I was impressed on day one with the demo I saw of Windows Phone 7. One of the biggest accomplishments was the execution of a brief that, I could only imagine, said “I can’t look like the iPhone”. In so many ways the UI is the antithesis of the iPhone, yet just as beautiful and fluid in its own way.
And while I haven’t been impressed with the on-air spots to promote the phone - they did do a great job of distilling down a way to position the product in a consumer marketplace that doesn’t know what to make of any smartphone that isn’t the iPhone: a fast phone let’s you get back to what’s important in life. They’ve had banner ads that challenge you to literally compare your phone’s speed to Win Phone 7. And then there’s the commercial below that talks about the efficiency of the UI.
Then along comes their most recent spot (above). You can feel the pull of Apple with the focus on the product. But unlike Apple’s straight-on shots of the phone, or more specifically the apps, this phone is floating through space, and is equal part apps and OS.
Their throwing a lot of stuff at the wall right now to see what sticks. It will be interesting to see what does.