Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"HTC Corporation, a global smartphone designer, today unveiled a global advertising campaign that is based on HTC's new Quietly Brilliant brand positioning. As HTC's first global advertising campaign, the YOU campaign is being rolled out across 20 countries in the coming weeks and features the tagline, 'You don't need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.' This represents HTC's commitment to focus on people, their needs and how they work and live to ensure that HTC devices suit them."

With a plethora of new and upcoming devices up its sleeve, HTC has gone mainstream in the marketing department. It's just unveiled its YOU ad campaign that's set to be rolled out in twenty countries. The primary take-home point is that HTC's devices are all about the people (you). Yeah, it all sounds like marketing fluff. Admittedly, I wasn't entirely sold on the idea at first (and at this stage, you probably aren't either), but after watching the TV ads, I'm actually digging the way this campaign is headed. Check them out after the break, then drop your thoughts in this thread.

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Microsoft is starting to promote Windows Mobile phones under their new moniker: "Windows Phone". Here are two commercials that are presumably airing on TV - has anyone seen them yet? Better yet, what do you think of the commercials? Do they hit the mark? Personally, I think they're pretty good - they make the connection that the things people care about the most on their computers can also be found on their Windows Phone. I think Microsoft is going to have an easier time branding the term "Windows Phone" over "Windows Mobile". Now if only Microsoft's Facebook client wasn't so awful...

"Croatives Inc. today announced it is launching beta release of Terrestrica - Location Triggered service for Mobiles with GPS with a possibility of creating multimedia geolocation points and guides and interesting business model based on "On location Mobile Advertising" which allow users to make Revenue from their geo-content. Terrestrica is completely Free for use."

Well, I guess mobile location advertising is coming, and this seems to be the right way to do it - meaning it is voluntary, not thrust upon you by your carrier. (That is coming to I bet). This is totally free, and looks like it might be interesting to play around with.

"Today at Microsoft Corp.’s online advertising leadership forum, advance08, Brian McAndrews, senior vice president of the Advertiser & Publisher Solutions Group, announced the availability of display advertising across two popular Windows Live for mobile services, the launch of new markets for Windows Live for mobile services, and upcoming advertising plans for its Live Search Mobile offering. This marks the first year that mobile advertising has played a leading role at the industry event that brings together some of the most influential thought leaders of the global advertising community. Announced today, advertisers can now extend their campaigns to social media through Windows Live for mobile in France, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. by creating banner ads that will be visible across Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail. This builds upon Microsoft’s initial launch of mobile advertising for MSN Mobile in, France, , Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. where mobile ads are available alongside premium MSN Mobile content. Advertising on Windows Live for mobile is already available in Spain, and later this month will be available in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, further extending its availability for advertisers. All ads placed on these two popular services will adhere to Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) guidelines."



Microsoft has just announced an expansion in the availability of display advertising across its mobile services. You can already see an example of it at http://mobile.live.com/ (screenshot above). I know there's a vocal crowd out there who are strongly against ads in any way, shape, or form, and will go out of their way to block them, but the fact is they are both a direct and indirect source of revenue for many businesses, so denying them that is analogous to stealing. I'm all for mobile advertising - if a business wants to create awareness of their mobile applications and services, they should have a right to do so. My only hope is that given the small displays that mobile devices are endowed with, these ads don't end up being too "in-your-face".