Microsoft: "the worst technology ad of all time"

[Ivan P]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25727405-5014239,00.html

MICROSOFT has bowed to public outcry and pulled from the web an ad rapidly gaining fame as "the worst technology commercial ever".

The ad, which plugs Microsoft's Internet 8 browser, features a couple eating breakfast while the husband's browsing on his laptop.

He leaves the table and hands it to his wife, who inadvertantly finds a site in the history file so disturbing, she vomits on the floor.

The insinuation is it's hardcore pornography.

Hubbie returns, slips in the vomit and is conseqeuntly thrown up on several more times by his wife.


The ad also features former television Superman Dean Cain.

The catchcry for Internet Explorer 8 "OMGIGP" – “Oh My God I'm Going To Puke".

The ad is Microsoft’s attempt to sell Internet Explorer 8's ability to cover any users' browsing tracks.

It was directed by Bobcat Goldthwaite, who rose - and fell from - fame after starring as Zed in the hit Police Academy movies.

Goldthwaite had directed a series of similar ads also featuring Cain, based around the catchphrases "GRIPES" (Gripping Rage Internet Pathetically Extra Slow) and "SHYNESS" (Sharing Heavily Yet Not Enough Sharing Still).

Microsoft defended the ad, claiming it was "tongue-in-cheek" and displayed "irreverent humour".

"While much of the feedback to this particular piece of creative was positive, some of our customers found it offensive, so we have removed it," Microsoft said.

Those who branded the ad offensive drew attention not only to its vomit content, but also the fact that Microsoft backed IE8's ability to hide content from one's spouse.

The ad has been removed from its own website, YouTube channel and its ad agency's website, but several versions still remain on YouTube.

:confused:

Sounds like a complete mess...

[thegoldenmackid]

Clearly I want Microsoft's search engine to make decisions for me.

maybe I can learn how to violate anti-trust laws, not get started in new product markets, create service packs and make bad things worse...

[jav6454]

Clearly I want Microsoft's search engine to make decisions for me.

maybe I can learn how to violate anti-trust laws, not get started in new product markets, create service packs and make bad things worse...

Lol. Priceless.

[chrono1081]

Omg that ad sounds terrible wtf are they thinking for real?

First they hired Jerry Seinfeld to make his unfunny commercials that lasted for what...two commercials?

Then they have the stupid shoppers which are clearly fake.

Then they have the stupid "Wes Moss Certified Financial Planner" ad banners everywhere advertising Zune Pass. (Really MS do you think those ads are good?)

And now this? Wow. They need to outsource their ad agency to someone with skill.

[xIGmanIx]

Clearly I want Microsoft's search engine to make decisions for me.

maybe I can learn how to violate anti-trust laws, not get started in new product markets, create service packs and make bad things worse...

i don't think apple is immune to those practices as well, they just get over looked by the apple proponents.

[nick9191]

I thought the ad was great :D

[iToaster]

Not an add for the masses, but I debated maybe chuckling a little while watching it.

[arkitect]

Was that a genuine ad?
Not a spoof?

I don't care who's ad that was, it is godawfully bad.

[instaxgirl]

Microsoft's ads are just weird. I see the point of the shopper ads, but that one was just wtf.

And was that superman that showed up at the end in a yellow turtleneck to tell me how to hide my porn? 'Cause that just confused me even more.

[Melrose]

Just when I thought Microsoft's marketing team couldn't get any worse.

I just love how the ad suggests IE8 helps you hide something like that from your family..

[Goona]

What else do you expect form Microsoft?

[Ntombi]

Wow, I am so glad I missed that. Uck.

[joro]

Sounds like quite an interesting ad???? :confused:

Five bucks says the guy in the marketing department who came up with it is collecting unemployment as we type. ;)

[Abstract]

I thought the ad was great :D

Me too. :)


Sure, he's hiding his crazy animal porn or whatever from his wife, but you'd think that would be the completely reasonable part. I doubt most husbands who look at porn want to be sharing exactly what he's looking at with his wife. Sure, he may tell her that he looks at porn sometimes, but if he was going to show her something, it'd be the more normal, expected porn rather than the shots of horses banging humans, for example.

[Phormic]

I'm sure everybody has seen their Dad dance. Y'know, he tries really hard to be cool and thinks he's cool but is just so painfully not cool.

That's what this ad reminds me of.

[Furi Kuri]

That commercial is really gross.

[thegoldenmackid]

i don't think apple is immune to those practices as well, they just get over looked by the apple proponents.
Yes. But seriously Bing is going to change my life? And I should let Microsoft make decisions for me? I mean, clearly the Microsoft advertising is just going all downhill...

[xIGmanIx]

Yes. But seriously Bing is going to change my life? And I should let Microsoft make decisions for me? I mean, clearly the Microsoft advertising is just going all downhill...

i would say advertising isn't really their forte, but who needs it when they are like 85-90% of the market share? All i am saying is Apple isn't innocent in this. to be honest, your going to use what works for you, Bing might work for some.

[thegoldenmackid]

i would say advertising isn't really their forte, but who needs it when they are like 85-90% of the market share? All i am saying is Apple isn't innocent in this. to be honest, your going to use what works for you, Bing might work for some.

Umm... Apple is not perfect, but they are doing pretty well. I mean they have different approaches. When it comes to the iPod and iPhone, where they own the large segments of the market they update and continue to make quality products. More importantly, no vomiting commercials.

[techfreak85]

wow.... I saw this on 9to5 a few days ago. terrible. Private browsing is not a new thing tho...:rolleyes:

[MorphingDragon]

Must... eat... BRAINS!!! Om Nom Nom

[freesonwang]

The vomiting was just a little too realistic, don't you think? If it was like funny, fake, vomit it might be better. I dunno. It was just very bizarre.

[xIGmanIx]

The vomiting was just a little too realistic, don't you think? If it was like funny, fake, vomit it might be better. I dunno. It was just very bizarre.

I agree it was bizarre. My favorite part was when he was on the floor and looked up when she yakked on him again and he was like "......Really?"

[PlaceofDis]

trying to hard to be funny and just ends up being weird and gross in the end.

[Nilla]

I think I saw that the other day on TV. I can't remember if I saw that on the computer or the television. Either way it wasn't very impressive. I wouldn't diem it the 'worst ad imaginable' but definitely not the best.

[techfreak85]

the graphics at the end reminded me of windows 95ish.

[OutThere]

How is this real? I thought that was an Onion article at first. http://drien.com/macrumors/random/gonemad.gif

[dmmcintyre3]

So they ran the copier again. Safari has this.

look at the blue thing. Does the same thing I think.

[BlizzardBomb]

How could MS think for a microsecond that this would actually be a good idea. If Apple has the greenest line of notebooks, then I guess MS must have the yellowest line of software.

[liptonlover]

Disgusting. Horrible. Sick. Crazy. Inappropriate. Seriously MS? It wasn't funny, it didn't actually help the product,
(1. They just associated IE8 with puke, 2. Most people WOULD want to know what their spouse is doing on the computer if he/she has something to hide, and it's not likely to make them puke.)
I doubt parents want their little kids randomly hearing that stuff, (or seeing for that matter) and really it was just a failed cheap ad that never should have happened.

[Schtumple]

How is this real? I thought that was an Onion article at first.

When I first watched it I honestly thought the same, the ad would've been good, if it wasn't actually by MS...

[gkarris]

Disgusting. Horrible. Sick. Crazy. Inappropriate. Seriously MS? It wasn't funny, it didn't actually help the product,
(1. They just associated IE8 with puke, 2. Most people WOULD want to know what their spouse is doing on the computer if he/she has something to hide, and it's not likely to make them puke.)
I doubt parents want their little kids randomly hearing that stuff, (or seeing for that matter) and really it was just a failed cheap ad that never should have happened.

Well, The Zune is associated with "squirt"... :eek:

LOL...

[twoodcc]

wow. i don't even know what to say about this. what were they thinking?