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Microsoft gets colorful with its first Nokia Lumia ad

The first spot since Microsoft took over Nokia's phone business tries to splash some color into a drab black-and-white world.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read

ms-nokia-spot.jpg
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Microsoft has unveiled its first Nokia ad since officially taking ownership of the Lumia lineup.

In a spot titled "Not Like Everybody Else," Microsoft touts the "colorful" aspects of Nokia phones. We see a lone Nokia phone owner outfitted in a yellow jacket, red hat, and red gloves as he travels through a black-and-white world. The only spot of color in this dreary realm, the Lumia owner earns the stares and smiles of the people he encounters.

Finally, he steps into a restaurant only to see another flash of color in the form of a pretty girl in a bright red sweater using a Lumia tablet.

"Color runs through our devices; it's part of our DNA," according to the Nokia blog highlighting the ad. "From the bright and bold Nokia X family to the metallic-fused Lumia 930, our colors draw attention and make heads turn. It's what sets us apart from our competitors and what many of you love about our design ethos."

The idea behind the spot is to play up the Lumia lineup as different and unique, as something that stands out among the humdrum array of competing phones. Would it convince you to check out a Lumia phone?

Microsoft officially closed its Nokia deal on Friday, giving it custody of Nokia's devices and services division. Nokia itself remains in business as a networking company. But Microsoft's use of the Nokia name may not last much longer.

In a Q&A on Monday, Microsoft's new head of devices, Stephen Elop, revealed that " Nokia as a brand will not be used for long going forward for smartphones. Work is underway to select the go-forward smartphone brand."

(Via The Verge)