“A tsunami in surfing is a thrilling prospect, but the tsunami in business is terrifying” – Quicksilver Ceo, Bob McKnight.
With the current economic climate brands are seeking more efficient ways to meet their bottom line. In many cases this boils down to balancing lower costs, while still trying to find innovative ways to maximize performance. Through Microsoft’s “People Ready” campaign they have put together a series of animated commercials that illustrate how their business solutions provide ways to navigate a tough economy. This 30 sec. clip is a very engaging and creative look (voice-over by Bob Mcknight) on how they provide technology to help businesses save their bottom line:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6IMF61ln0&hl=en&fs=1]
“You have to do things at the speed of light to stay ahead of the wolfpack” - Quicksilver Ceo, Bob McKnight.
To compete in these times brands have be smarter, faster & stronger. An integral part of that is telling brand stories that people and business can connect to. I think this is what this whole Microsoft “People Ready” campaign is all about.
To brands that weather the storm,
http://www.jessemillsonline.com
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I like that little commercial. The mantra “its everybody’s business” is a clever one to induce people to work together, however i get the sense that within a lot of corporations the mundane employee feels contrary to the senior executives.
This is a horrible collision of metaphors, painful to watch. So some guy’s surfing on a tsunami at the speed of light just ahead of a pack of wolves? Sometimes I think one can be successful at business simply by keeping up with the current clichés.
Not painful to watch at all. Its the truth, granted I feel what he’s
saying. One can be successful and established by keeping up with
cliches*, trends or whatever you want to call it…but honestly, what
are the odds? You have to move quick to stay ahead of the game.
That’s just the way it goes! Especially in the business sector. The :30 sec clip makes perfect sense.
CF
Probably one of the worst ads ever. Painful to watch. Depressing style. Make Microsoft look like a loser company. The agencies really are filled with art school drop outs at best. Completely reflects the culture (in a negative way). Aesthetically like nails on a chalkboard.
Simplicity is significant in the success of global business leaders. Well thought strategies and executions must evolve from a simple idea first that convey a comprehensive message. These ideas are the types that are transferable from the board room to consumers alike but, are practical analogies that we all can relate to.
I LOVE THIS COMMERCIAL I searched everywhere for it because I didn’t know who’s it was. So glad I found it here.
Cannot agree more that this is one of the worst ads of all time. Its attempt at breezy familiarity with hip biz-slang comes off looking equally desperate and clueless. The cliche diarrhea that spews out of both sides of the dialog does in fact perfectly reflect the culture of style over substance and “design-by-committee” that MS is now inextricably branded with. What is the point of this ad? Even as someone who is familiar with MS products (and Quicksilver, specifically) I have no clue what information this ad is attempting to convey, other than “MS is a decrepit, dying juggernaut that is bankrupt of ideas at every level but still has enough cash to buy ad time by the metric ton”. There are so many bad ads out there, but this one offends me to a degree that even I find alarming.
“A tsunami in surfing is a thrilling prospect…”
The 2004 tsunami killed nearly 300,000 people and displaced over 1,000,000 others. That’s what the CEO thinks is thrilling for a surfer? This commercial is an embarrassment for anyone associated with it.
A little research will reveal that the prospect of surfing a REAL tsunami is not “thrilling”, but deadly. Public agencies are trying to distribute pamphlets to surfers informing them of this, but this little gem of a commercial will probably lead to surfer deaths.