Microsoft's Windows 8 Tablet Ads Touch Up Brand Recall

Microsoft-surface-tablet-AMicrosoft worked with four advertising agencies to make touch part of the brand experience in Windows 8 on Surface tablets. Ad agencies Razorfish, Team Detroit, This is Tommy, Universal McCann and Sapient created the concepts, unlocking storytelling through gesture.

Each of the four ad experiences -- Paramount Pictures film Jack Reacher, Delta, Ford and Jeep -- take advantage of features distinct to Windows 8. The biggest benefit is the ability to touch the image on a large screen. The scenarios and creative executions were not possible before Windows 8; they allow consumers to interact with the ads in new ways.

Adding more senses to the experience will improve brand recall. Since the creative ad experience begins with touch, Razorfish worked with Delta to deliver an "Up" message in the NBC News app. An upward swipe on the page expands the app and launches a visual experience that elaborates on Delta travel.

Universal McCann worked with Jeep to highlight vehicle features in an ad for the AccuWeather app. The ad uses a technique called dynamic layering, relying on visual layers to create changing background effects, such as rain and stormy weather that transition into bursts of sun behind the Jeep.

Slight changes in the background for Ford’s ad in Tribune's app made Team Detroit more dynamic. Color delivers the brand message in this ad unit. As consumers scroll through the ad for Ford Fusion, three units in the foreground highlight the vehicle's key features, while a subtle background sets the mood and experience.

This is Tommy created an ad targeting males for the Paramount Pictures's movie "Jack Reacher" built into the BBC's "Top Gear" app using key elements of the movie as navigational tools. Users see a gearshift that when swiped or traced, opens content windows such as the trailer, photos and screening information.

Experts not only expect higher interaction on tablets from new technology, but also greater clicks and conversions in search engine marketing. Conversion rates on search clicks originating from tablet devices rose 31% last year, and by the end of 2013, Marin Software estimates the conversion rate for searches from tablets will eclipse desktop searches. Rich media display ads will support the experience.

1 comment about "Microsoft's Windows 8 Tablet Ads Touch Up Brand Recall ".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Jim Rowan from Liqwid, February 14, 2013 at 10:14 a.m.

    The Windows 8 touchable environment absolutely brings a new dimension to online advertising. The responsive desktop environment demands a responsive ad unit and a responsive delivery platform and reporting on what dynamically happened in real time. The responsive ad unit cannot simply shrink or expand itself. Rather it must re-arrange its creative elements to fit perfectly in a dynamically changing space by user interaction to provide a complete and high quality ad experience. The Liqwid Ad Technology platform delivers responsive ads into any responsive environment on any device, all while using a single ad unit. Now, the user experience is not about scrolling a fixed page with fixed ad sizes, it is about interacting by touch with a far more dynamic user experience.

Next story loading loading..