Make a Case for Your Brand†

Study Shows Brand Strength Does Have an Impact on Profitability and Risk

Advertising Age, November 26, 2007 — Have you ever needed to make a case for the brand to the CFO?

If you are like most marketing managers, you base your argument on research demonstrating that loyalty and evangelism can accrue from investments to build brand equity. Perhaps you provide your own consumer-based evidence of the power of branding, using psychological concepts such as perceived value, brand preference or brand awareness and recall.

Unfortunately, these are not ideas that persuade a CFO.

Microsoft and GE: not old & in the way

The annual Breakaway Brands survey of brand momentum has these two lumbering giants in the top ten

FORTUNE, November 12, 2007 — Big blue-chip companies like General Electric and Microsoft do many things well, but showing up on lists of the hottest brands is typically not one of them. Yet these two lumbering giants both made their way onto brand consultancy Landor Associates' annual Breakaway Brands ranking - a comprehensive survey that measures consumer sizzle over a three-year period

Microsoft Bets on Facebook and Web Ad Boom†

Wall Street Journal, October 25, 2007 — Microsoft Corp.'s $240 million investment in Facebook Inc. — a three-year-old company with more promise than profit — represents a huge bet that the online advertising boom will continue and the popular social networking site will be among the biggest beneficiaries.

The software giant said yesterday that it will buy a 1.6% stake in Facebook, beating out Google Inc. after intense lobbying. The deal places a $15 billion valuation on the closely held Palo Alto, Calif., start-up. Facebook, which runs a site where people set up personal Web pages, expects to break even this year, on a cash-flow basis, with revenue of $150 million, according to people familiar with the company.

How To Make A Microserf Smile

While Google was turning heads with its employee perks, an unlikely manager took on morale in Redmond

BusinessWeek, September 10, 2007 — Steven A. Ballmer had an epic morale problem on his hands. Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT ) stock had been drifting sideways for years, and Google envy was rampant on the Redmond (Wash.) campus. The chronically delayed Windows Vista was irking the Microserfs and blackening their outlook. So was the perception that their company was flabby, middle-aged, and unhip

Are Search Ads a Waste of Money?†

Adweek, August 20, 2007 — New research by Microsoft suggests a big chunk of search ad spending is wasted because advertisers pay top dollar for high ad placements clicked by consumers who are en route to their sites anyway. Listings tied to such "branded" keywords, typically a company's name or products, eat up about half of search budgets, Atlas estimates.

Microsoft Storms Madison Avenue†

Agency World Has One More Thing to Worry About as Software Giant Snaps Up Digital Shop

Advertising Age, May 21, 2007 — Madison Avenue, make room for Microsoft.

Last week's $6 billion agreement to buy aQuantive is not just a bid to catch up with Google and Yahoo in ad sales. It also gives Redmond something it hasn't had before: Its very own ad agency.

Microsoft to Move Bulk of Ad Dollars to Digital Channels†

Tells 4A's That Media Mix Will Change By 2010

Advertising Age, March 2, 2007 — It may be dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into an old-school TV campaign for its latest operating system, but Microsoft expects it will move the majority of its ad budget into digital channels within three years.

Oscar Advertisers Could Have Gotten So Much More†

Microsoft, Dove Used Search Effectively to Extend Brand Messages Online

Advertising Age, February 26, 2007 — Forget Martin Scorsese. Microsoft was the big winner at last night's Oscars — online, at least. Microsft's three-part commercial campaign for Windows Vista was deemed the most successful by SendTec, a direct-marketing firm based in St. Petersburg, Fla. President Eric Obeck said he and his team of analysts conducted rudimentary keyword searches after each Oscar ad to see if more information on the campaign could easily be retrieved online.

Road to Digital Dialogue Filled With Potholes†

At iMedia: Marketers Debate Opportunities, Pitfalls of Consumer-Generated Content

Advertising Age, February 7, 2007 — The iMedia Brand Summit in southwest Florida this week focused not on the art of digital marketing but on the art of digital conversation, a timely topic after the Super Bowl aired three consumer-generated ads.