Looking for upbeat economic news? This isn't it.

Sequoia Capital on startups and the economic downturn

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: depression recession)

A pretty interesting Point of View. Looks like Venture Capital may finally realized the days of trendy, gimmicky IPO's for ROI may not return and it's time to focus on fundamentals.... like incrementally building business value over time based on real revenue.

Better ad. But Microsoft sells Windows.

Better than the Seinfeld ad I lambasted, (decent execution)... so what's the new strategy, ignore our products and sell at the category level? "Maybe someday the Microsoft brand will own the 'computer' category." Oh, wait... we already do... and we don't actually sell PC's. Difficult. Hmmm... creative team... another idea please!

There's just nothing worse than defensive advertising as the market leader. Can't someone at Crispin or MS ask one of the marketing interns to look up brand strategy in one of their old college textbooks?

"We're #1, so we try harder." Not really much of a ring to that.

Sell nothing. STRIKE 1. Sell something else. STRIKE 2. Maybe the next ads will have something to do with Windows?

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Seinfeld, Gates & Microsoft: Can we have an idea please?!

OK, I'm starting with a disclaimer: I hate Seinfeld and Microsoft but I do respect Gates as an entrepreneur. Jerry is a no-talent wank, who only benefited from the genius writing of Larry David, as anyone who has watched Curb Your Enthusiasm knows, and Microsoft, is well... Microsoft.

Which is exactly why they need a new brand/ image campaign.



But this commercial is really not good. And the corporate backpedaling/spin control has already begun. From CNET:

===================
Brad Brooks, Microsoft's vice president of consumer marketing for Windows, said Microsoft's pitches will start to get more concrete in about a month, centering on the notion that "Windows stands for living on your own terms."
===================

Wow. Seriously! And I thought there was no idea behind the execution... turns out there's no strategy either. Crispin is either so full of itself, they believe they are in the entertainment business, or MS is so corporate that they got the campaign they deserved. Either way, my agency can deliver no idea for far less than the gazillion $'s behind this horror show.

So that's what it comes down to. I'm jealous. And I believe I could do better.

Even an obvious idea, repeated over and over would be better:

"Windows Opens Doors"

There 10 seconds... can I have 10 million dollars now. Crispin or M$, give me a call and I'll flesh out the idea for you...

Update: Others are beginning to search for an idea here too... Maybe it's about Kinky Sex.

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