REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 29, 2004 — The MSN network of Internet services today announced a creative marriage of several top minds in advertising and high-profile brands as part of the ongoing Creative Connection Program from MSN.
The Creative Connection Program is designed to help traditional advertisers push the envelope of online marketing creative on some of the Internet’s most desirable advertising space. As part of the MSN®
program, three award-winning creative directors selected an existing client with whom they would attempt to test the limits of online advertising. The creative directors and their clients are Kathy Delaney of Deutsch Inc. with Revlon Inc., Ty Montague of Wieden + Kennedy New York with Sharp Electronics Corp., and Paul Levoie of TAXI with Covenant House, the largest privately funded childcare agency in the United States.
“The excitement continues as some of the most brilliant creative minds in advertising, leading brands and MSN together take creative to the next level,” said Eric Hadley, director of sales and marketing at MSN. “The Internet really is the next frontier for marketers, providing sight, sound, motion and interactivity as fresh, dynamic ways to reach consumers. We see the Creative Connection Program as a way for marketers to harness the incredible power of the online medium and redefine how audiences connect with a brand.”
Each of the creative directors and clients taking part in the Creative Connection Program has free reign of the MSN network to develop distinct and innovative campaigns. The creative directors and clients will be better equipped by utilizing the resources and talent offered by the MSN custom solutions team, which already has received accolades for such unique campaigns as the Volvo Digital Garage at http://volvo.msn.com .
The campaigns are slated to begin appearing this fall; online ads will be placed across the MSN network, including on such premium advertising space as MSN Video.
The Creative Connection Program follows the Advertising Accountability research study sponsored by MSN and released this past spring. The study showed that online advertising is a critical part of the media mix. Developed by the research firm Marketing Evolution LLC, the study determined that online advertising lifted sales for targeted consumer packaged goods by 7 percent to 12.5 percent and outperformed other types of media by as much as 30 percent.
About MSN
MSN attracts more than 350 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 39 markets and 20 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com . MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .
About Microsoft
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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