The inside-back cover of AdWeek is a full-pager for Microsoft Advertising’s MiXX event. One of the Advertising Week 2008 events, it looks like one of these good ol’ fashioned industry-back-pat, I give you an HJ if you give me … that sort of thing.
The headline for this event reads:
Create. Innovate. Evolve.
Which is the least creative thing I’ve read all week. Those three words are the most over-used since “dude,” and “like,” so the first thing Microsoft is telling me about their event, which is supposed to help me be creative, innovative and revolutionary, is that the people throwing it are lame, trite, and possibly mental patients. Were this ad appearing in High Times Magazine, it’s possible that the target audience would take words at face-value, and not read into the meaning behind the word choice, but this isn’t High Times … this is AdWeek.
Reading further down the page, we get this lovely nugget of how to say absolutely nothing at all …
Join thought leaders from the entire advertising ecosystem to explore creativity, innovation and the evolution of media. The possibilities will change the way you think about relationships, playforms, brands, agencies and even yourself.
Well, they’re right about one thing – I feel better about myself after reading that.