First Skype enabled campaigned launched

Specsavers has been working with Microsoft Advertising to launch a new competition; 'Spectacle wearer of the year’.

The competition, developed by Manning Gottlieb OMD in conjunction with DG MediaMind, uses Skype to encourage more users to submit photos of themselves wearing their spectacles via their web-cam. Using Skype to promote the competition makes sense as it is one of the biggest video calling services, and recently has been used a Microsoft as a replacement for its Messenger service.

James Hayr, head of specialist sales at Microsoft Advertising, says: “This is the first time an advertising campaign in the UK has used Skype’s video capabilities within a creative solution to bring a brand message to life. Skype’s ability to make more meaningful connections over video means that this is the only platform a campaign like this could have been executed on, outstripping the reach of its competitors.”

The campaign will run till the end of June and will be supported by digital display ads on MSN.

Skype challenges impersonal social media in new ad campaign

Skype has launched a new ad campaign challenging the lack of humanity in social media and focussing on the theory that technology makes communication more efficient, but less personal.  

In a $12 million campaign Skype looks to leverage consumer anxiety about alienation promoting that it is better to talk face to face than via text or Twitter. The campaign launched last week in transport hubs, like Heathrow Airport, with a series of ads by Pereira & O'Dell which challenge the superficiality of text-based technology like Facebook, Twitter and SMS.  

These are quite challenging and make you think about how social channels are changing our lives, similar to the impact that email had a few years back. We often talk in the office about how email has killed the art of conversation. How will social channles eventually change the way we communicate?

What do you think?