Skype Ads Are Nothing to Video-Call Home About

Skype, the Internet phone company which Microsoft just bought for an eye-popping $8.5 billion, has never been a creative advertiser. From the beginning, its main challenge was to explain to people just what it is, and what it does—which tends to lead to talky demo spots and not a whole lot of heart and soul. (Apple did more treacly stuff for FaceTime than Skype's ever done.) Perhaps this is for the best. When Skype did try a feel-good, goofy two-minute video advertising Skype for the iPhone, the results were pretty embarrassing—dancing in the shower type embarrassing.