Like I said in my previous post, my decision to leave the agency world and to come back to Seattle from London was one I made to be closer to family. My next gig, gets me back closer to that world.

Starting July 6, I’ll be working at Microsoft as part of the Global Campaigns and Brand team, specifically focusing on social and mobile advertising. I’m incredibly excited to flex my creative side again in working with Microsoft’s creative network (IPG) and Microsoft teams around the world.

If this might seem like a bit of career déjà vu, you’re definitely right. In fact, I’ve spent the majority of my career working with Microsoft teams like Windows, Office, Windows Phone, KIN (RIP), Xbox, and Internet Explorer in the digital space. At one point, I spent 36 straight hours answering questions from users on Twitter and Facebook when Windows 7 launched and helped launch a campaign where we sent random fans pizzas with the number 7 on them in pepperoni.

Microsoft has changed a lot since then – and that’s actually what drew me to that little company in Redmond. There’s a different feeling when you talk to people at Microsoft now – it’s electric. You get the sense the “One Microsoft” mantra is more than words in emails from CEO Satya Nadella. I found myself getting, even before this role was a possibility, getting fired up just listening to him speak or reading one of his emails. The guy is the type of person I’m sure many would run through a wall for – not just a motivator, but a doer as well. In fact, he recently brought Microsoft’s updated mission statement to the public: To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. I was the perfect consumer target when Microsoft launched the Xbox. I’ve spent the majority of my life as a Windows user/evangelist. Today, though, I can say (without a doubt) I’m more excited than ever before about where Microsoft is heading – and I’m excited to be a part of it.

I’m also jacked up about the area I’ll be spending my time and efforts on – mobile and social. Working alongside Microsoft and other brands in EMEA and APAC during my time in London (with trips to Singapore), I had the chance to be part of some incredible campaigns – my favorite being the Xbox #keycode campaign in the UK. I’m looking forward to working with Microsoft’s agency partners to create ads that engage, entertain, and enhance the experiences of consumers around the globe.

We’re living in an incredible time where technology and media are a constant part of most people’s lives. That means we have the opportunity to tell a story about brands that is not just another ad, but a real story that does more than shout a price or drive a point home, but actually engages and enhances a consumer’s experience. Because consumers are living this digital first lifestyle, they’re seeing ads every day. Our goal is to cut through that ad clutter and deliver an experience that brings consumers closer to the brand.

I’ll push Microsoft’s agency teams hard, but expect them to push me equally as hard – all ideas are welcome. I’ll always fall back on something I learned from an advertising professor – constantly critiquing ideas based on if they accomplish three things well: Can we get someone to feel something? Can we get someone to say something? Can we get someone to do something?

I’m really excited about this next step. To steal a line from my old boss and friend, Clay McDaniel – onward!

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