David Brent schools employees of Microsoft

We posted these once before, a long time ago—Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's mock training videos for Microsoft's U.K. employees, filmed in 2004, with Gervais hilariously reprising his role as David Brent from The Office. A must-watch if you've never seen.

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Founding Fathers good with Microsoft Word

Here's a recent Microsoft Word 2010 spot that shows historical figures using social media—a popular theme lately. This time, it's the Founding Fathers, who use Word to craft the Declaration of Independence. Dead-person endorsements aside, the most "revolutionary" thing I see in the spot is the chat window built into the program. That feature would have been a better fit for Word 2007, mainly to distract people from how awful the UI was. But seriously, does everything need a goddamn chat window? And wasn't it John Adams, not Samuel, who helped write the Declaration? A quibble, yes, but it's either that or confront the room elephant that is a multinational corporation invoking revolutionary nostalgia for one of its overpriced consumer products. Thomas Jefferson would be appalled. I always figured him for an OpenOffice guy, anyway.

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Microsoft taunts Apple over Blu-ray support

Now that Apple's Mac vs. PC ads have run their course, it's only fitting that Microsoft makes one. Way to keep up, guys.This video, touting the built-in Blu-ray player on Windows 7 (something even the latest Macs lack), was posted to Windows' YouTube page, and as you'll see, it's not a bad piece of stop-motion by any means. But given the timing, the sentiment is kind of ridiculous. It's almost like watching Mallard Fillmore respond to America (The Book).

Filed under Apple, Blu-ray, Kiefaber, Microsoft, Technology
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Droga5, Bing play location game with Jay-Z

Droga5 has devised a location-based scavenger-hunt game to promote Jay-Z's upcoming memoir, Decoded. Giant pages are showing up in places mentioned on those actual pages in the book—all relevant in some way to Jay-Z's life. The people who discover them first can "claim" them via text message, and then "decode" them online, with help from Microsoft's Bing search engine. The pages will pop up in unconventional public areas like swimming pools and clothing racks (something IsReads has been doing to great effect). It's a very cool campaign, marred only by the grand prize—two tickets to see Jay-Z and Coldplay. That stretches the concept of winning awfully far. See a few more images, from pages already found, after the jump.

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Filed under Bing, Book marketing, Droga5, Kiefaber, Microsoft, Music
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Old Spice guy fooling around with Microsoft

It's one thing when someone rips off your commercials. It's quite another when they take the actor and his whole routine as well. Judging by this video, Isaiah Mustafa is showing no loyalty to Old Spice and is on board for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch in Australia. In the spot, he identifies himself as "the most talked-about man on the Internet." Mustafa isn't shameless enough to do his "Look up, look down" routine, but many of the I'm-so-beefcake affectations are identical. One difference is that Microsoft treads very carefully when it comes to the product, with Mustafa only elliptically referring to "the biggest thing to ever happen to the way you communicate with and connect to the people you care about most." He adds a twinkle when referring to "window." My guess is Procter & Gamble and Wieden + Kennedy are none too happy about this, but it appears they've already moved on from the "I'm on a horse" routine in favor of Ray Lewis. I fear that if Mustafa's acting career doesn't take off, he'll be reprising this same shtick in 20 years when he's gone all soft with age.

Filed under Australia, Microsoft, Morrissey, Old Spice
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Windows phone doesn't like to be looked at

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 introductory campaign, by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, shows folks who are so immersed in what's on their mobile screens, they're blissfully disconnected from the world around them. This shouldn't be surprising—the phone's announcement video last winter showed a woman engrossed in her Windows phone while traversing a city on foot. But now, they've reversed the messaging. The oblivious people is the new spots aren't using the Windows device; they're using rival phones—which the Windows phone will, according to the spots, somehow "save us" from. I suppose that's a noble idea. Personally, I don't really want to be saved! Reality, by and large, sucks. I'd rather not pay attention to the drab cubicle walls, the insides of grimy subway cars and the vomit on the sidewalk. Thanks, but I'll take my apps! And as for Donovan's omninous "Season of the Witch" as a soundtrack for the spot below—that's best used in spots for incense, Halloween tours of Salem, Mass., and remastered versions of Donovan's Greatest Hits. A second new Windows phone spot after jump. Via AgencySpy.

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Filed under Crispin Porter, Gianatasio, Microsoft, Telecom
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New Bing ads rethink classic movie scenes

Having conquered telenovela parody, Microsoft's Bing ads are heading into adaptations of classic movies. The new Thelma & Louise and Easy Rider ads from JWT (the second is posted after the jump) both play off the same gag of how much easier those characters' lives would have been if they'd had Bing mobile's restaurant reviews and maps. Granted, they would have also needed cell phones, which were still a ways off, so the conceit here is a little ridiculous. But that doesn't mean I'm not curious to see how Bing would have impacted, say, The French Connection.

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Ironically, Microsoft's Kin found few friends

The Microsoft Kin, known for its creepy, hilariously unsubtle quest-for-the-meaning-of-friendship ads, has been discontinued six weeks after its launch. The developers have been shuttled onto Microsoft's Windows 7 Phone project, where they'll import "valuable ideas and technologies from Kin," but otherwise never speak of it again. The product's spectacular failure has been blamed on everything from ineffective marketing to moral outrage over "sexting." Others make a good case that pricing was the main culprit, since charging $99.99 (alongside a $30 monthly service fee) for a social networking phone that couldn't download apps, access Twitter or use GPS was a rip-off—especially when ads suggested it was intended for tech-savvy hipsters. Whatever the cause of its demise, one thing we can all agree on is that ads for the Kin were terrible. And if any of the folks in Rosa's network razz her about diskinnected, they're not real friends.

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Microsoft's Kin ponders nature of friendship

Microsoft has created a series of webisodes for its Kin social-networking cell phone. They're meant to test friendships. And by "friendship," I mean the new definition of it that social networking has created. The slogan, "For your Friends, 'friends' and FRIENDS," makes more sense in three different fonts, but you get the idea. So, they picked a girl named Rosa, who has more than 800 friends across her networks, and sent her to meet them all in person and find out if they actually are her friends. The intro is posted below; the first six webisodes are posted after the jump. So far, we've watched Rosa make her way through the guy who uses chat to pick up women, her mom, the friend she never met, the job contact she failed to make, and the poker—you know, the guy who pokes. It's not just an ad campaign; it's a documentary on social media in (soon-to-be) 15 parts. At times touching and inspiring, it actually makes me want to try the same experiment. After all, no one ever said relationships that are made online have to stay there.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

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Bing takes its anti-Google chaos to the U.K.

The guy in Microsoft Bing's new UK spot — the first in a series that builds on JWT's American campaign — is kind of like a young Rowan "Mr. Bean" Atkinson. Is that a good thing? Yes it is, and he excels at acting out the part of "Information Overload," confusingly tossing off random and unhelpful bits of information. He name-checks '70s art-rocker Bryan Ferry ("Love Is The Drug") and howler monkeys in the same sentence, which is a feat that most search engines would actually be hard-pressed to match. The scene escalates into a monkey-screaming mob, but it's still not as freaky as the U.S. version's cacophony of crazy. No one does mass hysteria like us Yanks. Via Adland.

 —Posted by David Gianatasio

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Exit reality entirely with the Windows phone

I'm starting to think that if phones get any smarter, pickpockets will be able to retire by 30. Believe it or not, there was a time when people walked the streets with at least a vague awareness of the world around them. Then came headphones and, even worse, cell phones, which turned the world’s urban pedestrians into self-absorbed, inconsiderate drones. Now, Microsoft is hoping to complete the transformation with its new Windows 7 Series Phone. According to a preview video (posted below) smuggled out of the Mobile World Congress this week, Microsoft's entry into the smart-phone arena is perfect for those who want to browse multiple apps simultaneously, listen to music, watch videos and even take pictures of themselves—all while traversing a major metropolis on foot. I realize this is just a visual metaphor for how the new Windows phone "moves at the speed of life" or whatever, but maybe it's also time to ask ourselves how completely we really want to be jacked into the Matrix every time we leave the house. An all-encompassing digital experience is fine and good when you're in the safety of your own living room, but must we celebrate the idea of detaching from reality at every possible opportunity? If so, maybe we deserve whatever unwelcome surprise fate has in store, whether it's a purse-snatcher, an open manhole or just the public humiliation of walking full speed into a parking meter.

—Posted by David Griner

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Microsoft Office icons spoon Apple fanboys

It must be awkward doing marketing for Microsoft at Macworld. Many of the attendees obviously have an abiding hatred of anything from Redmond. But Microsoft tries. Its Macintosh business unit is unleashing a touchy-feely Valentine's Day campaign at Macworld this week to show that Microsoft truly loves those who forsake Windows. The most terrifying aspect is a "love den" where attendees are invited to snuggle with people wearing Office-icon costumes. The mascots are also roaming the show offering candy and hugs. That's creepy, and the frisky PowerPoint guy with the orange pants and roaming hands is just asking for a lawsuit. Wexley School for Girls created the campaign.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Filed under Apple, Microsoft, Morrissey, Wexley School for Girls
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Microsoft's Dr. Bing film opens at Sundance

Microsoft worked with Interbrand to come up with the name Bing for its search engine. It's supposed to evoke the "aha" moment of finding what you're looking for (and no, it has nothing to do with Chandler Bing from Friends). The name provoked plenty of chatter when Bing launched. But perhaps the most unexpected feedback came from a 99-year-old man named Richard J. Bing, a retired cardiologist who wrote to Microsoft asking if he could help in any way, seeing as how they'd used his name. Long story short, Microsoft paid a visit to Dr. Bing, helped him celebrate his 100th birthday in October, and with the help of CAA and director Nicholas Jasenovec, created a short film about him called Para Fuera (posted below), which just premiered at Sundance. Bing charmingly tells stories from a century spent on this planet. His remarks about Charles Lindbergh's "misguided" political views are well taken, and his gentle perspective on aging is more than welcome. It was wise of Microsoft to honor him this way, too. Some of them will need heart surgery eventually, and at this rate, Dr. Bing will still be alive when that day comes.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

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Use Bing, and get chomped on by a vampire

As I've noted in regard to infomercial spoofs, you can always leave it to advertisers to seize on a cultural trend, typically six months late, and beat it to death. Or in the case of vampires, suck all the blood out. No less than Microsoft, which has been called worse things than a bloodsucker by its rivals, is playing into this with the new Bing spot above. It shows the typical vampire type guy—greasy, long hair, severely manicured goatee—about to feast on an unsuspecting fawn after she uses Bing to find a place to eat that's suitably dark for his tastes. I'm actually surprised more advertisers haven't gone vampire for the Halloween season.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Previously on AdFreak:
'True Blood' posters stake out new territory
Bing keeps you from being a blithering idiot

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BK unveils septa-patty Windows 7 Whopper

Burger King in Japan is so thrilled about Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system that it's cooked up a giant seven-patty Whopper in honor of it. According to Engadget, it will be available for seven days only, and the first 30 customers can buy it for 777 yen (that's about $8.50). For latecomers, it will cost 1,450 yen (about $17). It's not clear whether the sandwich will make it to the U.S., where rogue BK employees now seem lame for making four-patty "Quoppers" for their friends.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Live-action 'Halo' trailer delivers ass-kicking

Last year, when Blizzard came out with its Lich King expansion, I pointed out that video games now need two trailers—one to capture the essence of the experience, and one to show the actual gameplay. Bungie Software and Microsoft have been releasing gameplay trailers for the Halo 3: Orbital Drop Ship Troopers prequel at the conventions (here's E3's) throughout the year, but now that ODST is dropping on Sept. 22, they've released the cinematic live-action trailer above, which truly brings the fiction of ODST into reality. The trailer, courtesy of T.A.G. in San Francisco, comes complete with a timeless musical selection, multinational story line (it gets a little tiresome when only Americans kick ass) and impressive attention to detail, like authentic Halo assault rifles in the 21-gun salute (yes, I noticed). Once you've watched it through, you'll feel like you just mainlined gamer crack, and you'll understand why fans have already started calling for a Halo movie (there'll supposedly be one in 2012).

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

See also:
Any day now, 'Halo' fans shall be released

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Microsoft ads not quite as diverse in Poland

Don't really want that black guy in the overseas version of your ad? Just Photoshop him out! Compare the English-language version of the company's business productivity infrastructure site with the Polish-language version. The Asian guy miraculously survived, but only a small portion of the black guy remains. They forgot to Photoshop out his hand. Via Engadget. UPDATE: In a Twitter post, Microsoft has apologized for its "mistake" and says it's going to take the photo off the Polish site. UPDATE 2: The same photo, with the black guy, now appears on both sites.
 
—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Europe, Microsoft, Nudd, Technology
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Microsoft takes off with giant-water-slide ad

The category of obviously-fake-but-funny-anyway stunt videos has another proud member in this Microsoft clip from Germany, showing a dude catching major air while launching himself down a water slide and off a big ramp. The people pouring the water down the slide at the beginning are a nice touch. In the more specific category of fake-ramp humor, it joins this BMW video, also from Germany, in which some guys build a giant ramp to literally launch a new vehicle over to the U.S. Via Adrants.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

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Bing's lame jingle starts nice little squabble

Is it possible to have a three-way online flame war in which everyone wins? Apparently so. The battle in question began brewing Wednesday, when Microsoft announced the winner of its first Bing Jingle Contest. The winning entry, above, was created by Jonathan "Rock Cookie Bottom" Mann as part of his mission to write and post a new song each day. TechCrunch blogger MG Siegler took issue with the track in a post headlined "Bing Has Succeeded ... In Finding The Worst Jingle Ever." Mann fired back with another song, below, that supposedly mocked Siegler but in fact made the blogger's writing sound downright lyrical. Then, Michael Arrington weighed in, because he just can't help himself, and Siegler claimed victory on a technicality. None of which really matters. What matters is Microsoft got tons of free publicity for Bing, Mann got a record number of views for one of his songs, and Siegler discovered his accidental songwriting skills. Now come on, everybody. Group hug!

—Posted by David Griner

See also:
Microsoft's Bing prepares to save the world
Bing keeps you from being a blithering idiot

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This year's desktop-computing blockbuster

I've been excited for this since the teaser came out, and hoping Jerry Seinfeld wasn't going to star in it. Now, Traffik and Microsoft have finally released the full trailer for the spy-themed Office 2010: The Movie. The plot? Our agent's partner, Clippy, is dead. The people responsible have released a new rogue font! It's up to our hero to find it. They've clearly been influenced by some sources, like CollegeHumor's font conference and the original spy-themed Windows 386 ad that had everyone singing, "I'm using Windows, Windows, Windows 386!" (at 2:19, Bond music at 6:16). But basically, I think it's awesome. Unfortunately, the Web site doesn't live up to the hype. If you ask me, Microsoft needs to fully commit to this concept if it's going to work. Do all the tutorials in action-movie style—it will actually make people want to watch them. Turning boring office work into the action movie we wish we were living is a big idea for those of us using Windows for eight hours at a stretch, disconnected from the effects of the data we crunch. So, go ahead and make that moronic video on how to run Text to Columns more entertaining. It's really the least you could do.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Cullers, Microsoft, Technology
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Bing keeps you from being a blithering idiot

Microsoft and JWT wasted no time in following up their introductory Bing commercial that we wrote about last week. In these three ads, the new "decision engine" is posed as the cure to a new disease called "Search Overload Syndrome," also known as S.O.S. Ha, clever! (Microsoft is all about curing people these days. Its new Internet Explorer spots treat the freaky disorders F.O.M.S. and S.H.Y.N.E.S.S.) Symptoms of S.O.S. include getting distracted by unrelated links and reciting meta tag descriptions in response to loved ones' queries. I like the spots—they're right on Microsoft's brand promises of productivity, efficiency, etc. But I always thought getting lost with other links was part of the fun of Google. (These ads are almost anti-curiosity, actually.) When I think about it, though, I do waste an impressive amount of time exploring unrelated links. If Microsoft could invent Bing-epedia, my productivity could truly soar.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

Filed under Bing, Cullers, JWT, Microsoft, Search
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Microsoft's Bing prepares to save the world

Here we have a breaking campaign from a giant global company that's struggling to compete in a brutal market. It talks about making "decisions that help us get to the right place at the right time." Out with the old, in with the new. Reinvention. Revving a shiny new engine. But this isn't one of GM's "We're not dead yet!" spots by Deutsch (though there is car footage). No, it's introductory spot by JWT for Microsoft's Bing search engine (sorry, decision engine). Oh, I know the campaigns have vastly different purposes and can't be fairly compared, yadda yadda. It's just the similarity of the images and approach ... big-time drama by way of (mostly) stock footage. The Bing ad uses a snippet of Clockwork Orange-style wide-eyed thought-control footage—you know, where the subject is forced to keep his eyes open as images whip past on screen. That represents the chaotic state of digital information overload. A new search engine (sorry, decision engine) and a bunch of new commercials won't add to that, surely.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Filed under Bing, Gianatasio, GM, JWT, Microsoft, Search, Technology
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Has Microsoft paid for your new laptop yet?

Here's yet another new "Laptop Hunters" ad by Crispin Porter + Bogusky for Microsoft. It shows soon-to-be law student Lauren (a different Lauren than the one in the first ad) and her mom Sue, who want something fast and portable, with a good battery, for less than $1,700. Given that they're looking for the most basic possible elements of a laptop computer, finding one shouldn't have been hard. But again, they were turned off by the Mac's steep price. After somehow passing up on a pink computer, Lauren ends up with a Dell, which is quite portable, as she'll find out when the hard drive and memory cards give out and she needs to send it back for repairs.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Crispin Porter, Kiefaber, Microsoft, Technology
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More Microsoft laptop hunters on the prowl

In its ongoing effort to rehabilitate the nerdy, bureaucratic image cemented in consumer minds via the Apple ads, Microsoft has released a couple more "Laptop Hunters" commercials from Crispin Porter + Boguksy. (The first one starred "Lauren" and took place mostly on a grassy knoll.) The spot above achieves its everyperson vibe by featuring an 11-year-old boy whose mom calls him "dude." Well, at least he's a wholesome-looking kid with a healthy aversion to "cute" laptops that have software compatibility issues. Normally, anyone under 17 who's seen asking about a good gaming computer does so in between calling people "fags" over his Xbox Live headset. I can't see little Jackson behaving that way. I still feel bad for him, though, because middle school can't be easy when your mom's that hot.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Apple, Crispin Porter, Kiefaber, Microsoft, Technology
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Microsoft vanquishes hoops-playing beasts

This Microsoft Visual Studio Team System ad, in which a group of developers challenge the Dread Cthulhu Youth League to a game of basketball, certainly didn't endear itself to Copyranter. Or us, really. Saying that "Fast teams score often and deploy early" is all well and good, but it doesn't really apply to what we're seeing, or make much sense on its own. They should develop this into an Xbox 360 game, though. I'd play it.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

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