2009 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Microsoft was launching Windows Server 2008, a product that has been very popular in its earlier versions. They wanted to introduce this product to medium-sized companies across the region. This was a big product that required considerable investment, but we had a limited communication budget because of the large database. We had to come up with a flat DM that would announce this new server to them in an interesting way.

Creative Execution

A CV is the first point of contact between a candidate and a company and we used this to introduce the server/robot. There was a surprise element of this not turning out to be a normal CV from a human being. Therefore, it caught the recipients’ attention in a unique way and at the same time dramatized the unexpected features of the new server.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Globally, Windows Server 2008 had been positioned as a super-powered robot that works tirelessly for companies 24-7. We used this to our advantage. We sent a normal-looking CV to IT managers. It was different in only one way – it was not from a person but from a ‘robot’ - complete with a picture and covering letter asking for an opportunity to work for the company. His ‘work experience’ was based on companies who had successfully deployed this server already. Through the CV, customers were led to the global site where they could read more about this ‘ideal candidate’ online.

Results

The 'CV' was received with a lot of interest and genuine curiosity about the new server, considering this was a flat mailer. The website received over a 500 hits from the database of 1800 it was sent to. So far, 34 companies have unleashed the power of Windows Server 2008 – a huge ROI for Microsoft.