Report: Microsoft chooses ad agency for Pink phone campaign

AdWeek is reporting that Microsoft has selected ad agency McCann Erickson to develop its campaign fo  the Microsoft "Pink Project."

(McCann was bidding for the Pink account against Crispin Porter, the Seinfeld/Laptop Hunters ad folks, and JWT, the agency reinvigorating Microsoft's "People Ready" campaign, AdWeek reported back in April. It's unknown how much Microsoft is allocating for the new ad campaign.)

Pink -- last I heard -- is the codename for a Microsoft-branded phone and set of accompanying premium consumer services being developed largely by the Danger team that Microsoft acquired last year. Pink will build on top of the core Windows Mobile 7 platform, my sources have said, but will look different from other third-party Windows Mobile 7 phones.  (A related aside: McCann also is Microsoft's Windows Mobile ad agency.)

According to the latest scuttlebutt, Microsoft seems to be on track to release to handset makers the Windows Mobile 7 code this fall, right around the same time that the first Windows Mobile 6.5 phones come to market. (Windows Mobile 6.5 is definitely shaping up to be the Windows Me of the WinMobile phone world....)

Microsoft has been keeping close to the vest details about Pink. I've heard from my tipsters that there will be one Pink phone manufacturer. Some are saying it's Motorola or possibly Sharp, both of which have manufactured Danger-based phones. Pink's "user experience"/user interface, which is codenamed "Purple," is meant to appeal to an audience not so different from the traditional Sidekick audience.

So is the Pink phone going to be some kind of souped-up Sidekick, with Zune music/video, MyPhone, Windows Marketplace for Mobile and other premium Danger-like services differentiating from the T-Mobile Sidekick and various hiptop devices? Microsoft still won't comment on anything having to do with Pink. But that's my best guess. This week, at least....