Comments on: Best and Worst Microsft Ads in the Same Week http://www.alexhopmann.com/2007/04/19/best-and-worst-microsft-ads-in-the-same-week/ Modern Art makes me want to rock out Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:36:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.6 by: Alex http://www.alexhopmann.com/2007/04/19/best-and-worst-microsft-ads-in-the-same-week/#comment-764 Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:59:08 +0000 http://www.alexhopmann.com/2007/04/19/best-and-worst-microsft-ads-in-the-same-week/#comment-764 I guess that does show that these sort of things are quite a matter of taste. The second ad (the Office one) was brought to my attention by a friend as "what the heck happened to my browser". When the reaction to your ad by someone in your key target market (information worker who uses Office 2003 all day) is that something is broken, I think something is wrong. And to be clear I've heard this from more than one person. I should also add that I do like the concept of trying to show some key functionality of the product. Just in this case the execution feels very poor because the UI mixed in with the web-browser and the MSN UI doesn't work right. MSN's content is not your typical word-doc and doesn't fit right with it. And back when we were starting out OWA for Exchange 2000 we spent months (er, years?) trying to get the meld of Outlook-like UI in a web-browser frame working right. I guess that does show that these sort of things are quite a matter of taste. The second ad (the Office one) was brought to my attention by a friend as “what the heck happened to my browser”. When the reaction to your ad by someone in your key target market (information worker who uses Office 2003 all day) is that something is broken, I
think something is wrong. And to be clear I’ve heard this from more than one person.

I should also add that I do like the concept of trying to show some key functionality of the product. Just in this case the execution feels very poor because the UI mixed in with the web-browser and the MSN UI doesn’t work right. MSN’s content is not your typical word-doc and doesn’t fit right with it. And back when we were starting out OWA for Exchange 2000 we spent months (er, years?) trying to get the meld of Outlook-like UI in a web-browser frame working right.

]]> by: Michael http://www.alexhopmann.com/2007/04/19/best-and-worst-microsft-ads-in-the-same-week/#comment-602 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:50:56 +0000 http://www.alexhopmann.com/2007/04/19/best-and-worst-microsft-ads-in-the-same-week/#comment-602 Really? I'm think the first ad is just ok, nothing too cool or too wrong, but I thought the 2nd ad was pretty innovative and kind of a different approach to web marketing. I thought that it did garner my attention, yet at the same time, it wasn't too annoying, or felt too in your face. And it does what it advertises, shows how Office can do live previews and make the experience a good one. I don't know about you, but I would have said that's a new high in advertising. I'm quite sure that if you looked at some of the other blogs talking about this, they really do like it. Really? I’m think the first ad is just ok, nothing too cool or too wrong, but I thought the 2nd ad was pretty innovative and kind of a different approach to web marketing. I thought that it did garner my attention, yet at the same time, it wasn’t too annoying, or felt too in your face. And it does what it advertises, shows how Office can do live previews and make the experience a good one. I don’t know about you, but I would have said that’s a new high in advertising. I’m quite sure that if you looked at some of the other blogs talking about this, they really do like it.

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