Microsoft | Internet Marketing Blog

Microsoft warns consumers: don't get Scroogled

Many of the millions of consumers shopping this holiday season will turn to the world's most popular search engine, Google, in search of the perfect gift at the perfect price.

But Microsoft has a message for those consumers: be careful, you might get Scroogled.

by Patricio Robles 29 November 2012 16:24pm 3 comments

2013 will be Microsoft’s year

2013 will be the year that Microsoft becomes relevant once again.

It will begin to use its dominant position on the desktop and in gaming to build an exciting ecosystem that will make Microsoft a compelling choice for consumers, and by extension an increasingly important advertising partner for marketers.

by Andreas Pouros 28 November 2012 08:55am 8 comments

Microsoft, Oprah and the celebrity myth

Looking for a tablet this holiday shopping season? If you are, and you're leaning towards a shiny new iPad, wait just a minute: Oprah wants you to know that she loves the Microsoft Surface. How much does the billionaire media personality love it? According to a tweet she posted this past Sunday, Oprah has already purchased 12 of the devices as gifts for Christmas.

Don't expect Apple to lose any sleep over Oprah's endorsement of Microsoft's Windows 8 tablet: if you believe Oprah posted the tweet in question, she did so from her iPad.

by Patricio Robles 21 November 2012 15:53pm 3 comments

Thanks Microsoft! Do Not Track is effectively dead on arrival

Earlier this year, Microsoft created headlines when word broke that the Redmond software giant would enable Do Not Track (DNT) by default in the newest version of its browser, IE10. Although these claims were initially questioned, Microsoft clarified that, in an effort to "balance ease of use with choice and control," it would indeed enable DNT as part of its default settings during Windows 8 setup and IE upgrades.

That set the stage for battle and it didn't take long for the ad industry to respond to Microsoft's approach with harsh criticism.

by Patricio Robles 29 October 2012 13:02pm 3 comments

The inconvenient mobile advertising truth media companies and publishers must face

Whether you're an internet giant like Google, Microsoft or Facebook, or a small publisher trying to carve out a niche, chances are one of your biggest priorities is solving the mobile monetization riddle.

The good news: there's little reason to believe that the future of mobile advertising isn't bright.

How big will it be? That remains to be seen, but even if it's not as big as the staunchest bulls believe, it's still going to be big by virtue of volume.

by Patricio Robles 25 October 2012 17:26pm 2 comments

US likely to pursue antitrust case against Google: report

In 1998, the United States Department of Justice and 20 states filed a lawsuit against Microsoft alleging that the software giant abused a monopoly position in the market to dominate the market for web browsers.

The stakes were high. If it lost, Microsoft could have been forced to break itself into two parts. And even though it eventually settled under more favorable terms, the case against Microsoft is arguably the defining moment in the company's history.

by Patricio Robles 15 October 2012 13:36pm 1 comment

Microsoft unveil apps driven Windows 8 and IE 10 at IAB Mixx

At the IAB Mixx conference in New York today, Microsoft Advertising revealed their new Windows 8 and IE 10 platform that will be available October 26. Their focus is on integrating between the boundaries of hardware, OS and the cloud to virtually integrate eco-systems to move them to a position to closer compete with Apple, who are currently winning the battle for a smarter enterprise.

We are living in the time of the digitalization of society and as devices and technology have opened our minds to what is possible, our expectations are far surpassing what we're able to experience as consumers. For the most part, advertising is falling behind and consumers aren't getting the integration and personalization they are expecting as we move to digitalize almost ever aspect of what we do.

by Heather Taylor 01 October 2012 21:11pm 1 comment

The ad industry responds to Microsoft's Do Not Track plans

It's not a surprise that Microsoft's plan to effectively make enabling Do Not Track (DNT) an opt-out decision instead of an opt-in decision when setting up Internet Explorer 10 is not going over well with players in the digital advertising industry.

Online ads are a multi-billion dollar industry and while most would agree that changes resulting from consumer privacy concerns are inevitable, Microsoft's approach to Do Not Track goes further than it should.

by Patricio Robles 24 September 2012 14:44pm 8 comments

Tech the best choice for Gen Y workers: report

For major brands, reaching and selling to Gen Y has been a subject of much focus and debate.

But for all of Gen Y's impact on the marketing world, its impact on the workforce is arguably even more significant.

by Patricio Robles 22 August 2012 16:17pm 1 comment

Microsoft's IE10 Do Not Track plans set the stage for industry battle

In June, Microsoft announced that it was putting its weight behind Do Not Track (DNT) efforts and would ship the next version of Internet Explorer with a DNT preference enabled.

A week later, the company's plans were called into question as it became clear that Microsoft's approach would run afoul of the current DNT specification draft, which states that a browser can't send a DNT preference "without a user's explicit consent."

So where does Microsoft stand now?

by Patricio Robles 08 August 2012 16:13pm 7 comments