How about...
"We're shit and we know you know that we know we are but how about you buy stuff anyway?"
Seems to have worked out pretty well for them so far...
Microsoft offers $300m for web-washing ad campaign
Microsoft is touting $300m in advertising pork to the shiny suits of Madison Avenue in return for a smart way to pimp its lacklustre web services. "They are trying to make Windows cool, relevant and internet-centric," one contender agency is reported as saying in the New York Post. "They don't want to be seen as a stodgy …
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 14:20 GMT b shubin
Jinglelicious
Microsoft Live...
[a] We're not dead yet! (a la Python)
[b] Not as bad as you heard.
[c] Quite useable, really.
[d] A compelling solution for...forrr...ummm...
[e] Like almost using Office!
[f] You have to admire our nerve for pushing this stuff...
[g] Exciting product with a name more accurate than "Works".
[h] We take your money more slowly (giant sucking noise now a pinhole leak).
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 14:20 GMT Adrian Waterworth
OK, how's about...
"Windows Live Services - now the Internet can be just as f***ed up as your PC."
or
"Windows Live Services - trying to flog the pointless to the clueless."
or
"Windows Live Services - finding innovative new ways to miss the Internet boat all over again."
or
"Windows Live Services - all your shit are belong to us."
or
"Windows Live Services - too incompetent to do any evil."
or I'll get me coat shall I?
-
This post has been deleted by its author
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 14:32 GMT Giles Jones
Lose the name
Don't brand it MSN. Windows or Microsoft
Cut the bloat, make it simple and user friendly.
Don't overload it with adverts.
Use a clean simple look, concentrate on the features and making things easy to use, not how it looks or use it as a technology testing ground (ie. Passport).
Don't spam users or disable the ability for them to mark your irrelevant news as junk.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 14:53 GMT GettinSadda
Microsoft Live Services
Yoof version:
Microsoft Live Services - It sort of, y'know, "does stuff"
What PR thinks is yoof:
Microsoft Live Services - How Cool is That?[TM]
Realistic version:
Microsoft Live Services - Like Google, but from Microsoft!
My opinion version:
Microsoft Live Services - Who gives a shit!
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 14:53 GMT Stephen Gazard
on a mac, you can install live?
I tried looking at live.com (a near rip-off of google.com), and was told I could install Windows live on my machine. Great. I've got a mac. Let's see how far you can go with this one.
Select files, otherwise agree to everything under the sun, and you can download the file. Clever Microsoft. Install windows live messenger etc. on a mac via a windows download?
No browser checking. shame on them. Wait, this is microsoft who thinks windows rules the world...? never mind...
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 15:07 GMT Spleen
Please post $300m cheque to...
Windows Live Search - the unspeakable in pursuit of the unreadable.
Windows Live - Swindle, I vow.
Windows Live - we paid $300m for this shit so you'd better visit us... or we'll /cry/.
Windows Live - not just for Bill Gates' mother anymore!
Windows Live - you know that pointless dungheap you get inexplicably dumped to when you log out of Hotmail? That's us.
Windows Live - do no evil. Hey, Google gets away with it, and we don't even spend our spare time merrily throwing Chinese journalists to cattle-prod wielding Thought Police.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 15:14 GMT Anonymous Coward
Wrong name, implys blame
Should have called it something catchy and hidden the branding like find.com, iwant.com or gimmie.com
then the video marketing campaign of a man in front of a screen with the site open, cursor blinking in the search box.
thinking of all the possibilities the web has to offer he finally types ... 'porn'
his little face lights up as the results come back and the tag line reads
'we know what you really want today'
-
This post has been deleted by its author
-
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 16:06 GMT Anthony
$300m please.
Windows Live - it's what your PC has been waiting for.
(Literally.. ever since we installed a sneaky trojan on your machine during a Windows Update last year, a clock has been ticking. We = teh sneakeh)
Windows Live - Get it before we install it on your machine anyway as an upgrade.
Windows Live - now with added Facebook.
Windows Live - how do you use yours?
Windows Live - better than Windows Dead.
Windows Live - we spent $300m advertising this, ogle the models and buy into the spin or the next $300m we spend might have to go on actually producing a decent product.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 16:06 GMT TeeCee
How about:
"Windows Live. It's crap, you don't want it, but it's bundled with the O/S and YOU CAN'T TURN IT OFF!!!!! BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!"
"Windows Live. We didn't really want to make this, but Intel give us a shed-load of cash to come up with things to sell faster CPUs."
"The Internet. Some people think it could be safer. Some people think it could be better presented. Some people think that it could be easier to find what you want. We agree. But we only had fourpence and twentyfive minutes to spare. Windows Live."
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 16:41 GMT Anonymous Coward
419er
Dear My good friend,
My name is Mr B Gates. The sum of $300000000 (Three Hundred Million Dollars) has come in to my posetion. I am wishing to move this out of the country. Due to our banking laws I am unable to do this myself. All you must do to gain a share of this money is use Windows live for 1 (One) week.
Regards
Mr B Gates
Having thought about it I think most people would trust the boys from Nigiria.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 16:44 GMT Mike Moyle
Cash... and in small bills, please...
Windows Live - Sucks slightly less than Vista!
Windows Live - You want to go *WHERE* today?!!?
Windows Live - Click here to add the Brooklyn Bridge to your shopping cart.
Windows Live - BWAAA-HAA-HAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
Windows Live - We've also got some land in Florida that's above mean sea-level!
Windows Live - "Live"... Ye-e-e-a-a-a-h-h-h... "Live"... That's the ticket... (Note: Get Jon Lovitz to voice this one.)
Windows Live - Because we know that you'll buy anything!
Windows Live - I'm Ming the Merciless, and I approve this message.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 17:37 GMT Crossbow
How about...
Resistance is futile, you WILL be assimilated (Win XP and 2000 only. Vista support soon(ish). Win 98 not supported. iMicrosoft iLive ifor iMac iavailable ivia iTunes. *nix version carefully compiled to cause kernel panic in 100% of *nix and Linux variants.)
No warranty supplied or implied. Unauthorised copying will result in demonic possession of your children (Effects of this are not apparent in teenagers)
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 19:30 GMT Danny
why?
Windows Live - Why?
Windows Live - Don't even think of visiting using Linux
Windows Live - When we suck, you suck too.
Windows Live - The world is not enough.
Windows Live - Assimilate and extend.
Windows Live - We are not a commodity.
Windows Live - Better dead than Windows.
Windows Live - You'll wish you were dead.
Windows Live - You'll wish M$ was dead.
Windows Live - Spam, not content.
Windows Live - Only one ActiveX plugin away...
Windows Live - Where clear thinkers dare to tread.
Windows Live - A World of Pain.
Windows Live - Abandon all hope.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 19:30 GMT Guy
Has anyone tried it yet?
Windows Live - When someone sends you a message you can view it without having to install some stupid application to your page first, allowing third parties access to your private data, which you can't delete
Windows Live - Might look boring but it does work
Windows Live - Hey at least it's not Apple
Windows Live - We only use your information internally unlike other services we could mention
Windows Live - Be Different, everyones on those other sites
Windows Live - No ones ever been invited to be turned into a zombie on live
Windows Live - Unless your a Mac user, you'll find the apps / interface really easy to use, if you are a Mac user look over there, it's shiney, look at it sparkle, pretty
Windows Live - Has anyone actually tried using it?
Windows Live - Allows grandma to see photos of their grandchildren
Windows Live - For people with real friends who don't need to have 200+ fake online pals to play with
Windows Live - It's like Radio 2, all the services you used to get from that trendy Radio 1 place, but for grown ups
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 19:30 GMT joe
I think a Jingle would help
Remember that great song from Opus in the 80's?
Live is Live
na na na-na
Going to F!@# you Life
na na na-na
Can't find shit on Live
na na na-na
And we all have the power
to resurrect the dead
Every minute of an hour
We'll remind you what we said
And you all get the power
When you find the results are dead
When everyone gets nothing
And every song Billy sings
Live is Live
na na na-na
Going to F!@# you Life
na na na-na
Can't find shit on Live
na na na-na
I think they should spend the $300M on improving the existing software they force down consumer's throats
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 19:30 GMT Flocke Kroes
Why not go with the tried and trusted slogans
Use Microsoft Live Services or we will sue you for patent infringement.
Use Microsoft Live Services because soon you will have to pay for them even if you do not want them.
Use Microsoft Live Services or someone else will put up a shoddy site in your name.
We spent $300,000,000 on advertising Microsoft Live. It's that good.
Microsoft Live - we will not let your customers go anywhere else.
Microsift Live. It is not like you have a choice.
Microsoft Live. Who cares if it is crap. We are the monopoly.
Trust Microsoft Live. Microsoft Live is your friend.
Microsoft Live shreds your e-mails at the first hint of a law suite.
(Picture a lion scratching himself and knocking over a chess board) Microsoft Lice has the beast spilling chequers.
-
Thursday 29th November 2007 22:43 GMT Jim
First, we need five live offerings
Windows Live Home - you can get email but you can't send it.
Windows Live Home Extreme - send email but can't get email
Windows Live Home Extreme Pro Extra Strong - send and receive email, free botnet with activation
Windows Live Executive - search the web using only nouns
Windows Live Enterprise Extreme - We slowly suck the data out of your enterprise, then charge you $50 per seat to get it back, renewable every year.
-
Friday 30th November 2007 02:48 GMT John
Windows Live: Silverlight is almost not ActiveX
Windows Live: Silverlight is almost not ActiveX
Not really relevant but I still haven't figured out Silverlight yet and I just pray it's not activeX so I thought I throw it in to be stupid... MS should not be too upset about that!
Windows Live: No more desktop, just a Silverlight Pane - yay!
Windows Live: Silverlight, the death of the desktop, yay!
those last 2, because someone at MS will eventually say it!
-
Friday 30th November 2007 05:57 GMT skeptical i
lipstick, meet pig
* Everywhere you want to be ... and some places you don't.
* Be seeing you.
* Total Information Awareness? No, ahh, it's Total Information Availability. For you. The customer. Information, totally available. Really.
* Do the monkey dance!
* Welcome to the new birth of Microsoft mach two.
Thumbs up for Andrew's "The service you deserve!"
-
Friday 30th November 2007 10:46 GMT peter
Yet More...
Windows Live: Search for dummies^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Search-ing for dummies.
Windows Live: Seek and ye shall....▓◊♫≠ž䇷㓪øʰsX⅓¶ 404 NOT FOUND
Windows Live: An import paradigm shift in the redefinition of paradigms.
Windows Live: Bult by Copper Nanotubes.
And finally, with apologies to C.F. Gellert and Frances E. Cox:
1.
Windows Live! Thy terrors now__
can no more, O Page, appal us;
Windows Live! by this we know
thou, O Brin, canst not enthral us.
Alleluia.
2.
Windows Live! henceforth h-refs__
are the gate to Redmond's portal;
this shall calm our trembling breaths,
when we see ol' Google's stock fall.
Alleluia.
3.
Windows Live! for us Bill Gates__
indexed all the seedy content;
VISA in hand may we dictate
payment to his chosen extent.
Alleluia.
4.
Windows Live! our hearts know it;
Microsoft's our search provider.
Life nor death nor Torvald's shit,
tear us from their page-rank spider.
Alleluia.
5.
Window Live! to them the pit__
of the deepest hell is given;
may we go where they are gone
if we dare their algorithm.
Alleluia.
(The messianc imagery was too hard to resist.)
-
Monday 3rd December 2007 23:13 GMT Bryan Haddock
The Best Idea for Microsoft's Marketing Strategy
First of all, Microsoft needs way more than a friggin' slogan... they need to recreate their entire public image... and they're not going to do that by instituting a new slogan, they're going to do that by changing the way people perceive them from the ground up.
OK... think about it... what is "it" in regards to the Internet? Creativity, humor, opinions, insights... things provided by the little man. YouTube is more popular than ever and it's because of the input of average webizens... same concept with MySpace, and any other kind of blog website. People need a place and a way to express themselves and that is why MAC is so damn successful... the Mac marketing campaign is simple... it shows an "average guy" who just wants to be himself and do his own thing (a la the television campaign)... that's the Internet market.
So, Microsoft, until you start to begin to understand your market, you'll never get back on top... and my guess is that you won't, because you see it ONLY as a market and not as the individuals that make it up.
Here's an idea at a solution, if they're interested in one that challenges their paradigm... throw out all your high-dollar marketing bull crap and take the money and invest it in something that will show the little guy (that all of us miniscule components of this great, wide Internet market). Find some ways that you can encourage our creative spirit that aren't only fueled by your profit motive and see that when you encourage us to create and speak out and laugh and express ourselves, we grow to love you. That's why Mac users are so hardcore... we feel like Mac gets us.
So take 10,000 bucks and split it up in bundles of $500 and have some contests... get us to create or express ourselves or whatever... get us to make videos or put together funny Photoshop pictures or cool ass 3D renderings... award those who embrace the technology to express themselves... then we might not see you guys as a bunch of corporate suits, but, instead, someone who gets us.
GIVE IT UP, MICROSOFT... THERE IS NO SLOGAN THAT CAN REPAIR THE DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR PUBLIC IMAGE... YOU NEED A PARADIGM CHANGE!!!
This topic is closed for new posts.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
