Microsoft's New Push to Be Cool

chrisn — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:53:00 GMT

By Chris Neiger

Yesterday I read an article on the Fast Company website about advertising genius Alex Bogusky and his new $300 million deal with Microsoft to produce the next ad campaign for the tech giant (read about it here). After I read it, I kept wondering what exactly is wrong with Microsoft's image, how can it be changed and what can Bogusky do to fix it? I have to admit, when I think of Microsoft, I tend to think they're boring.

A Brief Background on Bogusky

If you're unsure who this guy is, maybe you'll recognize some of his work over the past few years. He's built up his ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky churning out the "Truth" campaign ads against smoking, launching Coke Zero with commercials showing Coke suing itself for "Taste Infringement" as well reviving the Burger King brand by bringing back the "King" icon form the 60's; just to name a few. Oh yeah, and the semi-creepy Orville Redenbacher doing his own popcorn commercials came from him too.

His company is known for using viral marketing and the Fast Company article notes several times of a certain cool factor that Bogusky has. Actually, the article is even entitled, "Can Hotshot Ad Guy Alex Bogusky Make Microsoft Cool?" And that, apparently, is what Microsoft is looking for.

Microsoft's Apple Envy

Obviously, there's no denying Microsoft's impact on technology, culture, innovation, etc. but lately they haven't been as successful at branding a good image as rival Apple has (I know I've mentioned Apple several times in the last few blogs, I promise I'll cut back). With the Mac vs. PC ads, the arguably failed launch of Vista in both software and advertising considerations, and the simple fact that not many people like the guy who's king of the hill for long, means that MS may in fact need a few suave pointers to get us interested again. The fact that they hired Bogusky and didn't turn to their go-to ad agency McCann Worldgroup, is a pretty good sign that the company is looking for a change. The question is whether this new ad direction will turn heads and change Microsoft's image from a cigar-smoking fat cat to... I don't know... a young, quick-witted hipster with blue jeans and long hair.

Needs vs. Wants

Although the company has hit a rough patch in the last few months with the whole mess with Yahoo!, causing their stock prices to drop off during that time, the company has still seen 10% profits over the past 5 years and, lest we forget, they still hold 90% of the market for applications and operating systems and Kiplinger.com still had them on their list of "5 Stocks We Love" back in February. Not that I'm defending the giant (this writer still enjoys his aging Powerbook G4 over any new PC he's used and drools over the latest iPhone) but a lot of what I do for my job is done on a PC and chances are you're reading this on a PC right now. So maybe it's just that Microsoft WANTS to bee seen differently, rather than actually NEEDING a new image.

Either way, whatever Bogusky and his co-conspirators come up with will launch sometime next month, and I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with. If they're successful in their campaign, maybe Microsoft can shake off its lameness and start competing in popularity contests with Apple. But until then, I'll continue being enthralled with rival commercials that remind me that Microsoft = Excel and Apple = All things cool.

The iPhone Revolution 2.0

chrisn — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:27:00 GMT

By Chris Neiger

It’s here.

It seems like ever since the first iPhone was launched technophiles and business gurus have been talking about the next generation iPhone and how much better it will be than the first one. Not that the first generation iPhone wasn’t already an interface revolution, graphically ground-breaking, and simply all-together awesome. But the tech-savants knew right away that the iPhone needed the already available, reliable and fast 3G wireless network in order to be a serious contender with the likes of BlackBerry and other smart phones dominating the market.

Their year of jubilee is finally here. Apple will start selling the second generation iPhone on July 11th and are shooting for a projected sales bonanza of selling 10 million in 2008 (the first iPhone has sold six million to date).

Let’s take a brief look at the iPhone’s new threads:

3G Wireless Technology: I already mentioned this, but what it means for users is that their Internet speed on the phone will take a leap from 1990’s dial-up to 21st Century download and streaming capabilities similar to Wi-Fi speeds.

New price: The new iPhone is available for $199 (8 Gig models) and $299 (16 Gig models). A steep drop from the original $600 and $400 a pop for the original.

Build and Purchase Apps: iPhone users will be able to purchase applications for their phone that are built by third-party developers. Apple’s original closed-fisted approach to producing all the software themselves has evolved into a system that will benefit both users and Apple in the long run.

MobileMe: In order to compete more directly with smartphones, Apple has come up with MobileMe, which allows the iPhone to sync with your PC, Mac and other applications and devices. You can check your MS Outlook mail, update your Mac iCal and update your contact list all in one place and have it sync on all your devices. This will be very useful for corporate accounts.

GPS: Another anticipated and sought-after upgrade is the new GPS chip in the new iPhone. Instead of figuring out your location through triangulation like before, the GPS chip allows real time and accurate positioning for directions.

In addition to these new main features, the phone also reads PowerPoint presentations, boasts a longer battery life, and also allows you to take a call, browse the Web and check email all at the same time… for hundreds less than the original.

You Paid WHAT for Your iPhone!?
That’s right, as if the people who waited in line for days and then paid $600 for the original iPhone only to find out two months later the price went down to $400 haven’t had it bad enough already. The new pricing is sure to draw in people who have been put off by the original phone’s prices or haven’t considering purchasing a smartphone in the past.

By creating an innovative machine and selling it at prices that tempt even the best of the money conscious, Apple is positioning themselves to grab a larger share of the cell phone industry… and fast. Currently, Apple only sells their little wonder in six countries; this year they’ll move across the globe into 70 countries faster than you can say Genghis Khan. BlackBerrys beware.

Tech Beat : Tech Beat

Microsoft's New Push to Be Cool

The iPhone Revolution 2.0