Whenever a company has some sort of privacy snafu, it’s a great opportunity…for that company’s competitors.
Such is the set-up for Microsoft’s latest ad campaign, which aims to target the criticism Google has recently faced in the world of online privacy.
Starting today, blockbusters newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today will be bombarded with Microsoft advertisements, calling out the backlash that has erupted by Google’s sweeping privacy changes.
In late January, Google streamlined its privacy policies across its more than 60 online products, which has opened up the amount of data Google collects and shares with its internal partners as well as its external advertising partners.
Microsoft isn’t wasting this opportunity, and has begun touting its more controlled stance on protecting private user data.
“Every data point Google collects and connects to you increases how valuable you are to an advertiser … If these changes rub you the wrong way, please consider using our portfolio of award- winning products and services,” the ad reads.
It then calls out Hotmail, Bing, and Office 365 as much more user-friendly, non-invasive products that can rival Google’s key products. It also encourages users to use Internet Explorer instead of Google Chrome.
“The changes Google announced make it harder, not easier, for people to stay in control of their own information. We take a different approach,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post.
