Kylie, she's four and a half

Feb 9, 2009 15:24 GMT  ·  By

How simple is Windows? Well, simple enough that a four-year-old can use it. This is the message that Microsoft is trying to get across with the new phase of its Windows marketing campaign which debuted in 2008. At the bottom of this article you will be able to find the first instance of the new strategy adopted by the Crispin Porter & Bogusky advertising campaign for Windows. The new ad, part of a reported $300 million effort to breathe new life into the Windows brand, went live the past weekend on the Internet, and was scheduled to debut at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.

“Meet Kylie. At just 4 ½, Kylie doesn’t have that much experience with a PC. She’s a rookie. Yet she transferred her photos from her camera, color-corrected them, then e-mailed a snapshot of her pet fish, Dorothy, to her family. All using Windows Live Photo Gallery. It makes fixing and sharing photos easy at any age. Why not try it for yourself?” Microsoft asks. “Kylie proved that fixing and sharing photos is easy with Windows Live Photo Gallery, even if you're a Rookie. Now it's your turn,” the company added.

The latest phase of the Windows marketing campaign is focused on the Windows Live component of the Windows brand. In this regard, Microsoft is focusing on what it's referring to as rookies, in an attempt to demonstrate just how easy it is to use the Windows operating systems, but also components stretching in the Cloud. Despite featuring Kylie playing with Windows Live Photo Gallery, the ad is a more complex, albeit subtle perspective over Windows' device support and sharing capabilities.

The Windows Consumer campaign debuted in September 2008 with a series of ads starring Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The software giant subsequently introduced the Life without Walls concept, and the second phase of the Windows re-branding efforts, which also spawned the “I'm a PC” videos. Kylie also does a variation of the “I'm a PC” just at the end of the commercial.