So the new Microsoft campaign launched a couple weeks ago and the blogs have been busy with dissections of the work.  Comments are mainly critical. In general people don't get it, mainly because they are waiting for the campaign to give them some sort of rational message at the end and there isn't one. I've only seen long versions of both spots, here and here on You Tube, so I'm not sure how these are working in 30: format on real TV, but I think they're funny. If we think that all the best advertising leaves us with a positive and memorable association with the brand, this does make me feel quite a bit better about Microsoft.  No, it doesn't tell me anything rational or specific about PCs, Windows, Vista or whatever, but it does entertain me with funny little films that highlight Seinfeld's great comedy timing. If the objective was to make Microsoft look a bit more human, it's working for me, even if it isn't working for Steve Jobs.

Am reading Catalyst Code, by David Evans and Richard Schmalensee. The book tries to shed light on the intermediary business - the panoply of companies that have cropped up taking advantage of inefficiencies in the marketplace. Catalysts are market makers that effectively bring together two groups that otherwise never would have been able to interact. They may facilitate transactions (think ebay, bringing together buyers and sellers, regardless of geography and creating a platform to enable trust - via the rating system), build audience (think broadcast and cable networks that assemble eyeballs, bringing together viewers and advertisers, by providing entertainment), and cost minimizers (think hardware manufacturers that share code so that more software providers can write for the platform). Catalysts are multi-sided: they serve (at least) two separate customer types and must balance their strategies, especially pricing, to maximize total profitability.

Today, playing the go-between is easy. In this day of customization and control, there are myriad opportunities to build a business by bringing together distant buyers and sellers, by aggregating demand, or by providing systematic efficiencies. Technology has created the ultimate platform. And continues to create new ones on a daily basis.

A great example - the ubiquitous iPod. The iPod itself is only part of the equation. Yes, it’s an elegant device, but what makes it work is iTunes - iTunes is the catalyst that brings together content, regardless of producer/distributor, and sales, available by the single, the album, the show, the series, etc. Apple recreated itself as a catalyst.

For the latest in catalyst creation, check out Microsoft’s acquisition of aQuantive. Microsoft wanted to act as a catalyst (as Google and Yahoo have done before it), marrying technology and eyeballs. They will be both buyer and seller.

It’s an interesting innovation exercise. How could your business act as a catalyst? Are there opportunities to intermediate? How could you twist your business model to open the door to another side? Are there ways to matchmake, build an audience, or minimize costs? Think about it. When in doubt, look for ways to put it together.