Thursday 25 October 2012. Microsoft launched its new operating system, Windows 8.

As part of the worldwide launch, the brand chose Paris to embody its new operating system's creative values.

But Microsoft isn't seen as sexy as others brands !

How would it be possible to stimulate media interest around the launch by highlighting creativity associated with Microsoft?

We managed a media exhibition of creative talents at the Palais de Tokyo (famous Parisian museum of contemporary Art):

The creative process consisted in selecting at an early stage forty or so creative talents and linked them up with Microsoft's developers.

The talents: artists, designers, florists, pastry cooks, photographers, students... and even a 13 year old teenager!

Step 1: residency in a key room at the Palais de Tokyo (brief and familiarisation with the product)

Step 2: creation, with two weeks to design the works and one week to produce and expose 37 widely varying works based upon Windows 8 or inspired by Windows 8.

D Day - Opening of the exhibition

• Press conference: 600 influencers / 210 journalists and bloggers

• 820 mentions with extensive coverage in the trend, lifestyle and women's press • Live concert on the application by C2C

• Live launch of the event website: www.windowscreativegallery.com

D+1 : BtoB evening

• 700 VIPs: Microsoft presents the exhibition and the prowess of Windows 8 to its targets (distributors, customers, internal stakeholders etc.)

D+2 : Exhibition open to the general public for two weeks

• 5,000 visitors

The creative process consisted in selecting at an early stage forty or so creative talents and linked them up with Microsoft's developers.

The talents: artists, designers, florists, pastry cooks, photographers, students... and even a 13 year old teenager!

Step 1: residency in a key room at the Palais de Tokyo (brief and familiarisation with the product)

Step 2: creation, with two weeks to design the works and one week to produce and expose 37 widely varying works based upon Windows 8 or inspired by Windows 8.

D Day - Opening of the exhibition

• Press conference

• Live concert on the application by C2C

• Live launch of the event website: www.windowscreativegallery.com

D+1 : BtoB evening

• Microsoft presents the exhibition and the prowess of Windows 8 to its targets (distributors, customers, internal stakeholders etc.)

D+2 : Exhibition open to the general public for two weeks

• 600 influencers

• 210 journalists and bloggers

• 820 mentions with extensive coverage in the trend, lifestyle and women's press

• 87 interviews

• 2,547 tweets

• 5,000 visitors during the grand public exhibition

• Ambassador programme with 32 bloggers from eclectic backgrounds invited to the launch: fashion, food, etc.

• Creation of an event website not using the usual codes of Microsoft and its products, but more akin to the websites of architects and designers: 1,500 single visits on the following day without media coverage