Mobile OSs #DroidRage - did it backfire?

Looks liek Microsoft are on the crusade of trying to belittle their competitors instead of competing. Ballmer did it against the iPhone and it seems the WindowsPhone twitter account is at it again with the second #droidrage account, offering the chance of some kind of recompense in return.

There has been a lot of press coverage saying it's now backfired with #WindowsRage popping up from Twitter and on Google Plus.

http://betanews.com/2012/12/06/micr...gn-goes-down-in-flames-as-windowsrage-trends/

What was Microsoft thinking? The software giant initiated a campaign on Twitter, dubbed #DroidRage, inviting Android users to share their "malware horror stories", only to have it backfire spectacularly shortly afterwards. A huge number of anti-Microsoft posts with the #WindowsRage hashtag appeared on Twitter and Google+, almost immediately.

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http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57557422-75/microsoft-tries-droidrage-thing-again-doesnt-take/

Call it a Microsoft holiday tradition. The annual #DroidRage Twitter campaign is back.
The general idea of #DroidRage is to "share your Android malware horror story."

And while there are some tweets supporting Microsoft, they aren't easy to find -- despite this tweet by Microsoft: "Yikes! Hundreds of #DroidRage stories already since our tweet last night."
Instead, the tweets are trending toward flaming Windows.

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriank...rosofts-droidrage-twitter-campaign-backfires/

A Twitter campaign organized by Microsoft to get Android users to share their malware “horror story” in exchange for a chance to win a new Windows Phone handset has backfired.

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http://readwrite.com/2012/12/05/windows-phone-droidrage-twitter-stunt-blows-up-in-microsofts-face

In an attempt to highlight the Android operating systems susceptibility to malware, the Windows Phone twitter account asked its followers on Wednesday to tell a “horror story” of Android malware with the hashtag #DroidRage.

Predictably, this is not working out all that well for Microsoft. We have seen time and again how hashtag marketing campaigns on Twitter have turned against their creators and made the company making the call-to-action look foolish. To a certain extent, that is precisely what is happening to Microsoft and its #DroidRage stunt.

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I'm not a massive fan of this smear type marketing, especially when they offer up prizes (this being a Windows Phone) for stories like this. The potential for people to flat out lie in the chances of getting a free phone are immense.

Still, I love a negative bit of smear that backfires (like it did with Motorola and Apple's maps).

IMO, it's a fail. Your thoughts?

Play nice people. Negative ad campaigns aren't for everyone.