Microsoft Makes Peace With Apple in a Holiday Stunt That's Surprisingly Sweet

Having weathered plenty of Microsoft attacks over the years—including the well-known Windows Phone spots that mercilessly mocked Siri—Apple might have had reason to feel skeptical, perhaps even hostile, when it saw dozens of Microsoft employees approaching its 5th Avenue store in New York City back on Nov. 16. But Microsoft, it turns out, was coming in peace—to film a holiday spot about overcoming acrimony and embracing harmony and togetherness. Check out the spot that was just released from the footage taken that day: The campaign, from m:united//McCann, started out as a way for Microsoft to celebrate its own presence on 5th Avenue—it opened its own flagship store there in October. And with the holidays approaching, the company clearly felt like ingratiating itself by being a good neighbor, particularly to its daunting tech competitor just to the north. The company held auditions around the country to find Microsoft employees for its chorus, and also invited members of a Harlem youth choir to join. Together, they sang Jill Jackson Miller's song "Let There Be Peace On Earth." And as you can in the closing frames of the video, the Apple employees were clearly touched by the performance. "It was a fitting welcome to the neighborhood by Apple and a warm celebration to begin the holiday season," m:united said in an email. And indeed, with so much violence and animosity in the news lately, this spot feels surprisingly relevant—a small gesture of peace by corporations that usually prefer relentless fighting. Joel Simon Music arranged the song. Doug Katsaros was the musical director and conductor of the choir. Tool of North America's Erich Joiner was the director. CREDITS Microsoft Team: Kathleen Hall, CVP Global Advertising Kate Murphy, Senior Director Marketing Communications Deana Singleton, GM, Global Advertising Carol Hutchinson, Director – Global Marketing Erin Friedman, Director – Global Advertising Jenny Leahy, Group Marketing Manager Ron Schott, Senior Marketing Communications Manager Director Team: Tool of North America Erich Joiner, Director Oliver Fuselier, Managing Director – live action/EP Lori Stonebraker, Executive Producer Lindsay Skutch, Line Producer Music Team: JSM Music Joel Simon, Music Director Doug Katsaros, Composer/choir director Editorial Team: Rock Paper Scissors Eve Kornblum, Executive Producer Charlyn Derrick, Post Producer Damion Clayton, Editor Agency team: m:united//McCann Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy, Co-Chief Creative Officers David Banta, Executive Creative Director Lew Willig, Executive Creative Director Roberto Baibich, Creative Director, Art David Cliff, Director of Creative Technology Nickie Thongton, Art Director Brett Barnett, Copywriter Chauncey Hollingsworth, Senior Copywriter Christina Ta, Senior Art Director Elina Rudkovskaya, Jr Copywriter Scott Barrows, Jr Copywriter Joo Kong, Jr Art Director Production: Aaron Kovan, Director of Integrated Production Carolyn Johnson, Executive Producer Mel Senecal, Producer Monique Fitzpatrick, Junior Producer Rick Segal, Interactive Producer Eric Johnson, Executive Music Producer Strategy: Eldad Heilweil, Strategy Director Ryan Duffy, Senior Digital Strategist Account: Kevin Nelson, Managing Director Tina Galley, Group Account Director Darla Price, Group Account Director Philip Chan, Global Implementation Director Anderson Diaz, Group Implementation Director Stella Warkman, Project Management Director Sarah Keiber, Group Account Director Courtney LeBlanc, Account Supervisor Audio Post: Sonic Union Mix Engineer: Steve Rosen Studio Director: Justine Cortale

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Microsoft Makes Peace With Apple in a Holiday Stunt That's Surprisingly Sweet

Harmony on 5th Avenue

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