I worked as a marketer at Microsoft for four years, and believe LinkedIn represents an excellent brand-fit for Microsoft.

During the “back to school” seasons in 2008 and 2009 I realized that Microsoft’s brand can never win in the “lifestyle” category, and that to win, we needed to focus on what I called “workstyle,” which is the idea of enabling professional success.

“Your Digital Lifestyle”

In 2008 I launched Microsoft’s “back to school” campaign for the US high school and college market. I wanted to run away from the stuffy positioning that was working so well for Microsoft in the enterprise market and build an identity to compete with Apple. To do this, my campaign positioned Microsoft at the center of your digital lifestyle, highlighting online photo sharing on Windows Live Spaces, on-the-go photo sharing with your Windows Phone, and pictures, movies, and gaming on Xbox 360 and Windows Media Center. However the story fell flat competing with Apple’s iLife pictures-music-movies narrative, and I realized that Microsoft would never be the cool kid. We needed a brand-positioning that was true to ourselves.

“Lifestyle” vs. “Workstyle”

For the 2009 back-to-school season, I realized we couldn’t run away from who we are. We needed to find an identity that worked for consumers, was aspirational, but was also credible and authentic. I retooled and launched a campaign that focused on “workstyle,” and rather than media and entertainment, I focused the messaging on “making students successful.”

While Apple was celebrating the misfits out drinking and dancing, Microsoft would celebrate geeks like Bill Gates. We’d stand up for students spending their weekends in a high school gymnasiums building business plans in Excel for Future Business Leaders of America (my campaign was a national sponsor of FBLA). We’d be the company celebrating the nineteen-year-old, proudly adding a second internship to her resume of accomplishments in Microsoft Word. That year I worked with the Office Live Workspaces team to launch a campaign featuring celebrity Kevin Connolly from Entourage (“Eric” always was the responsible one) that gave away not free songs or t-shirts, but thousands of free professional resume critiques. The campaign was a success and became the basis for all our messaging from 2009 until I left Microsoft.

LinkedIn is a Natural Extension of This Positioning

In this regard, LinkedIn is a great brand fit for Microsoft because it extends the idea of making students successful. Compare this to Skype, which Microsoft also acquired, which is about connecting with friends and family, but doesn’t really stand for something, and you start to get what I mean. Or take Slack, another company that Microsoft was rumored to buy. Slack’s brand is quirky, and it certainly has a b2b product and enviable user growth that make it a good acquisition target for anyone, but I don’t know that I can see that quirky brand being a fit for Microsoft.

LinkedIn, however, is squarely focused on advancing your career, finding a job, and (with the acquisition of Lynda.com), gaining new skills. As LinkedIn continues to grow and scale, I hope to see more brand-marketing from LinkedIn that, like my campaign from 2009, champions our most earnest and ambitious students.