Reader Bogdana tipped me off to this in a comment on a post about other Microsoft Vista marketing below. This is Clearification, a campaign featuring Demetri Martin of the Daily Show fame for Microsft's new Vista.
The campaign consists of a site with small animated shorts and then an episodic film for which 2 of 6 episodes are currently available.
They're funny and it's pretty easy to see where they're headed. Clearification refers to the ability of Vista to resolve the complication of daily life (as well as the new glass-like interface look). The product is embedded into the 2nd episode, and the Microsoft branding as well as linkage to the Vista homepage is pretty prominent and obvious.
So, all the i's dotted and t's crossed as far as branded content is concerned and it makes me feel better about Microsoft that they've hired Demetri and not censored him (obviously at least). But, it still doesn't work for me.
I'm all for odd combinations, but they ought to bring out surprising AND useful facets about each other. I don't consider the fact that my newest operating system has a great sense of humor an asset (but maybe I don't get it). It doesn't seem to be helping Demetri either.
What do you think?
Friday, December 08, 2006
Clearification, funny but is it any good?
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9 comments:
The Institute for Advanced Personhood (http://www.theiap.org) makes it all worth it.
I'm having a hard time with the trackback here. So did Bogdana http://duckduckgooseandthensome.blogspot.com/
learn about this at his "planning lunch" on Wed? The only "agency" info I could gather was a company (that appears to be unknown to google) called "Not the Carrot," out of Amsterdam. Hmmm, I think Bogdana is/was in Amsterdam.
Can someone offer any insight into the Agency and Interactive company responsible for clearification?
The best quote goes to:
http://www.istartedsomething.com/20061023/clearification-ep2/
Andre P Da Costa Oct 25th, 2006 at 8:18 am
"I am actually beginning to think that Demetri is a Apple user hired by Steve Jobs to sabotage Microsoft and Vista through these utterly useless commercials/campaign."
Another ms microsite:
http://talesofzoltar.com
I am guessing this is a combo of McCann and 72 and Sunny, that's who does MS work
Thanks Adrian. Confirmed from my seattle sources, it was indeed McCann. Obviously this is some of the "more edgy" stuff associated with ms so the campus is a buzz with a youthful vigor. As the Fallon planning group is clearly aware of, "is it any good?" is now the big question. It's weird, millions in marketing budget, wasted media buys, they finally produce "funny" and the only thing that matters is metrics. I guess the only answer for now is, "We will see."
I think it's the age-old tactics of brand brush-off. You're uncool but hope by becoming associated with something cool it will brush off on you. MS will probably never drop their bland corporate-style communication nor will they reconsider their product strategy because, really, they own the lion's share of the market and will not renounce that for a cooler niche audience. but they are obviously striving to speak to the MS haters as well. Made you think for a second didn't it?
They don't get it. MS just doesn't get what' cool. The films are boring. And look like very sad attempts to be like the Mac. This is so sad.
Mekanism out of SF created the campaign. Demetri and I wrote the story and I directed it. Are you sad because this is a fresh campaign with a msft logo on it?
Mekanism is the brainchild of this campiagn. 72 and Sunny had nothing to do wiith it. Mccann served as a middleman between mekanism and MS.
www.mekanism.com
So, all the i's dotted and t's crossed as far as branded content is concerned and it makes me feel better about Microsoft that they've hired Demetri and not censored him (obviously at least). But, it still doesn't work for me.
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