Savage AntiMicrosoft Parody: Score One For Cupertino

Microsoft: Give Back Your Severance

Hmm, a company with enormous cash reserves lays you off, sends you severance, and then sends the terse letter below to get you to give some back because they screwed up the calculation.

I'm thinking...no thanks.

msletter

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When Will The Microsoft Brand Police Wake Up?

Despit ethe fact that there is something Microsft on...like...95% of computers, and despite the fact that it is unlikely that Apple PC share will be in double digits in my lifetime, the brand continues to languish as a laughingstock. Now there are those who might say that it doesn't matter because they are on like 95% of computers but I think it's rather important. Microsoft always had FUD going for it. The idea that if you went Microsoft you wouldn't be getting the best, but it was a safe choice.

I am not sure people believe that anymore.

All giants fall. Swift meats was once the largest company in America. Now its a piece of a piece of a company. Toys R Us once threatened to have a 100% lock on the toy biz. Now it limps along as big but not terribly successful. Is Microsoft the next giant that will end up relatively unimportant in a handful of years?

I am not saying they will die. They'll be big for some time. But are they actually going to be essential to our lives? I'm guessing NO unless they figure out what they stand for and stop making the same mistakes. Over. And Over. And Over Again.

Figure out what you are. Be a brand instead of a trademark. Get it together guys! You have some of the smartest people on earth in your walls. Let them do what they can do!

Thanks for reading, and don't froget to write.

Microsoft Retail Stores: Waiting for the Ribbon to Get Cut

(Taken from THIS Flickr artist.)

Microsoft has announced that they'll be launching a set of retail stores to "create deeper engagement with consumers and continue to learn firsthand about what they want and how they buy."

As I recall there WAS a Microsoft store in the Metreon in SF, Sony's sleek and bizarre shoopping experience that has lots of browsers but not lots of buyers. The challenge of a Microsoft retail environment is that the company focuses on software rather than hard goods, which are far more difficult to generate customer saliva over. Granted, a big chunck of the store will likely be games related but if it becomes a games dominant environment i think you'll find they have difficulty attracting the electronics early adopter.

I wish them well with this -- I think it will be fascinating to see what they come up with, and their retail selling experience may actually soften the lockstep approach to branding and brand presentation that (I think) limits the level of consumer connection to MSFT.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

Microsoft Remains Zuney

Hollywood Reporter is...reporting...that Microsoft remains committed to the Zune brand despite a 54% sales drop in holiday sales versus the previous year.

From their article:

Zune revenue falls 54% in fourth quarter
Microsoft remains committed to brand, spokesman says
By Antony Bruno, Billboard
Jan 26, 2009, 04:05 PM ET
DENVER -- It seems that Microsoft's Zune just can't catch a break. Despite a holiday ad blitz and introduction of new services -- including a feature that lets subscribers keep 10 free songs a week -- revenue for the Zune division fell 54% in the fourth quarter from the previous year.That's a drop of about $100 million, according to a recent Microsoft regulatory filing. However, a company spokesman said any rumors pointing to the demise of the brand or the service are patently false. The company remains firmly behind the Zune music strategy.

While Microsoft won't break down exactly how it is divvying up the 5,000 layoffs it announced last week, some in the Zune group are expected to be affected, but not more than any other division. That the Zune division remains intact after such a massive workforce reduction indicates the company's dedication to the strategy remains intact.However, expect some changes in the year ahead. Microsoft has always been more of a software/services company than a hardware one, despite the anomaly of the Xbox. Company executives, including CEO Steve Ballmer, said to look for an expansion of the Zune service into other Microsoft-run products like the Windows Mobile technology for mobile phones, and at some point into the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

iMedia Summit Monday Recap

I am not a gloom and doom person and frankly am weary of conventional wisdom overshoot in our industry. I mean, if growth rates fall below 50% per quarter people get all jittery. It’s gonna be alright, people.  Take it from someone who’s been in advertising through three recessions and the dot bomb. And 37 rounds of layoffs in his life. Really! It’ll be OK, guys and gals!

As reassurance, I wanted to combat some of the black veils and eulogies being put forth of late to provide a list of nine things that made me more optimistic about the industry. All coming out of today’s iMedia Summit sessions, in the order they occurred at the show:

9. 24-7 Real Media gave a thought provoking presentation on how technology continues to drive a revolution in the ability of digital media to meet the precise needs of brands. Their perspective on what is happening in the ad network space was interesting and gave me pause. What’s more, their message and tone was realistically optimistic – that there will be fallout from the downturn but that there is no reason why the smart leaders of our industry cannot continue to grow and prosper – and grow stronger BECAUSE of the scarcity of resources and the weaning of weaker concepts and opportunities. 24-7 is a frequent sponsor of iMedia, so special props for that as well.

8. NBCU always has great things to say and says them in a clear and powerful way. Some of their new offerings – including customized audiences across the various NBC properties – offer interesting new opps for advertisers to seriously consider. Also, they have a new roadblock offering that offers an alternative to portal front page takeovers. Having more roadblocking and massive reach opps like these, across leading web properties, bodes well for the future of our medium because it helps us deliver greater value and present credible alternatives to clients.

7. Today’s keynote from Don Epperson, CEO of Havas Digital, offered a compelling vision for the future of agencies as – in a very real sense – data driven brand networks. For years agencies have been talking about creating data warehouses for brands – Havas’s vision is to layer on an auction based ad valuation model for its clients that places the focus on the consumer reached rather than the gif blinked. A focus on individual consumers has always been a cornerstone of digital, so this massive initiative offers a vision for the future you should definitely check out. You can agree or disagree with their approach, but you cannot doubt how strategically driven his message really is.

6. One Minute MatchUps: Some attendees groan about this part of the program, but I love it. The idea of one minute matchups is to give agencies and pubs/nets the opportunity to meet about 60 people in a single hour – to talk about what they are doing and get a Reader’s Digest version of what’s on offer. I absolutely love hearing a good salesperson do their pitch, even more so when they can effectively distill a massive offering of content, creative options and targeting technologies into an 18 second sentence. At the end of the show I am going to send out special shouts to the people I thought were rocking sellers, but overall I was impressed by the messages this year – both in their succinctness and in the attempt by many to make a 1 minute pitch a consultative sell. Dat takes mad skilz.

5. Microsoft Advertising’s al fresco cocktail hour offered another great opp for networking. And it makes me happy to be around so many people who are optimistic about the future of the business. I always appreciate companies that sponsor events like this because they are really the engine to collaboration in the industry.

4. Weatherbug’s beach themed dinner offered opps to meet and talk with more (optimistic) people, and to hear a really good band play a plethora of songs I actually knew the words to. Those in the industry should take (positive) note that the fact that the third song they performed was Brick House indicates that this is no longer just an industry of wide eyed 23 year olds. Welcome to wrinkles, iMedia. Just think of them as nooks and crannies to hold the wisdom.

When I know all the songs, you know you’re getting old, people. But remember the motto of my personal blog, “Old is the new black.”

3. The Hoover’s after hours reception was (I am told, 9:30PM is my bedtime) a rocking good time. Hoovers has really increased their prominence in the planning and buying arena with sponsorships of iMedia and other events. It’s not right for every brand but there’s nothing like Hoovers for the brands it clicks with.

2. I got to talk with about a dozen people starting new companies, which I think is a great sign that our future is bright. Over the next several months I’ll be doing little Q&As with some of these people and running them here at iMedia Connection.

1. Infectious optimism really made me feel great all day. And made me, for a time, forget about missing my little pup, Sleepy, who is, even as you read this, stamping his foot and wearing a little disgusted grimace. See, he’s at doggie day care back in O-Town wondering when I am going to come home and throw his ball.

Soon, Sleepers, Soon!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

Apple Versus MSFT: 40-Love

Microsoft's Small Basic: Launching a New Generation of Programmers - Literally

My interest in computers was launched, oddly enough, byt the basic programming language. With it I wrote a spelling program that was used by a teacher friend of my Moms -- for 17 years. The secret? I flatter myself that I invented digital bling -- you cannot IMAGINE the horror of colors and graphics that displayed when the user got the spelling right for a word.

But enough of my self flattery. Let me let ReadWriteWeb provide the rationale for Microsoft's new, simplified version of Basic.

After a year in the making, and with very little fanfare, Microsoft last month launched Small Basic, a free programming language aimed at kids. Unlike Scratch and Alice, tools designed for kids to learn programming in a 'codeless' environment, Small Basic is essentially a small version of the BASIC language.

BASIC has undergone many changes since its inception 40 years ago and while its growth has made it more powerful and capable, it has also become almost overwhelming for a beginner. Even though Small Basic is primarily aimed at children, it just may be the ideal way for anyone interested in programming to dip their feet in the water.

And here's how MSFT describes it:

Small Basic is a project that's aimed at bringing "fun" back to programming. By providing a small and easy to learn programming language in a friendly and inviting development environment, Small Basic makes programming a breeze. Ideal for kids and adults alike, Small Basic helps beginners take the first step into the wonderful world of programming.

Small Basic derives its inspiration from the original BASIC programming language, and is based on the Microsoft .Net platform. It is really small with just 15 keywords and uses minimal concepts to keep the barrier to entry as low as possible.

The Small Basic development environment is simple, yet provides powerful modern environment features like Intellisense™ and instant context sensitive help.

Small Basic allows third-party libraries to be plugged in with ease, making it possible for the community to extend the experience in fun and interesting ways.

I love this idea - by making computing more accessible, there will be an explosion of interest in programming -- the sort of thing that means additional creativity in the years ahead.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

WIN 7: Early Press is Good!

I generally like what Gizmodo has to say -- I feel as though they take a largely objective view of both existing technologies and the newest chiny new things. SO I was happy to read their positive assessment of Windows 7.

According to this piece, Windows 7 will be faster, more stable, more intuitive, and just plain more sensible than Vista. And I LIKED Vista and continue to, though I am well aware of some of its shortcomings.

Faster boot up. Vista was already somewhat of an improvement on this score, and apparently 7 is better still.

Control of the things you see and the notifications you get. Bravo.

A Library Approach: Not my term, but I like the analogy. The idea is that you can clump like files together and store them separately which Gizmodo points out is sort of the opposite of the Apple philosophy.

Digital Home Hub: The offering clearly is designed to help you more easily manage more devices and operations. Definitely a good thing.

The Gizmodo conclusion offers an analogy that I really liked:

For now, we should just be happy that Windows 7 appears to be on the right track. You can almost look at consumer-level Windows—that is, 95, 98, Me, XP, Vista and Win 7—like the first six Star Trek movies: They pretty reliably alternate between crap and quality. All I can say is, screw the Final Frontier, and hellloooo, Undiscovered Country. That, and thanks to Microsoft for talking about Windows 7 early and often. It helps. Just don't screw it up!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

Apple Goes McCain? Tech Crunch Says Yes

Well, the ad wars between Apple and MSFT continue. This latest ad from Apple pokes fun at the latest ad camapign for Vista -- alleging a focus on fluff over substance. Tech Crunch calls it going McCain. You make the call.



Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

The Nine Things That Made Me Think Twice this Week

iMedia has given me the opportunity to blog on their site and I am more than a little grateful for that. The blog is here. I'm going to do a repost of my Wednesday entries here.

9. Google Growth So Slow It May Begin Advertising

From Henry Blodget at Silicon Alley Insider: Google “has recently held discussions with several Madison Avenue agencies, including Wieden + Kennedy and the boutique firm Taxi New York, about new efforts to promote some products, according to people familiar with the matter.In August, Google launched an advertising effort in Japan that included outdoor and online ads created by Wieden + Kennedy, which is best known for its Nike "Just do it" campaign...” MORE

Yes, the word is that the company that has built one of the largest brands on earth without advertising itself may be pondering a significant ad effort. I wonder…is it slowing growth or the declining luster of the brand that promised to “do no evil.”

8. Lots of Bloggers Are ACTUALLY Making Money

Michael Estrin reports “Half of all bloggers run ads, and of that group, 70 percent use self-service contextual ad platforms such as Google's AdSense, according to Technorati's "State of the Blogosphere" report. The report, which Technorati has compiled since 2004, also found that 23 percent of bloggers use three or more ad platform MORE

We’ve all seen blog ads for years, but frankly I always thought that people were tilting at windmills with all those ads. But the recent Technorati report shows that both lots of bloggers are making SOME money, and a lot more people than you think are making a living at it. Democratizing content has led to democratized profit!

7. Microsoft’s Ads Go Viral, And Prove That Any Publicity Is Good Publicity

Mario Sgambelluri reports, “Microsoft’s bizarre Gates/Seinfeld ads racked up 3.2 million online views during the 10 days following their launch, while the latest Mac “I’m a PC” ads netted less than half that, reports online video measurement company Visible Measures.” MORE

I hated this new MSFT campaign and blogged about it in a rather negative way. But maybe the joke's on me. When you’re trying to restage a brand in a world where talk is more important than GRPs, maybe producing an ad campaign explicitly designed to drive digital discussion is the best way to dig a brand image out of a hole. One thing for sure, a LOT of people are talking about Redmond!

6. Online Video Penetration Doubled in 12 Months

Michael Estrin reported that There are twice as many Americans watching video on their computers than there were this time last year, according to a recent study from ABI Research, which surveyed nearly 1,000 users. In 2007, ABI found that 32 percent of users were watching video online, but that figure has spiked to 63 percent of those surveyed in 2008. MORE

I would imagine that no one is surprised at massive growth in video. But penetration doubling in a year? Fantastic! I guess I should have known something was up when my Mom sent me a link to an embedded video a couple of weeks ago. If you’re a brand that uses TV and isn’t using online video, what ON EARTH are you waiting for?

5. Doritos Stakes $1 Million On the Power of Consumers to Out Do DDB

Michael Estrin writes “The marketing team at Anheuser-Busch may not know it, but there's a $1 million bounty on their heads courtesy of PepsiCo's Doritos brand. Doritos, which has garnered a fair amount of attention with its user generated Super Bowl ads, is taking the format to a new level this year, promising $1 million dollars to the winner if the ad ranks No. 1 on the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter. Anheuser-Busch has placed No. 1 for the past 10 years running. MORE

Bud has been on top of the Super Bowl ad stakes for years upon years. And Doritos is sick of it. So their new contest asks Doritos eaters to come up with an ad that can beat some of the greatest creative minds in the biz. Do I hear a tremble in Mad Ave’s voice? I’m betting the public can do it!

4. The Politics, They Have a Changed

I got reminded of this video, which shows us all how much the digital revolution has changed the world, including politics. Now, if you're in your early 20s this may seem like politics as usual to you. But lemme tell you, we’re a long way from the campaigns of yesteryear!



3. Time to Tighten The Belts?

Steve McClellan of AdWeek reports: “But privately, some industry executives now believe this year's ad spend might actually end up in negative territory, and might not improve at all in 2009. They point to figures just released by Nielsen Monitor-Plus that show a first-half U.S. ad spend decline of 1.4 percent, compared with the same period in 2007, to $67.6 billion, with significant drops in spending in major ad categories including automotive (down 8 percent to $5.3 billion), pharmaceutical (down 5 percent to $2.6 billion) and movie studios (down 5 percent to $1.7 billion).” MORE

No surprise that the recession will be affecting the biz, but two years of declines is a pretty sobering prediction. Those on the digital side should find it less painful, but it appears that times are going to get kind of tough.

2. Twitter Continues To Grow By Leaps And Bounds

Michael Estrin reports: “Apparently micro-blogging your way through American politics has an enormous appeal. Twitter reported a 23 percent jump in signups from the previous week, and the company cited last week's presidential debates as the primary source for the increase.” MORE

I never really liked Twitter, well, that’s not true. I hated it. I keep thinking the whole thing will collapse like a house of cards when people wake up to the maddening annoyance of 140 characters. But apparently I am the one who doesn’t get it. More than 20% growth in a week? On an already large base? Good Lord. Resolved, I will hold my nose and try it again.

1. Widgets Most Assuredly NOT Dead

Michael Estrin reports “Coming soon to a Facebook page within your network: video content from your favorite big media companies. At least, that's the plan under the terms of a new deal that Slide has inked with CBS Interactive, Comcast's E! Entertainment channel and Time Warner's Warner Brothers, as well as News Corp. and NBC Universal's jointly owned video site Hulu, among other companies. MORE

Last fall the CW was that widgets were hotter than lava. Last spring they were virtually DOA. But the pendulum seems to have swung into the black again, with companies that actually have reasons to have widgets and content in widgets offering widgets. Imagine that.

Well, that’s The Nine this week. Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.

I'm a PC Too! New Microsoft Campaign Gets On The Dart Board

The Apple I'm a Mac I'm a PC campaign has been running for years, and it is one powerful ad campaign. Not only have they reinforced the hip factor on Mac, something he brand always had, it also succeeded in positioning the competition -- Microsoft --as a fat, bumbling idiot.

I think the campaign has been so successful that it has affected media coverage -- portraying the entire MSFT company -- whatever product, except PERHAPS XBox -- as a doddering and inept entry living by its supposed hegemony.

So I was pleasantly surprised by the new I'm a PC campaign, which directly addresses the stereotype by showing the profound range of people who use the operating system that powers, after all, 96% or so of machines worldwide.

Have a look:





It is perhaps odd for number one to respond to number 2 in advertising, but I think they were able to do it without DIRECTLY addressing Apple, at least by name.

I like it. It's a little sledgehammer to the head "we are repositioning ourselves," but whatever. It needed to be done.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

XBOX v. PS3: Pricing SmackDown!

It's smackdown time in the console biz. Microsoft is officially lowering the prices of XBOXes to better compete with PS3 and Wii. This puts them at price parity with PS3, which had been making market share inroads of late.

Smackdown!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

I Can See the Creative Meeting: Big Idea. Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. In a Shoe Store!

I'm not sure I understand this. But it does say that Microsoft appears to be trying something new and different. Something it's never done before.

Branding.

This I think is clearly a "miss." Bill Gates: not funny. Watching his ass wiggle? Not something I care to have burned in my consciousness.

But I applaud the new direction. Better than having your brand represented by an overweight guy in a 60/40 cotton poly white shirt and a repp tie. In competitor ads.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

Microsoft Takes on Vista CW

Have you seen the minisite www.mojaveexperiment.com?



The idea behind it is that Microsoft recognizes that Vista is perhaps the most maligned piece of software in recent history. But that people's negative preconceptions can be combatted with actual time spent using Vista.

So, like a Folger's Crystals commercials of yesteryear,



they tell people they are being chosen to test Windows Mojave, when they are actually given a copy of Vista.

And of course they LOVE it immensely.

It's a well executed site and campaign, and a tried and true advertising idea. Will it work? Well, it's gonna take time. There's a difference between spending hundreds on an OS and $2 for a jar of instant joe. But they had to do something, and this is emphatically something.

And BTW, I LIKE Vista. It's not perfect, but it's pretty nice in my view.

And BTW, campaigns like this tend to get spoofed.



Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

"Yahoo, Please Splain."

Over the past several weeks the world has been doing its collective Ricky Ricardo impression to demand reasons for why Yahoo did not accept Microsoft's invitations and prods. The CW appears to be that it was a fit of ego and MSFT hatred, rather than a focus on shareholder value.

Not surprisingly, the Yahoo board disagrees, and actually put out a 32 page powerpoint to splain itself. You can get it here, or just read on for the brief Vitameatavegamin version:

Here's what they say:

1. They never rebuffed MSFT. They were always up for a chat.
2. $31 significantly undervalued the company and its assets.
3. $31 was actually $28 based upon the changes in MSFT stock value over the course of the nego.
4. MSFT really only wanted the search business, not the whole company. At least at the end of the nego.
5. MSFT unresponsive to info requests.
6. MSFT made a lot of threats.
7. The Search deal sucked. It made Yahoo's financial future dependent on the sales effort and interest of MSFT.
8. Google deal nonexclusive and good. 4 year term versus 10 for MSFT. $250-$450MM incremental cash in year one.



Most interesting chart to me is Yahoo's set of assets -- while Yahoo is a bit down of late, they are certainly not "out."



Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.

Say This for MSFT: Sometimes They Have True Class

Received by Firefox team on launch day...

From feelfirefox.com

Firefox 3.0 - On Fire!

Over at Tech Crunch they report that Firefox 3.0 got over 8 million downloads in its first 24 hours. That's a whole lotta downloads, and shows that the world of browsers is poised for change.

Or has it changed already? I went to Net Applications to check out the market share of browsers globally. I expected that Firefox had gotten pretty close to 2 digits.

And boy was I wrong. They report that Firefox's market share is 18.4%! I really had no idea. To me Firefox was the browser for bay Area freaks and people who read Slashdot. Well, unless Slashdot has grown rather a lot in the last year, I'm guessing that Firefox is really ALMOST mainstream now.

Which begs a question: What is going well for MSFT of late? Hey, I am not trying to be a total snark there. Is there ANY good news for Redmond?

Craigslist Makes Easy Work of Another Pretender

According to this post on Tech Crunch, Microsoft is leaving the classifieds biz. I guess nobody does it like our lad Craig.

YOS: MICROSOFT LIVE REDUX?

I understand the comments of many who think Yahoo is simply replicating Microsoft’s Live strategy. But I see it differently. First of all, because Yahoo has, in my opinion, always been better at creating consumer experiences that Microsoft. Second, that Microsoft;’s actions always seem to have at their center retaining and enhancing the competitive power of Office.

Of course, for Microsoft, that makes sense. Office is in for a rough several years, what with Google Docs and other free web-based document platforms biting its heels. I think it is going to remain dominant – scratch that, COULD remain dominant – if they start putting consumer needs at the center. And fix bloody Vista.

The other major assets that Yahoo holds versus Microsoft are a broader array of more successful environments. Yahoo Mail is of course healthier than Hotmail, and MSN, which has always centered more on content, has largely outsourced activities like online dating.
If Yahoo can do more than cobble together all of its pieces into a single, cohesive environment, then it will indeed be much much much more than Live.

I encourage you to go HERE to see the YOS presentation from last week’s Web 2.0 Conference.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write