Microsoft is looking to capitalize on some anti-Google sentiment currently floating around out there with an ad campaign that suggests that they put people first, and Google doesn’t.
Of course, Microsoft is doing this now in response to concerns raised by Google’s new privacy policy. The new policy, which consolidates dozens of separate policies into one overarching policy, is being slammed by many users. With the new privacy policy, user information will be freely shared across all Google services, meaning you don’t just sign up for “Gmail” or “YouTube,” but for Google itself. They will “treat you as a single user across all our products,” they say.
An official Microsoft blog post references these changes, saying that they weren’t actually made with the user in mind:
The changes Google announced make it harder, not easier, for people to stay in control of their own information. We take a different approach – we work to keep you safe and secure online, to give you control over your data, and to offer you the choice of saving your information on your hard drive, in the cloud, or on both.
So Microsoft is placing an ad in “major newspapers” this week to “help remind people of alternatives.” Danny Sullivan says that this will include the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.
Check it out:
Here’s what the smaller text says:
Google is in the process of making some unpopular changes to some of their most popular products. Those changes, cloaked in language like “transparency,” “simplicity” and “consistency,” are really about one thing: making it easier for Google to connect the dots between everything you search, send, say or stream while using one of their services.
But, the way they’re doing it is making it harder for you to maintain control of your personal information. Why are they so interested in doing this that they would risk this kind of backlash? One logical reason: Every data point they collect and connect to you increases how valuable you are to an advertiser.
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to improve the quality of an advertising product. But, that effort needs to be balanced with continuing to meet the needs and interests of users. Every business finds its own balance and attracts users who share those priorities. Google’s new changes have upset that balance, with users’ priorities being de-prioritized. That’s why people are concerned and looking for alternatives.
If these changes rub you the wrong way, please consider using our portfolio of award-winning products and services:
The four Microsoft services that they suggest as alternatives to Google services are Hotmail, Bing, Office 365, and Internet Explorer. “So, if the news about Google has you feeling frustrated, or concerned, or both, we have some great, award-winning alternatives,” says VP of Corporate Communications Frank X. Shaw.
On Tuesday, we told you about a letter that Google sent to members of Congress that discussed their privacy changes. In that letter, they told Congress that they would still be keeping private info private, allowing searches to be performed without singing in, and not selling personal info to advertisers.
