MSN realigns its online identity
The recently launched MSN web portal was created from scratch with a mobile-ready audience in mind.
The new site is a collaborative platform that pulls content from a host of contributors that include leading global media outlets.
Steve Lynas, regional director of information and content experiences at Microsoft, says, “We know that work and home life are becoming more and more intertwined, and the new MSN is a central point, giving people access to work tools – like email, Office documents and OneDrive -and their social life tools like Facebook, Skype and Twitter – along with news and feature content from more than a thousand of the world’s most respected publishers in one place.”
MSN was once Microsoft’s largest ad generator, but failed to compete with competitors when positioned as a major media outlet. The new platform synchronises its content across different apps, devices, social networks and operating systems via personal Microsoft IDs.
Lynas says, “While content is at MSN’s core, Microsoft’s DNA is about empowerment. The new MSN marries the two, bringing together deep content from over 1,000 premium publishers together with experiences that help people live fuller lives regardless of which device they choose. We’ve completely reimagined the experience to embrace this opportunity. And because it’s a single platform, once you personalise it to your lifestyle and interests you get the same experience everywhere seamlessly – no matter what devices make sense for your life.”
The format of the portal allows the user to prioritise and personalise the content that appears and easily access Microsoft’s other offerings such as Outlook and Skype.
Lynas adds, “We have completely re-built MSN from the ground up, unifying it with the Bing Apps which have now been rebranded as MSN, to create an offering well placed for a mobile-first, cloud-first world. Our CEO, Sataya Nadella is driving the change across Microsoft to ensure we deliver services that let people do more with their time. The new MSN is an integral part of this ambition.”
The portal is intended, above all, to be mobile friendly, and Microsoft will release a suite of MSN apps (previously Bing Apps on Windows 8 and Windows Phone) across Windows Phone, iOS and Android over the coming months.
Since the rebrand there has been a positive response to both the design of the portal, and the breadth of content on offer. MSN is also receiving feedback and adapting the new platform in accordance with this.
