Campaign

Media planners and ad agency creatives—our primary audience—may have considered Microsoft Advertising products in the past, but their current perception is that it’s lagging behind other platforms, with nothing truly new and compelling to offer. Our job was to shift this perception and drive reconsideration of Microsoft Advertising as the platform for digital innovation. We needed to show the innovation, depth, and breadth of what Microsoft Advertising has to offer.

To spark interest we came up with a contest, also promoted by actress, comedian, and writer Felicia Day. Entrants must develop a forward-looking, world-class media plan for the brand or non-profit of their choice. The key judging point being how effectively a campaign plan innovates across the entire Microsoft Advertising platform. The global winner gets a VIP trip to Cannes 2012.

The Microsoft Advertising Story Awards (MSAs) attracted entrants from the world’s top 6 advertising holding companies, representing global brands that included Maybelline, Nestle, O2, WWF, Xbox, Tourism Australia, Orange, Taco Bell, and EA FIFA.