Ever wondered whether this is the year of mobile? Listen to Jon Haber from OMD’s Ignition Factory, and tell me this form of connecting with consumers “on the go” hasn’t got a whole lot more exciting over the last 18 months!
Salivating yet?
So this is the longest post I’ve ever written! 
Above is a snazzy infographic our US team designed to demonstrate how “social” the MSN audience is.
In advertising world dominated by the buzz around social media, and budgets drifting that way from “traditional” digital channels, it’s important to show that stalwarts like MSN still have the necessary clout to start and prolong word-of-mouth discussion about consumer products and services.
Read the blog post here where you can get our social media/word-of-mouth research paper.
This year was my 3rd Cannes Lions Festival, and we had a cracking line up and loads to do social media-wise.
On the Tuesday morning I got a call from Ashley saying she was having contractions, so the next day I made the mad dash back to Seattle on 3 planes, only just making each flight.
She was OK, and we’re still waiting for the baby, but I was really proud of the guys on the ground in the south of France who re-grouped and proved I was surplus to requirements.
This is the highlights video which features the best of our participation at this year’s event!
Au revoir!
Shoe manufacturer KSWISS are using the character Kenny Powers from “Eastbound & Down” in their new campaigns to drive people to the Foot Locker stores.
Below you’ll see how they’re using Microsoft Tag to create a more interactive and engaging experience for their customers!
Another video from Cannes. Met Peter through Amanda Groty and Poppy at Hill & Knowlton.
Loved their approach to building their brand, and especially the suprise at just how successful they’d been.
Adore the “simple people….” mantra!
Thoughts?
Another one of my favourite interviews in the Microsoft Ad Vision Series is with Ivan Pollard from Coca Cola.
He used to be group partner at the comms agency Naked.
Fascinating perspective from someone so experienced, all with a dash of humour and self-deprecation…..which we like!
You can read about his presentation at Imagine too.
Can’t see the video? Click Here!
Been very busy over the last few months tracking down and speaking to some of the best in the business advertising and digital marketing thought leaders and luminaries.
Above is 6 minutes of awesome conversation with David Sable, CEO of Y&R.
You can see more below.
This is all part of our Ad Vision series of interviews leading up to the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in Cannes (lucky for some) next month!
Ad Vision – Lili Cheng, Microsoft Fuse Labs on Social Media – Cannes Lions 2011
Ad Vision – Paul Armstrong, Head of Social Media at Mindshare UK – Cannes Lions 2011
Ad Vision – Linda Sawyer, CEO Deutsch – Cannes Lions 2011
Ad Vision – Jeff Hayzlett, Celebrity CMO – Cannes Lions 2011
You can see more on our Microsoft Advertising YouTube Channel too!
My contact form gets a number of workouts every week from people pitching me stuff to write about.
They’re mostly untargeted and often quite dry, but this one caught my eye!
It was sent on the 4th of April so I’m assuming I’m no fool in writing about it.
Apparently 223 homeowners have contacted them as well as 12 businesses, 7 restaurants and 1 church.
Read more here if you want your mortgage paid by Adzookie.
I expect the Queen could recoup the cost of the Royal Wedding in just a few weeks if she signed up.
Whose house would you suggest and why?
Just finished polishing off all our blog posts and videos from this fabulous event.
For more coverage, check out:
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer Remind Imagine 2011 – It’s All About the Story
Jaron Lanier – Frontiers of Augmented Reality and Human Potential – Imagine 2011
Imagine 2011: Jessica Greenwood on Brand Magic
Imagine 2011: Emerging Markets and the Next Billion Consumers – Advertisers Get Ready!
Delivering on the Digital Promise – Qi Lu at Imagine 2011
Imagine 2011: Jeffrey Cole on Screen Time and Digital Future
Mobile Social Next Big Teen Trend – Mimi Ito at Imagine 2011
Imagine 2011: Think Big! Digital Design: Its Delights and Discontents
Imagine 2011: Ivan Pollard Calculates Media + Technology = Meaningful Experiences
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: Connecting Consumer Experiences, Imagine 2011
My boss and close colleague, Jenny and Kaila, have been Tweeting it up in Austin Texas at the 4 A’s and have captured an incredible amount of coverage from the conference.
Take your pick from this extensive list of advertising insight and delight:
ANA President and CEO, Bob Liodice, on FTC’s Do Not Track Proposal
The War for the Living Room is On at Transformation 2011
Social Media Fanatics Share Social Marketing Tips at Transformation 2011
Boomers Game as Much as Teens – Jeffery Cole on Boomer Insights at Transformation 2011
Transformation 2011: Fareed Zakaria, TIME Editor and CNN Host, on Globalization
Transformation 2011: Brand Building with Killer Content
Interview: Keith Lorizio on Agency Relationships at Transformation 2011
They even found the time to throw some photos up on Flickr: Transformation 2011
Looking forward to being on the ground at this fab event next year!
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