MSN Update

• Microsoft has launched a US$150 million ad campaign to build brand awareness for MSN. In addition to promoting the MSN portal, the campaign seeks to boost MSN Internet Access membership from its current 3 million users, a figure that badly lags AOL’s 20 million plus. The campaign theme is that easy-to-use MSN services—including Hotmail, eShop, and MSN Web communities—can help consumers cope with a variety of day-to-day tasks. Created by McCann Erickson/A&L, the campaign will be featured in top media outlets such as popular television shows and print publications, including Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, The New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. The campaign also introduces a new logo for MSN, a multi-colored butterfly that shares the same yellow, orange, blue, and green color-scheme used for the Windows logo.

• HomeAdvisor has signed deals to provide credit reports and moving services. An exclusive agreement with San Francisco, CA–based QSpace.com, a provider of online credit reports, will allow consumers to obtain “real-time” credit reports for only US$4. This credit-check service is now available at the HomeAdvisor Credit Center, which also offers a more comprehensive credit check for US$30. Separately, an exclusive deal with MoveCentral.com, a Boston, MA–based Web company that offers moving and relocation advice, offers a variety of services to help consumers cope with a move, including an interactive “move calendar” that sends automatic reminder e-mails and an online change-of-address tool. Microsoft has identified online home sales and home-related services as an area with potential for major expansion.