An Apple Guy Remakes Microsoft
"Alex Bogusky built the country's slickest ad shop using Apple products. His next challenge: Persuade people like him to buy Microsoft's stuff."
That leading sentence to a recent article in Fast Company magazine sucked me in to the article. The story is about an unlikely firm (albeit "hot" and "hip") hired to overhaul the image problem that has plagued Microsoft for...what, about 600 years?
I don't know if Alex can do it, but I did enjoy the article, and found three great quotes in the article:
Uh, wake-up call, how many times do we do this as church leaders?
Rather than tell your staff or leaders that they must attend a service or have to be in a small group, how about make it so compelling that they won't stay away?
You can be traditional and effective. You can be edgy and ineffective. Edgy might get you on a top 100 church list somewhere, but it doesn't mean you are making disciples. Let's focus on disciple-making, and if edgy gets it done, then go for it.
According to the article, the new Microsoft ad campaign (being developed by Alex's company) is slated to break this month. Should be interesting!
![[image]](http://mowser.com/img?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leadingsmart.com%2Ffacebook.jpg)
Tim,
Those are some great quotes ... and definitely true. As for this company's daunting task ... I'm glad it's them, and not me. I'm a die-hard MacAddict, and I don't know many switchers who are eager to go back, though there are always some!
Fred McKinnon
Posted by: Fred McKinnon | July 17, 2008 at 06:57 AM
Amen Bro! Your comments to the article quotes are clear, simple, understandable, thoughtful, revealing and honest. Hey folks we are all in this together (making disciples) if we (to steal another quote) Pray Hard, Work Hard, and Trust God, He will reveal to us what works and how to effectively present Him ...... not us.
Well Done!
Posted by: Mike Chaisson | July 17, 2008 at 12:45 PM
This idea, trying to make Microsoft cool, is kinda sad. It reminds me of the executives I used to work with who wanted to be like so and so. But so and so rocked because it was an expression of who they were. It was inherently in their DNA.
Apple is cool because Steve Jobs is creative and demands creativity from everyone who works at Apple. Microsoft is not cool because Bill Gates and Steve Balmer never were creative. They were smart but not creative. And cool is ultimately the willingness and courage to explore creativity and be the first to do it successfully.
Ultimately this will end up looking like a traditional ad campaign where everyone realizes that its not really Microsoft speaking. It's his cool friend playing Cyrano de Bergerac.
Posted by: Jonathan Brink | July 17, 2008 at 02:23 PM
Do we really want/need Microsoft to be Apple or vice-versa?
Posted by: Jason Bean | July 17, 2008 at 10:57 PM
I like that company's Burger King slogan, and those commercials crack me up. I'm trying to imagine what $300 Million looks like, and if it could really sway people back towards Windows. I guess we'll all wait and see.
Posted by: Charles | July 18, 2008 at 04:13 PM
I'm confused. Is this entry about building a company or the church?
Posted by: *Loreli* | July 18, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Loreli -- It's about learning the best practices of the world to make the church the most effective it can possibly be...so we can reach more people with the message of Jesus.
Posted by: Tim Stevens | July 18, 2008 at 05:19 PM
"Rather than tell your staff or leaders [or anyone else] that they must attend a service or have to be in a small group, how about make it so compelling that they won't stay away?"
Right on. This is something I say about every other day.
Posted by: Billy Chia | July 29, 2008 at 02:20 AM