Brand Love Hate

Microsoft Should Hire CP+B

A few weeks back, Ad Age and others reported that Microsoft's search for an agency to handle a new consumer-focused assignment had been narrowed to Fallon and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The original news had some sites guessing that the campaign would be for a new Microsoft product, but the latest update from Ad Week says the work will be for Microsoft mobile, Live and Vista.

I would love to see the Microsoft brands in the hands of CP+B, and hope they win this new project. While Microsoft has some great products, its branding and marketing are less so. The new Zune line is a prime example - the latest models are quite cool, but the ads that went along with them are strange and forgettable. While it's not part of the assignment, CP+B and the Zune would be a great match.

From a creative standpoint, Fallon has a great track record, from the Sony Bravia "super balls" TV ad to BMW Films to the iconic Buddy Lee "spokesdoll." But the work CP+B has done for Mini then VW, as well as for Burger King, is creative, memorable and often hilarious. While none of those words really describe Microsoft (yet), it would be exciting to see what type of impact CP+B could make.

Recruitment Video: Microsoft Campus Recruiting

Microsoft campus recruiting video (Windows Media) starring Ed Helms from The Daily Show, good stuff. Free soda!

Google Employer Brand

I was talking with a co-worker last week and we agreed that Google appears to have the hot employer brand in the technology space, that it's the place software engineers and others in tech aspire to work.  This employer reputation seems to be coming at the expense of Microsoft, which apparently has lost more than 100 employees to Google.  While Google celebrates its "20 percent time" delivering such products as Google News and AdSense, Microsoft is struggling with the perception of its Longhorn/Vista OS and announced a reorganization.  So even though Microsoft and its business lines like Windows and Office are bottom-line successful, Google appears to be winning the talent war.