About this blog

Together with our ad agency Openhere, I’m currently making a commercial for Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions. The film is called ‘The Couple’ and makes some statements about the relationship between today’s advertiser and today’s consumer. A quite risky project if you know that the commercial explicitly challenges the advertisers - our clients - to question themselves and the way they communicate with their target groups. In this blog, I will keep you posted about the making of the campaign. I have also given the agency access to this blog, so that they can vent their ideas as well. As should be in this format, there is only one rule: “their are no rules!”

 

Also, by the end of the month, I’ll be able to tell you whether I still work as a Marketing Manager at Microsoft, or whether this project finally turned itself against me ;-)

51 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Charles Edward Frith  |  May 17, 2007 at 12:45 am

    Microsoft will be borderline insane if they let you go. I think I can say that with authority as an ad guy who welcomes the old order falling apart as quickly as possible. Well done.

  • 2. Aggie  |  May 17, 2007 at 7:39 pm

    Touching video…you should consider lending it to T-Mobile. They make pick up a few pointers, hopefully.

  • 3. Geert  |  May 17, 2007 at 8:09 pm

    Thanks Charles and Aggie…we could look at co-marketing with T-mobile, no?

  • 4. Philip Maes  |  May 17, 2007 at 8:58 pm

    To all the account people and advertisers out there. If you speak Dutch and you want to learn how to bring the love back: reclameacademie.be

  • 5. Geert  |  May 17, 2007 at 9:15 pm

    Hi Philippe, nice tie-in with the ‘reclameacademie’… we should talk about co-marketing maybe ;-)

  • 6. Excellent ad for erm, not&hellip  |  May 17, 2007 at 9:23 pm

    [...] the guy at Microsoft who commissioned this, Geert Desager says that “the commercial explicitly challenges the advertisers - our clients - to question [...]

  • 7. Alles gut? » Blog A&hellip  |  May 21, 2007 at 9:47 pm

    [...] has launched a nice viral campaign for their Digital Advertising Solutions, which features the dysfunctional relationship between Ms. [...]

  • 8. Dmitry  |  May 22, 2007 at 2:59 pm

    I think it works and i dont see any risks. I think no need long serial clips on this theme. 3 more enough. Good luck! You’ve got serios concurents. Be creative, advertiser!

  • 9. @cb's ßetabloggerei&hellip  |  May 22, 2007 at 7:24 pm

    Bring the love back

    … by Microsoft, über acht Jahre nach Cluetrain, immerhin.
    Ein netter, kleiner Kurzfilm über die Liebschaften von Advertiser und Consumer und den Beziehungsstress.
    Gewollt viral, tun wir Ihnen den Gefallen:

    The Break UpHochgeladen von geertdes…

  • 10. Marketing memes of the mo&hellip  |  May 23, 2007 at 1:25 am

    [...] For more info, see http://bringtheloveback.com/ [...]

  • 11. Shane Williamson  |  May 25, 2007 at 2:18 am

    Great stuff guys!
    Markets are conversations!
    The Cluetrain Manifesto is alive and well :-)
    http://www.cluetrain.com/

  • 12. Dialog zamiast monologu -&hellip  |  May 25, 2007 at 11:33 am

    [...] promuje swoje rozwiązania reklamowe za pomocą Bring the love back i uroczego [...]

  • 13. S. KIRK  |  May 26, 2007 at 11:32 am

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  • 14. Krijn  |  May 30, 2007 at 8:18 am

    What a brilliant movie. It doesn’t tell us a new story but the story is beautifully told! My compliments!

    One thing though…. For some reason I miss the connection with Microsoft. In my perception Microsoft could as well be the advertiser in the clip. One the one hand facilitating some new channels of communication (or better yet, facilitating a dialog) on the other hand a conventional advertiser. It’s almost schizophrenic.

    Well anyway, maybe this clip proves that Microsoft isn’t as conventional as I thought. Good luck with it!

  • 15. geertd  |  May 30, 2007 at 12:06 pm

    Hi Krijn,
    good analysis. the connection should be with Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions where we have a network that can reach the targets advertisers are looking for and using formats where creatives can deliver the message they want without dispution.

  • 16. Ein zerüttestes Paar - W&hellip  |  June 4, 2007 at 2:36 am

    [...] hat vor ein paar Tagen ein Blog aufgemacht mit der vielversprechenden Überschrift: “bring the love back [...]

  • 17. DGWBchatbot  |  June 6, 2007 at 12:25 am

    It truly does take a *renegade* Marketing Manager to get things done.

    Love the video! Keep up the good work. You have some big fans in Orange County, California.

    -dgwbchatbot

    P.S. - Thanks for the comment.

  • 18. Minter Dial  |  June 6, 2007 at 2:28 pm

    Absolutely brilliant film. On top of these challenges, we also have the issue of people not listening to one another either, distracted by too much technology…. I will be glad to link up! I was born in Brussels (but US citizen), living in Paris… some common past.

  • 19. Alastair McDermott  |  June 11, 2007 at 1:53 pm

    Wow, great movie, kudos to you Geert!

    I find it a bit ironic this movie is MS sponsored given the recent Live Search debacle - not much communication going on there MS!

    Geert, please give those LiveSearch guys a kick in the ass.

  • 20. geertd  |  June 11, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    Thanks Alastair for the comment on the movie. Concerning Live Search… I’ll see what I can do ;-)

  • 21. Milo  |  June 18, 2007 at 8:10 am

    Hi Geert, on wed 20th june (Singapore) my company are speaking @ a conference on virtual worlds. We’d really like to show your movie as part of our talk. Is this ok with you? Cheers

  • 22. trojjer  |  June 20, 2007 at 9:33 pm

    Funny video, but yeah, I agree with the person who said that it seems like a “renegade” view from such a “PeopleReady business”.

    I don’t think I could stand to be in marketing and/or advertisement…

  • 23. Wellington Financial Blog&hellip  |  June 29, 2007 at 2:40 pm

    [...] is a great commercial about advertiser/consumer disconnect. It was made by a Microsoft marketing manager with the help of an ad agency for Microsoft Digital Advertising Services. The video has been out [...]

  • 24. Publicis Dialog NZ »&hellip  |  July 2, 2007 at 6:11 am

    [...] Microsoft produced the nice piece of film below to remind us to always consider what we do from the end-user or customer’s perspective. As Microsoft’s puts it “We are always discussing the changing media landscapes, how consumers have changed and how advertisers need to redefine how they connect with them.” More at the blog they have set up bringbackthelove.com. [...]

  • 25. Rob Langstaff  |  July 25, 2007 at 12:35 am

    Hi Geert,

    I loved the movie. I think it speaks to not only advertising executives, but to a wider audience of marketing managers. We see so often product designed and developed “for consumers”, but in reality it is often to fuel their own egos. The consumer insight in the product briefing stage is often limited to ” I know everything about you…28-34, modest but disposable income…”

    Great stuff, keep it up. I am a fan.

  • 26. Violeta-Loredana Pascal. &hellip  |  August 12, 2007 at 12:07 pm

    [...] about the relationship between today’s advertiser and today’s consumer.” aflam de pe Bring the love back. “Together with our ad agency Openhere, I’m currently making a commercial for Microsoft [...]

  • 27. Nestor  |  August 30, 2007 at 5:18 am

    Very Very nice. Great work.

  • 28. LJV  |  August 31, 2007 at 12:52 pm

    Your video does a great job capturing the disconnect between customers and brands. Any way I could use at our business seminar in Turkey?

    Lauri

  • 29. George  |  September 6, 2007 at 4:20 pm

    Speaking as another creative director in the small agency world, I think this is one of the most original ideas ever. Brilliant.

  • 30. Josh  |  October 1, 2007 at 10:19 pm

    A really superb idea! The clip was shown to me at a presentation in Ireland. We all found it hilarious and quite possibly very relevant to our own lives!! Loved it!

  • 31. Anna WALTERS  |  October 24, 2007 at 2:55 pm

    Hi Geert, I am currently seeking for the movie “Bring the Love Back” with french subtitles, for one of the Professors of the European School of Management, ESCP-EAP, in Paris. This Professor would like to use the movie during her courses, if you agree of course. Could you please give me some indications where I can find it on the internet? Thanks in advance
    Anna Walters

  • 32. Konsument till annonsör:&hellip  |  December 3, 2007 at 7:34 am

    [...] som sitter i Belgien och jobbar som Trade Marketing Manager. Jag blev fascinerad över storyn han berättar här i bloggen, och det verkar som om hans projekt inte direkt nått fram till Redmond. Och hans namn ger bara [...]

  • 33. Marcelo  |  December 3, 2007 at 12:31 pm

    Hello Geert!
    I am from Brazil and think this video is great! Could you send me the text of it please?
    congratulations for the video!
    thank you!

    Marcelo

  • 34. Tribble Ad Agency : The A&hellip  |  December 3, 2007 at 6:54 pm

    [...] Digital Advertising Solutions launch their viral marketing campaign on an open source platform. (click to see the blog) Together with our ad agency Openhere, I’m currently making a commercial for Microsoft Digital [...]

  • 35. greg stromberg  |  December 8, 2007 at 6:39 am

    Great video in a world that forgot to listen!!

    if you know the purpose you will be set free to create real authentic value in an open transparent way.

    Value given for value received is a powerful formula that can really get out of balance today. Whatever happen to the listening value?

    Listening creates expectations???

  • 36. Bruce Smith  |  December 30, 2007 at 4:52 am

    Cell phone manufacturers and companies that sell cell service need to take a page from this proverbial book as well. Nothing is more fragile, and disconnect between the market of cell phone devices, their services and the consumer. We produce the newest greatest product every 6 months, and of course the push is to drop the old “outdated” device, and buy the new one. Microsoft has just barely gotten a foot hold in this market and its easy to see that the technology is headed that direction. We need products that the consumers can use, identify with, and have a say inimplementing. Not just tecky devices that are forced down our throats even though its more or less the same as any other device. With the implementation of 3g technologies, mobile web is booming, its easy to see how in 1-2 years, we wont be typing on our computers, we’ll be dictating to a hand held device. we need to have some sort of diolouge with the users to help us shape this upcoming technology to make sure it isn’t marketed the same way, or even worse, flopped.

  • 37. mssinglemama  |  January 11, 2008 at 8:47 pm

    Now…if all Advertisers were that hot - there wouldn’t be a problem. Who is that adorable guy?

    In all seriousness, I’m also in the advertising biz and I have passed your video to every one of our company’s higher ups. It’s such an amazing video.

  • 38. aideycot  |  January 17, 2008 at 8:15 am

    I wish the COUPLE had rcvd wider publicity here in Europe ) cos’ its so very, very good.

    I have ONLY just seen it when someone blogged about it comparing it to the Mac spoof for digital out of home that has been doing the rounds in the UK at the moment - see

    http://www.dailydooh.com/archives/805

  • 39. sveta  |  February 3, 2008 at 1:01 am

    Hello people! Nice site!

  • 40. stefan remes  |  February 9, 2008 at 9:52 am

    many company’s these days have already mastered the act of CSR in their advertising… let’s all hope they learn to act like it as well and build a reputation… not just an image!

  • 41. Britney  |  February 11, 2008 at 6:11 pm

    You have built a good website

  • 42. 100Log » The Break &hellip  |  February 24, 2008 at 1:35 pm

    [...] filmato che è una pietra miliare del Marketing 2.0: “The Break Up”, provocatorio spot commissionato dalla Microsoft per pubblicizzare la sua piattaforma di advertising per i contenuti digitali. Lei [...]

  • 43. Tyson Yirak  |  February 25, 2008 at 6:29 pm

    You should come work for us. We are the best word of mouth marketing shop in the world. We are also opeining up our Asia office in 2Q of 2008. Everyday we put into practice for our cllients the ideas that you capture so well in your piece. You would fit in well.

  • 44. Luigi  |  February 29, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    Il video con i sottotitoli in italiano lo trovate qui

  • 45. captain flummox  |  March 4, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    This ad fossil thinks that was very nicely done all around with a solid script and casting. It lead me on a thought process. I asked myself how many brands I would actually spend time in a conversation with and why. There are three basic reasons for a conversation with a brand — to complain, to get support and to offer suggestions or express gratitude. Given the number of brands in my life at any given moment, a circumstance has to be exceptional for me to get into this conversation. If a brand does what it says it will do in their advertising, they probably won’t hear from me. If I entered into a conversation every time a brand merely met expectations, I would be talking all day. Now conversations about a brand with my friends and family — that’s another universe. Nice spot, though. I did spew a little coffee on the monitor at “coupons.”

  • 46. geertd  |  March 5, 2008 at 2:45 am

    Hi captain, thanks for the comment!

  • 47. S.T. » Bring The Lo&hellip  |  March 14, 2008 at 2:21 pm

    [...] a Geert Desager per il blog legato all’iniziativa e ad Openhere, l’agenzia che l’ha [...]

  • 48. Amy  |  April 11, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    I don’t get it — is this an ad for microsoft?

  • 49. Ariela  |  April 24, 2008 at 10:59 am

    Geert who do I need to contact in order to request permission to use the couples video in a presentation?

  • 50. Leonardo Coutiño  |  April 26, 2008 at 3:19 am

    Hi, I liked your video, I´m glad to hear that you have received some awards, I think you deserves them because you were able to put in one video what marketing shouldn´t do and how it has evolve, (and also a funny video); well, I´m from Mexico city and I´m in the first year of university, I´m studying business in ITESM (Tecnológico de Monterrey), I´m new in all of this stuff (e-business, e-marketing, viral videos, innovation, web 2.0, IT) and also some of my teachers or maybe the coursers of the career are not very well actualized, but I´m learning on my own, and I was wondering if you could teach me some internet pages where I can learn more and faster, or if you could recommend me some books I´ll be very very very thankful, if you could help me with that.
    Whenever you would like to come to Mexico I´ll be glad to be your tourist guide, really.

  • 51. DetectiveMarketing.com: b&hellip  |  May 12, 2008 at 7:41 am

    [...] Maybe its not the newest video but it’s the best thing Microsoft ever done. // It is delivering the consumer revolution point excellent. The video is called ‘The Couple’ read more about it at Bringtheloveback.com [...]

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