[Am-info] Microsoft Ad Unravels -- Lessons

Wed, 16 Oct 2002 17:05:24 -0700

--Apple-Mail-2-671349426
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset=ISO-8859-1;
	format=flowed

Microsoft Ad Unravels -- Lessons
by Dan Gillmor
Posted on Tue, Oct. 15, 2002
=
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/dan_gil=
lmor/
ejournal/429980.htm

Microsoft is capturing some well-earned derision today over its latest=20=

admittedly slippery deed. But our favorite monopolist's unfamiliarity =
with=20
truth is actually more of a side story than what this episode means.

Background: Microsoft posted a semi-bogus Web page advertisement (Google=20=

cache; the original is gone) featuring a winsome young woman who=20
supposedly switched from a Mac to a PC. The page was entitled "Mac to =
PC:=20
Mission Accomplished, Convert Thrilled," and was a response to Apple's=20=

Switch (from PCs to Macs) campaign. Also typical for Microsoft -- take =
an=20
Apple idea and clone it.

But the ad was semi-bogus. As I noted here yesterday, a Slashdot poster=20=

discovered and reported that the picture of this supposed freelancer is=20=

from a Getty Images archive. The AP's Ted Bridis then scoped out the =
rest=20
of the story, which was, of course, not the one Microsoft had been=20
floating.

I sent a note to a Microsoft PR man yesterday. This morning when I got =
up,
  I found his late-night reply. Here's the exchange.

Q:Was this fiction or was this a real person?
A:It was a real person, but not a real photo. The author did receive=20
payment from Microsoft for writing the piece.

Q: Why is it gone now?
A: It was a mistake that it was posted, and Microsoft took it down as =
soon=20
as it came to the attention of the Windows XP marketing team. Microsoft=20=

regrets any confusion it may have caused.

Q: Is this the start of a new marketing campaign, or part of one?
A: No it is not.

Vague, to say the least. No doubt the Microsoft PR team massaged their=20=

reply so as to be as uninformative as possible. Note especially the=20
wording in the second answer: "It was a mistake..." Okay, who made the=20=

mistake? And, it was removed when it "came to the attention of the =
Windows=20
XP marketing team." So the marketing people didn't know about a =
marketing=20
page on the website?

Perhaps people are making too much of the half-fake nature of the web =
page.
  After all, the people who pitch products in TV and print =
advertisements=20
are usually actors. But when Apple's PC-to-Mac endorsers were apparently=20=

all real, including their pictures, Microsoft's astroturf-like (phony=20
grassroots activism) approach was hinky.

What makes this incident really stand out is something else. It's the =
way=20
the untruth unraveled.

I keep telling anyone who'll listen that my readers know more than I do,=20=

and that I'm thrilled to understand this. The collective knowledge and=20=

intelligence that you folks possess is so much more vast than my own.

Slashdot's readers, members of a powerful community, got on the case. =
They=20
were the first to show that something wasn't kosher with the Microsoft=20=

page. They deserve much of the credit for the story coming out in the=20
first place.

This is tomorrow's journalism, a partnership of sorts between=20
professionals and the legions of gifted amateurs out there who can help =
us=20
-- all of us -- figure things out. It's a positive development, and =
we're=20
still figuring out how it works.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
=A9 2001 siliconvalley and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.

--Apple-Mail-2-671349426
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/enriched;
	charset=ISO-8859-1

Microsoft Ad Unravels -- Lessons

by Dan Gillmor

Posted on Tue, Oct. 15, 2002

=
<underline><color><param>1A1A,1A1A,FFFF</param>http://www.siliconvalley.co=
m/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/dan_gillmor/</color></underline>ej=
ournal/429980.htm

Microsoft is capturing some well-earned derision today over its latest
admittedly slippery deed. But our favorite monopolist's unfamiliarity
with truth is actually more of a side story than what this episode
means.

Background: Microsoft posted a semi-bogus Web page advertisement
(Google cache; the original is gone) featuring a winsome young woman
who supposedly switched from a Mac to a PC. The page was entitled "Mac
to PC: Mission Accomplished, Convert Thrilled," and was a response to
Apple's Switch (from PCs to Macs) campaign. Also typical for Microsoft
-- take an Apple idea and clone it.

But the ad was semi-bogus. As I noted here yesterday, a Slashdot
poster discovered and reported that the picture of this supposed
freelancer is from a Getty Images archive. The AP's Ted Bridis then
scoped out the rest of the story, which was, of course, not the one
Microsoft had been floating.

I sent a note to a Microsoft PR man yesterday. This morning when I got
up, I found his late-night reply. Here's the exchange.

Q:Was this fiction or was this a real person?

A:It was a real person, but not a real photo. The author did receive
payment from Microsoft for writing the piece.

Q: Why is it gone now?

A: It was a mistake that it was posted, and Microsoft took it down as
soon as it came to the attention of the Windows XP marketing team.
Microsoft regrets any confusion it may have caused.

Q: Is this the start of a new marketing campaign, or part of one?

A: No it is not.

Vague, to say the least. No doubt the Microsoft PR team massaged their
reply so as to be as uninformative as possible. Note especially the
wording in the second answer: "It was a mistake..." Okay, who made the
mistake? And, it was removed when it "came to the attention of the
Windows XP marketing team." So the marketing people didn't know about
a marketing page on the website?

Perhaps people are making too much of the half-fake nature of the web
page. After all, the people who pitch products in TV and print
advertisements are usually actors. But when Apple's PC-to-Mac
endorsers were apparently all real, including their pictures,
Microsoft's astroturf-like (phony grassroots activism) approach was
hinky.

What makes this incident really stand out is something else. It's the
way the untruth unraveled.

I keep telling anyone who'll listen that my readers know more than I
do, and that I'm thrilled to understand this. The collective knowledge
and intelligence that you folks possess is so much more vast than my
own.

Slashdot's readers, members of a powerful community, got on the case.
They were the first to show that something wasn't kosher with the
Microsoft page. They deserve much of the credit for the story coming
out in the first place.

This is tomorrow's journalism, a partnership of sorts between
professionals and the legions of gifted amateurs out there who can
help us -- all of us -- figure things out. It's a positive
development, and we're still figuring out how it works.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

--Apple-Mail-2-671349426--