14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is ready to help customers take advantage of the evolution of technology for their advertising needs.
And the company is already gearing up to showcase some advertising innovation at Microsoft’s Imagine 2011 marketing leadership summit.
Fresh opportunities for advertisers are ushered in by the introduction of new platforms, next generation form factors and innovative human computer interaction models.
“Microsoft has a deep drive, commitment, and a lot of great work going on in all of our great brands to let our clients and consumers take advantage of the next generation of technology,” Ballmer emphasized.
One of the core problems that advertisers face today is getting consumers to stop avoiding their ads.
People switch to another channel on their TV, or record shows and skip the commercials. Some install add-ons that block ads online altogether. Others have simply been bombarded with ads to the point where they can successfully tone them down to nothing more than background noise.
Microsoft is promising that there are ways to make ads that consumers will enjoy voluntarily, especially on new platforms such as mobile phones and Kinect.
Darren Huston, corporate vice president of Consumer and Online at Microsoft opines that there is already a shift in advertising underway.
“Now that we have Kinect, what could we do with Pizza Hut to let people order a pizza using their hands, or with Macy’s to let them try on clothing using Kinect?” Huston revealed.
“There’s a ton of innovation happening in our group, and it’s a growing and important part of who we are becoming as a company. It’s an absolutely critical business. We don’t just sell software licenses anymore.”