Only Microsoft could be so bold.
As I explained in my last post, TechFlash’s Todd Bishop and I have been bantering back and forth about what is advertising. Oh, these IM arguments can be brutal. Anyway, FedEx showed up 45 minutes ago with the Zune HD and Zune headphones I ordered from Amazon. Look at what’s on the headphone box!
That’s the question Todd Bishop (accompanied by John Cook) asked people on the streets of Seattle about six months ago. No one seemed to know what was Microsoft’s search engine (At that time is was Windows Live). But the two TechFlash reporters asked again yesterday afternoon in front of Seattle Public Library. The results were surprisingly different.
Microsoft employee evangelist Heather Hamilton is my darling today (Please don’t tell my wife!). She writes quite convincingly that ”Sometimes, when something looks like a fizzy scoop, it totally isn’t.” Heather responds to a weird story circulating the blogs—soda cans marketing Bing to Microsoft employees.
Today’s installment begins with Bing, Nokia N97 and Microsoft’s new GM of US Distribution and Services. They’re my quick take on the day’s news.
Whoa, the fourth Bing commercial is simply outstanding. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer shouldn’t feel bad about approving that $80 million to $100 million marketing budget. He’s getting good value for the money spent.
After totally dissing the first of Microsoft’s Bing commercials, yesterday, I today must retract my opinion. In the proper context, the ad for Bing zings.
Microsoft’s first Bing TV spot is scary. It’s designed to scare the crap out of you. Every bad thing going on now is because of bad search. The doom and gloom reminds me of the TV commercial from Christmas comedy “Scrooged” (see first clip below). There, actor Bill Murray used scare tactics to convince people to watch his fictitious network’s live broadcast of “Scrooge.” That said, the second and third commercials are simply stunning, exactly the kind of marketing Microsoft should be doing for Bing.
