Microsoft / Windows Live Hotmail

Microsoft reached out wanting help to generate ideas promoting the new features of the yet-to-be-released Windows Live Hotmail product, the next version of its popular webmail platform, Hotmail. They wanted viral yet informative entertainment, as well as something people would want to pass around to their peers.

With a list of new functions for Windows Live Hotmail, we went to work identifying outstanding and relevant features that could be communicated visually and through relatable storytelling. We mixed humor, everyday family and work situations, pop culture, and technology to come up with 4 fun spots that not only educated viewers on some of the exciting new features of MSN’s new webmail product.

As parodies on everyday family life, the spots feature common scenarios in which family members actually access the new Live features and apply them to their situation. The comical, slightly surrealistic reality of the spots emphasize how useful and easy the new features are. The site was blasted to Live Mail account users and promoted virally, and the spots were shown on a selective-run basis in Canada.