The brief was to come up with a $300 million global campaign to explain MSN's vast, diverse and ever evolving offering. Oh and it had to work in multiple languages. No easy task.
Microsoft had never really used their butterfly logo until I wrote this campaign. I picked up on an interview with Disney Chief Michael Eisner. He noted that it was the friendliest part of the serious and imposing Microsoft Corporation. When I create campaign I always explore proprietary elements and the butterfly worked effortlessly. A butterfly could block junk email, take you shopping, review restaurants, set parental controls for kids, give you a weather report etc etc etc.
This may not be the best campaign in the world but given the brief and all the hurdles it had to clear I'm pretty satisfied. AdAge magazine said in the article below:
'A handful of ongoing campaigns get constant recognition for enduring quality: Nike, ESPN Sportscenter and Mastercard. It's a short list but now comes another metamorphosing before our eyes. We sensed its potential when it made its debut last year. The the little caterpillar of a campaign...
The real genius of the campaign lies in the limitless opportunities for new executions- one of the principal characteristics of a bona fide Big Idea.'
A few years on the MSN butterfly is alive and well. If you look at the last picture you can see it's even been ordained as a Halloween costume. That's pretty cool.
Microsoft had never really used their butterfly logo until I wrote this campaign. I picked up on an interview with Disney Chief Michael Eisner. He noted that it was the friendliest part of the serious and imposing Microsoft Corporation. When I create campaign I always explore proprietary elements and the butterfly worked effortlessly. A butterfly could block junk email, take you shopping, review restaurants, set parental controls for kids, give you a weather report etc etc etc.
This may not be the best campaign in the world but given the brief and all the hurdles it had to clear I'm pretty satisfied. AdAge magazine said in the article below:
'A handful of ongoing campaigns get constant recognition for enduring quality: Nike, ESPN Sportscenter and Mastercard. It's a short list but now comes another metamorphosing before our eyes. We sensed its potential when it made its debut last year. The the little caterpillar of a campaign...
The real genius of the campaign lies in the limitless opportunities for new executions- one of the principal characteristics of a bona fide Big Idea.'
A few years on the MSN butterfly is alive and well. If you look at the last picture you can see it's even been ordained as a Halloween costume. That's pretty cool.
You know you've made an impact when you become a Halloween costume.
