At Advertising Week, Making Ads Entertaining

If you’re into advertising, New York City is the most exciting place to be on the planet today as Advertising Week kicks off!  And even though I’ve been here many times before with Viacom and MTV Networks, this is my first with Microsoft.  There has never been a more exciting time to be in our business. Consumers are in control and engaging and participating with brands in a totally different way. 

There are some dynamic trends in marketing that I am looking forward to exploring and sharing at Ad week.   I really feel we are entering what I am calling Digital Advertising 2.0, where we push to innovate the ad experience in the digital environment.  Some of the best marketing campaigns are when ads become entertainment themselves, (ads that don’t feel like ads) and then have a life of their own as the consumer becomes passionate about the content of the advertising itself.  Look at what happened with Old Spice.  Digital advertising is becoming a critical component of the overall story that brands are trying to tell and for me personally, I am thrilled to be able to use my entertainment and content experience.

During Ad Week, Microsoft will be showcasing media experiences that audiences love and the distribution channels empower — including our consumer products from Kinect to Windows Phone 7.  Wait until you see the Chevrolet Volt campaign on Kinect for Xbox 360, which lets people actually drive the new Volt in the game Kinect Joy Ride

I’ll  be active at Advertising Week on panels, presentations and no doubt a few parties.  Hope everyone enjoys their own unique Ad Week Experience and you are invited to check out more at the Microsoft News Center and the Microsoft Advertising Community blog.

Posted by Carolyn Everson
Corporate Vice President, Global Ad Sales and Strategy, Microsoft

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