Agree? By the way, if you want to connect with me… it’s really easy: Here I am: Facebook(Friends, Colleagues and Family), Twitter(Everybody), LinkedIn(Professional Network) or my Microsoft Tag!

Yesterday, I told you that Microsoft will announce a new product. Here we are! This one is called Microsoft Tag!

What Is Microsoft Tag?

Microsoft Tag is a marketing solution that enables consumers to access and share useful and fun content in a simple way. It also helps marketers engage with consumers in meaningful and creative ways, and to measure effectiveness.

The Microsoft Tag application lets people use the camera of their Internet-capable mobile phone to snap a tag, which will quickly and easily connect them to mobile content such as videos, music, product information, ring tones, free text and other promotions.

Designed with ease of use in mind, it enables users to easily bring information such as business card contact details to their cell phone, without having to type anything.

Colorful two-dimensional tags can be used to transform traditional marketing media (for example, print advertising, billboards, packaging and merchandising in stores or on LCDs) into live links for accessing information and entertainment online. Tags can be included on all kinds of material: paper handouts, vCards, T-shirts, magnets, online displays and even dog tags.

Microsoft Tag is available via a free beta download for commercial publishers and the general public in the United States starting Jan. 7, 2009; it will roll out in other countries at a later date.

Consumer Use: Users can download the free Microsoft Tag reader application to their Internet-capable mobile device with camera, launch the reader and read a tag using their phone’s camera. Depending on the scenario, this triggers the intended content to be displayed, data to be integrated, e-mail to be sent and so on.

· Users can instantly connect to related content, such as a movie trailer, mobile TV and video clips, event details, exclusive discounts, or a map with directions — automatically downloaded to their cell phone. There is no longer a need to remember and type out long URLs.

· With a tag on a business card, others can automatically upload contact details on their phone just by reading the tag.

· Anyone can create a tag using a PC. Adding a tag to a vCard automatically links information to a site, blog or profile on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or other social networks.

Publisher Use: Microsoft Tag helps publishers connect with customers in new ways and gives access to analytics that can inform marketing strategies. With Microsoft Tag, marketers can create unique brand experiences and enable more effective and efficient decisions about marketing spending, in ways that include the following:

• Broad applicability of the Microsoft Tag solution. Microsoft Tag can link to multiple content types, including the Web, vCards, SMS, e-mail, calendars, mapping, social applications, coupons and promotions.
• Create viral buzz. Content exposed to the customer through the use of Microsoft Tag can be shared easily with others.
• Analytics. Microsoft Tag allows publishers to see which tags are being read when and where, with detailed impression activity via the Microsoft Tag campaign management site at http://www.microsoft.com/tag.
• Size. Artwork can be as small as a 5/8-inch square, no matter what content the tag links to.
• Reliability. Publishers can feel confident that Microsoft Tag has implemented a technology that gives a dependable lock and decode rate.
• Visual appeal. Tags are colorful and integrate well with the majority of color collateral.

To get more information on Tag, go on http://www.microsoft.com/tag.

It will my second CES this year. Last year, I  went there more as a Microsoft blogger and this year, I will get another face by going there with on of our startups that we’ll be announced there! (Teasing Mode off! :))

Hope to meet most you there, I will be around the Microsoft booth most of my time! If you want to meet, ping me by Twitter here!

“Benjamin Gauthey |Microsoft | Startup Business Accelerator | Marketing Technopologist “ is my signature. Many people inside and outside Microsoft ask me to explain it… Here is the explanation from the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB122884677205091919-lMyQjAxMDI5MjA4MzgwNDM2Wj.html

Find a 'marketing technopologist.'

So who should direct a company's forays into Web 2.0 marketing? A number of managers identified an ideal set of skills for an executive that go beyond those of a typical M.B.A. holder or tech expert. We coined the term marketing technopologist for a person who brings together strengths in marketing, technology and social interaction. A manager said, "I'd want to see someone with the usual M.B.A. consultant's background, strong interest in psychology and sociology, and good social-networking skills throughout the organization."

Foot soldiers need to be carefully selected as well. One large technology company weighs employees' proven skills to choose writers for blogs that are read by consumers. The company has long used blogs internally to help employees discuss technical issues, products, and company and industry topics. When it decided to use blogs to raise its profile online, it recruited those who had shown the most skill at blogging within the company. The company currently has about 15 employees who blog publicly, mostly on technology trends, and is recruiting more the same way. Meanwhile, the bloggers plan to meet occasionally to share the lessons learned from their experiences.

Officially, I’m a digital marketing manager at Microsoft but as my background is not marketing but about technology, I really think Marketing Technopologist is more accurate to me, a good mix of Marketing and technology…. it seems perfect in a software company, no :)

I’ve just finished to read the excellent book: “Purple Cow” from Seth Godin! This book explains how transform your business by being remarkable, being the purple cow!

Through this book, many different case studies on different markets, audiences… After reading this book, I tried to remember what was the last Purple Cow that I saw… Actually, It was in France, some months ago. If you’re looking for a phone number you can call many different services but one did something different from the others, a purple cow. Based on their Ads(a dumb song), you were able to call the service “118218” and in addition to find a telephone number, you were able to ask them to sing the song from their ads, here the result: :)

Stupid? maybe but actually I would be curious to know how many people just called to test if it was true… At the end of the day, everybody remember 118218 telephone service…

And you, what was the last Purple cow that you’ve seen? :)

First of all Happy new year, I wish you all the best!

After 3 years past in Microsoft France, I’ve decided to move to Seattle to take a new job, a new opportunity, a new challenge, a new life. Moving from a Technical Evangelist role to Digital Marketing Manager, I would say (Marketing Technopologist according to the Wall Street Journal) in a group called SBA for Startup Business Accelerator.

What is SBA? The Startup Business Accelerator is comprised of several startup businesses within Microsoft. The businesses operate like classic startups, but receive support from central engineering, marketing, finance, legal and other resources to help accelerate their growth. Upon successful market debut and customer adoption, SBA products and services will transition into one of Microsoft’s existing business divisions. Microsoft generates an amazing number of ideas for new products and services. We believe that with the application of the right people and resources, we can quickly bring new and exciting products and services to market. SBA has employed a non-traditional staffing model by creating a small central team of seasoned “experts” in key functional areas to help SBA’s development teams accelerate the product launch process in a scalable and repeatable way. Microsoft invests in innovations across a broad variety of technologies and industries. Generally speaking, SBA focuses in areas that can eventually produce large businesses. SBA teams span a variety of business opportunities – in areas adjunct to our existing businesses, and in new areas of opportunity, such as Robotics. The SBA group is currently comprised of between 100 and 200 people. The size of the group will fluctuate as SBA businesses graduate into Microsoft’s business divisions and as new projects are started.

Moving to Seattle, taking a new job, new life  is part of my decision to switch this blog in English but it is also a matter to exchange with other great bloggers over the world. As my mate James said: “Now, I can read your (French) blog!” ;). It will also be a big opportunity to exchange with bloggers that I read for a while now as Mary-jo Foley, Steve Clayton…. and start a discussion :)

So what will you find here? Good question! Everything relative to my daily job, new startups, new services, Microsoft and non Microsoft, punctuated with photography, my big hobby! You can also follow my quick updates on Twitter here.

Let’s start 2009!

Traduire ce post en francais ici…