we are considering Windows 8 a brand new advertising canvas that offers endless opportunities. The connected user interface and unique, fluid design of Windows 8 will encourage people to explore and discover ads without disrupting their experience. Based on that, we set out not to just create new ad formats – our goal was to rethink the entire experience.

The results of our co-ideation sessions and work are the first five unique, custom advertising scenarios that feature major brand campaign concepts within marquee publisher apps – including Delta Airlines in an NBC News app, Finish Line in an LA Times app, Ford Fusion in a Chicago Tribune app, Jeep in an AccuWeather app and Goldfish Crackers in a Slacker Radio app. Below is snapshot of each, which you can also see in a quick video with our partners here.

Delta Airlines in the NBC News App – Agency Partner: Razorfish

Delta is launching a new advertising campaign called “Up” that is all about upping the ante in travel with the airline. The Razorfish creative team leveraged the unique, creative campaign and content of “Up” to conceptualize a Windows 8 Ads in Apps concept for Delta in the NBC News app that is an intuitive, contextually relevant and immersive experience, which is ideal for a tablet. When in the NBC News app, a user can initiate the ad by touching on the Delta tile so that it expands up the screen. The user can swipe ‘up’ to continue a visual journey of a travel experience—from checking in at the airport, to bags going up the ramp, until the plane is up in the sky—that is simple and aspirational. Once the experience is closed, users are returned to the NBC News app content.

Finish Line in the LA Times (sports section) – Agency Partner: Big Spaceship

Big Spaceship came up with a simple, yet compelling concept for Finish Line called, "Elements Change, Running's Eternal." The Big Spaceship team was excited about how Windows 8 encourages advertisers to create ads that deserve attention, rather than simply shouting messages, blinking repeatedly or interrupting people. As a result, the Windows 8 Ads in Apps concept for Finish Line is beautiful and fun to explore. In the sports section of the LA Times app, the Finish Line ad opens into a panoramic format that show a day in the life of a female athlete who loves to run. The concepts encourages people to follow her journey while showcasing Finish Line products through strategically placed “hot spots” on the runner that allows people to touch to learn more.

Ford Fusion in Chicago Tribune (business section) – Agency Partner: Team Detroit

Team Detroit created a Windows 8 Ads in Apps concept for Ford Fusion’s new ad campaign that leveraged the consumer-first architecture of Windows 8 to tell a story and present content in a way that is non-intrusive and within the context of what the consumer wants and when. The team created an advertising concept with a dynamic background that is subtle and contextual, and empowers the user to control their brand experience. Shown within the Chicago Tribune app, as consumers scroll left to right, they see environmental changes in the background that are brought to life through dynamic layering of elements and timeline based animation with three advertisement spots highlighting various components of the Ford Fusion story.

Jeep in AccuWeather – Agency Partner: Universal McCann

Universal McCann/Sapient created a dynamic Windows 8 Ads in Apps concept for Jeep within the AccuWeather app that speaks to how its new vehicle is ready for all weather. Once inside the AccuWeather app, the user scrolls through the content to the right until they come to the end and ‘bump’ into the Jeep ad, which features engaging animation and a beautiful experience that encourages users to click. Once a user engages, the Jeep ad expands to a full-screen experience where the user can thumb through informative text, graphics and video elements.

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers in Slacker Radio App – Agency Partner: Y&R Group

Pepperidge Farm is looking to expand beyond its typical moms audience to reach teens – which is known as challenging to connect with in general. Y&R identified Slacker Radio as an ideal publishing partner to reach teens in their environment, and developed a Windows 8 Ads in Apps concept featuring a branded experience without having to leave the app. Y&R had to make it more than just awareness – with teens it’s all about selling indirectly to them to get them engaged. The team created the “Music Visualizer” with Goldfish Crackers that can play or work with any kind of music within the Slacker Radio app. The Goldfish crackers jump and literally dance to the music based on the beat/sound wave experience.

The pairings were determined through ongoing conversations between the agencies, brands and publishers with the goal of matching like-minded audiences and creating organic, contextually relevant experiences. For instance, Jeep partnered with AccuWeather because weather is inherent to the driving experience and it mapped perfectly to their new all-weather, all-terrain Jeep vehicle.

These concepts showcase how digital advertising can be more interactive and revolve around customer-initiated experiences that can be beautiful, relevant and useful. Our agency partners already agree that the potential for creative innovation is great – just see what they had to say.

“Microsoft has over 1.3 billion customers… if you’re a global brand, Microsoft is the most relevant player in that ecosystem. They’re ones that you really have to partner with. I think Windows 8 is going to be that next evolution.” Eric Baumgartner, Chief Innovation Officer, Y&R Group

“Windows 8 allows us to tell stories …over a long period of time. It doesn't have to be a single or a one-hit wonder. …The ad formats are innovative, breakthrough, not too overt. It’s about connecting, and the ability to make an impact.” David Cohen, SVP, Universal McCann Interactive

“The way that Windows works is changing the very definition of an [agency] team today.” Margaret Cziesler, National Lead, Strategic Alliances, Razorfish

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of Advertising Week!

Stephen Kim, General Manager of Yarn (formerly Global Creative Solutions) for Microsoft Advertising

Turning the Page to the Next Chapter: Advertising Week 2012

Shelby Healy - MSFT — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 23:09:00 GMT

Every October, the Microsoft Advertising team joins thousands of ad industry devotees for one very packed week of conversation, creativity and celebration in New York City for Advertising Week. Like every attendee, we’re really looking forward to joining the festivities and as always meeting all of you in the city that never sleeps. While we’re all awake, be sure to make room in your calendar, pick up that second (or third, or fourth coffee) and make it a point to join us for some learning, winning and of course, celebrating with these Microsoft Advertising sessions and events:

During the week, we’ll be posted up in the Ad Week Experience Center at the Times Center every day showcasing what’s next with Windows 8. On Monday, Dr. Qi Liu will be speaking at IAB MIXX on the New Era of Digital Advertising and we’ll also be hosting a special IAB MIXX workshop on how brands can best work with Skype.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, be sure to join us in the Times Center at 2:00 each day, where we’ll present three thought leadership sessions. We’ll kick off the first session Tuesday with a conversation about the opportunity Windows 8 ad formats can provide, demonstrating how Windows 8 can unlock deeper consumer engagement than we’ve ever had before. Speakers include Keith Lorizio, Vice President, U.S. Sales & Marketing, Microsoft Advertising, Stephen Kim, General Manager, Global Creative Solutions, Microsoft Advertising, Neville Manohar, Digital Marketing, Chrysler and Pascal Racheneur, VP Interactive Media, Accuweather

Wednesday, we’ll answer the question, “What Moves You?” In a study conducted by Microsoft Advertising, BBDO and IPSOS OTX, we’ll reveal some eye-opening consumer insights that turn conventional wisdom on its head. This session will feature Natasha Hritzuk , Global Director of Insights and Analytics, Microsoft Advertising and Simon Bond, Chief Marketing Officer, BBDO.

Thursday, we’ll dive deeper with Windows 8 and explore what’s possible on a special panel of brands and agencies who were brought in for an early exercise on what Windows 8 can do for brands. The panel will include Margaret Czeisler, National Lead of Strategic Alliances, Razorfish, Scott Lange, EVP/Executive Creative Director, Team Detroit, David Cohen, Global Chief Media Officer, Universal McCann, Eric Glickman, Creative Director, Y&R and Jeremy Grubaugh, Creative Director, Microsoft Advertising.

And like the last few years, we’ll be the Ad Week Committee and Microsoft Advertising will be hosting the always-sold out Microsoft LIVE! This year, we’ll be welcoming special guest The Soundclash featuring Lupe Fiasco and DJ Sky Gellaty at Webster Hall Wednesday, October 2 at 9 p.m. Don’t have a ticket? Just tweet to win! Follow us on Twitter at @MSAdvertising and tweet to us with the hashtag #MSAadweek to enter to win a pair of VIP tickets or the grand prize – an awesome new tablet running Windows 8. (Be sure to click here for all the great details!) Also be sure to snap a shot of you and your friends at the Swig Social Photo Studio at the event!

Of course, our social team will be on Twitter, Facebook, on-camera interviewing, blogging and mingling all throughout Advertising Week with cameras in hand so be sure to say hello in the old fashioned social way – in person! Can’t make it? Stay in the loop on our Advertising Week Microsite.

We can’t wait to see you in New York City and have a great time at Advertising Week!

Shelby Healy – Microsoft Advertising