This article was published on September 28, 2012

Microsoft to hire graffiti artists for digital Windows 8 ads


Microsoft to hire graffiti artists for digital Windows 8 ads

Hey, it’s Friday. Here’s whats up: Microsoft, perhaps looking for a bit of spice in its advertising curry, intends to hire graffiti artists to create digital ads for its forthcoming Windows 8 operating system.

The following quote from Microsoft, via Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, lays bare the strategy:

With the advent of Windows 8, Microsoft introduces a new advertising canvas. We are kicking the old way of digital advertising to the curb with something fresh, modern, and revolutionary. And we are looking for digital graffiti artists.

The move is not altogether surprising as the company has been chalking up buildings for the Surface for some time now, in a sort of guerrilla campaign to build brand awareness for the tablet range. A new slogan, ‘click in,’ has been shown in the process.

And, as Microsoft previously doodled on sidewalks in favor of Windows Phone, the company has a history of offbeat ad work for its products. Let’s skip Zune examples in favor of time.

What will the impact of these ads be? They could help portray Windows 8 as not just something new, but also fun, in a way that other versions of Windows have not been; Windows 7 for all its merit – and of that it has plenty – is hardly sexy in its durability and function.

Windows 8 on the other hand is visual in new ways, and includes fresh methods of handling both content and apps, thus perhaps better lining up with a paint-the-walls advertising campaign.

When we get our hands on what comes from the ad program, we’ll share it with you.

Top Image Credit: Frédéric BISSON

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