LONDON, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft
Advertising announced Tuesday that it has been chosen by Emirates
Airline and its media agency Havas Media Group as one of the key
partners for its global brand campaign. The large-scale campaign
spans 25 markets and runs across services including MSN, Xbox,
Windows 8 and Skype on four different screens (PC, TV, tablet and
mobile). The campaign aims to raise brand awareness among a target
audience of football fans by driving views of the hero video —
created by BBDO — featuring footballing legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Pele aboard Emirates'
flagship aircraft, the Airbus A380.
This new campaign, which launched on March 28 at an event in Madrid and will run until April 21, leverages a variety of ad formats and
interactive technologies, such as touch and Kinect, to offer the
optimal brand experience on the screen and service the consumer is
enjoying. The campaign will deliver over 400 million impressions
around the globe.
As part of the deal Microsoft will design the Emirates Airline
page on the MSN World Cup channel in the majority of markets
involved in the campaign, featuring specially designed page skins
and takeovers. Other key value-ads offered by Microsoft include
building out the creative, translation, and investing in research
of the campaign effectiveness.
"For this digital campaign, we were looking at reaching as many
customers across as many platforms as possible. We chose Microsoft
as one of our partners for this campaign because of the multiple
touch points it was able to offer," said Christopher Galanto, Emirates senior vice
president, Advertising. "As a global airline, we wanted a partner
with a truly global reach to emphasize our global brand presence.
We were also attracted to Microsoft's ability to offer consistent
formats across markets with the reassurance of a brand-safe
environment."
"Emirates came to us with the challenge of opening up its
premium brand to a wider audience, both for this brand campaign and
beyond," said Frank Holland, CVP
Microsoft Advertising & Online. "Specifically, through views of
the hero video it wants to raise brand awareness among a younger,
tech-savvy demographic increasingly accustomed to frequent
traveling: the business travelers of tomorrow. Microsoft's ability
to offer a seamless experience for these consumers across
platforms, screens and markets means that we are able to provide a
valuable brand connection to the target demographic wherever they
are and on whatever device they are using."
The campaign will use the following activations to reach
consumers across the Microsoft network:
- On MSN, the campaign features a full homepage takeover in all
markets (excluding Japan).
- On Skype, there is a masthead-format homepage takeover
featuring a 10-second sneak peek of the video, where the user can
click through to view the full film.
- On Xbox the in-banner video is activated by a user-initiated
action and can be expanded to full video when selected.
- On Skype, the campaign will be featured through a mobile banner
that will take the user to the full video when clicked upon.
- On Windows 8, the campaign will be featured throughout key apps
including Skype, Xbox, Bing News, Bing Sports, Bing Weather, Bing
Food & Drink, Bing Travel, Bing Finance, and Bing Health &
Fitness.
The campaign is running in 25 markets: Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy,
Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South
Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, United
Kingdom, United States,
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt
and Oman and has been translated
into 12 languages. Once users have watched the video they are
prompted to click through to the Emirates World Cup microsite
featuring an extended feature with the two footballing stars and a
visual walk-through of the new Airbus A380.
Efficacy of the campaign will be investigated by two research
projects: Nielsen will research the uptick in brand awareness,
favorability and purchase intent in France, Germany, Italy, Spain
and the United Kingdom, and
Microsoft's own Consumer Insights team will undertake an engagement
study in the United States.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide
leader in software, services and solutions that help people and
businesses realize their full potential.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.