Vista: The Music Video
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News Brief. Microsoft's sales team motivational video actually sapped my inspiration. |
I hemmed and hawed about blogging this one, because Microsoft's external marketing is improving and I didn't want a ruckus over something ugly. But several blogs point to the video, so I decided, WTH.
Qualification: I'm assuming the video is legit—that it was produced by somebody at Microsoft. COO Kevin Turner appears in it, which is pretty good authentication.
The "Rockin' Our Sales" music video is so dated, from its poor parody of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" to the broader concept in general. The video purports to be by Bruce ServicePack and the Vista Street Band from the album "Our Ecosystem Rocks!" I lived on Vista Street as a kid, and I don't recall seeing Bruce ServicePack there. Need I explain the sales purpose, or is the band name enough?
Sorry, Microsoft, but this is a marketing stinker, even for internal use. And if the video motivated the sales staff, there is no better commentary on what's really wrong with Windows Vista.
I initially laughed at the video because it reminded me of Vista's launch. There, Angels & Airwaves played on a similar-looking stage, but with nowhere near the excitement. Rather than dance and crowd up to the band, the geeks stood around gabbing. Geez.
The video isn't exactly viral. It had less than 5,000 views (after six days online) when I first watched it this morning. Blogger links have driven up views to more than 34,000. If Microsoft's really lucky, not many more people will watch the video.
Update: Blog traffic from around the Web has pushed the video's views past 87,000.
Comments (15)
So nobody's actually chimed in yet to point out that this video was actually an internal spoof? I just watched it, and it's CLEARLY not intended for mass consumption, let alone as a marketing piece.
It's funny: people accuse Microsoft of being nothing but a marketing machine pushing bad technology. Then, they say (sometimes in the same breath) that Microsoft's marketing is terrible. I have a difficult time reconciling these two positions.
Posted by Mark | April 16, 2008 8:31 PM
Maybe the video should have showed the Titanic sinking.
Posted by Ralph | April 16, 2008 9:08 PM
Mark says:
"It's funny: people accuse Microsoft of being nothing but a marketing machine pushing bad technology."
@Mark:
Actually, I am more inclined to think of Microsoft as a financial machine that pushes software (good or bad, it doesn't matter to them) instead of drugs or oil or insurance.
Who needs marketing when back-room deals, strong-arm tactics, and lock-in all work so very much better... Hence, their marketing is a mix of both good and bad. It just doesn't need to be steadily good. When you own a market, marketing doesn't really matter.
IBM was once described to me as "IBM is not a computer company. It's marketing company that happens to market computers." In the same vein, I began to see Microsoft not as a software company, but as a finance company that happens to finance software.
AT&T (the original AT&T) was also a monopoly, and hence didn't really need any sort of decent marketing. I was once told that "AT&T couldn't sell hot food at a dog sled race." Again, when you own a market and are awash in cash, marketing is a merely a hobby and not very much more.
Someone else (who worked at AT&T, was laid off, went to work for another company, and was again an AT&T employee when AT&T purchased that other company) told me that "AT&T consists of acres of incompetence floating on a sea of money." I wonder if that assessment now describes Microsoft...
Posted by Philosopher | April 16, 2008 9:25 PM
Mark wrote: "This video was actually an internal spoof."
A spoof of what, Mark? It's not funny enough to spoof anything. This video came out of somebody's budget. If it's a spoof, then it's even worse. Because a spoof is supposed to be even MORE inspirational.
I may never watch another Bruce Springsteen video.
Joe
Posted by Joe | April 16, 2008 9:46 PM
This is an internal spoof made by members of the MS sales team. Leave it alone; it was fun for team and only them. Joe Wilcox sounds more and more like an angry old man with nothing else to do than searching the Web for something to bash Microsoft about. I am tired of angry old men from yesterday so I will unsubscribe from this feed. No useful content; just petty angriness. Sad.
Posted by suli yousef | April 16, 2008 10:09 PM
If it is an "internal spoof," then why is someone at MSFT still stupid enough to let it stay on YouTube??
It was an "internal spoof"; so was the video from a former bank that described "the profits being booked in Cleveland, the risk in Dallas, and the operations work in California."
Does no one at MSFT know how to ask for a video to be removed??
Posted by Ken Houghton | April 16, 2008 10:44 PM
My golly... All of this over a silly movie made by some members of the Vista sales team for their own amusement? I mean, are people actually DEBATING this?
Yeesh.
Posted by Mark | April 16, 2008 11:40 PM
"I mean, are people actually DEBATING this?"
Spoof or not, this is truly awful and not funny in the slightest. If this is the level of humor in the Vista marketing team, it does not bode well.
To use the oft quoted Steve Jobs line:
The trouble with microsoft is that they have no taste.
Posted by Hari Seldon | April 17, 2008 1:34 AM
Whatever it is.... it's too painful to watch.
I think I enjoyed Dana Carvey's "The Master of Disguise" more.
Posted by Jay | April 17, 2008 3:46 AM
That video was funny but not exceptional. Still, it clearly show Windows users main concern is virus issues, etc ...
Should they use OpenBSD, they would have no problem of this kind :·D.
Posted by Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl | April 17, 2008 5:37 AM
I love XP, and i like MS... but this, this is just too lame. i'm scared to watch it again.
Posted by Jan | April 17, 2008 10:55 AM
People at work really have time for this? Holy crapzilla, Batman. The lyrics are hilarious at least.
Posted by zaine_ridling | April 17, 2008 11:04 PM
very funny video
Posted by Ajay | April 18, 2008 1:56 AM
I personally approved this people!
What do you think now?
Posted by steveballmer | April 19, 2008 11:09 PM
Today, at a press conference in the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans, in the face of threatened legal action, Levees. Org rejected a demand by the ASCE to cease and desist and returned its controversial levee video to YouTube for public viewing.
Posted by videoland | June 9, 2008 1:07 PM