MS busted for Guerrilla ad tactics in NY

[mcrain]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.ht...e/tech/1633217

Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates is boasting that the software giant will spend $300 million to promote the latest version of its Internet service.

He may have underestimated by just a bit.

After plastering city sidewalks, streets and other public property with butterfly-shaped advertising decals, New York City has sent Microsoft a $50 summons.

City officials in New York, Chicago and San Francisco have fought back against similar illegal "guerrilla" ad campaigns by IBM, Snapple and Nike.

In April, IBM paid San Francisco $120,000 in fines and cleanup costs for an ad campaign in which sidewalks were spray-painted with ads. Chicago also fined the computer maker for similar corporate graffiti.

In New York, municipal workers removed hundreds of Microsoft decals on Thursday and planned to remove hundreds more on Friday, said Transportation Department spokesman Tom Cocola.

"We intend to hold your firm directly responsible for this illegal, irresponsible and dangerous defacing of public property," Cesar Fernandez, the department's assistant counsel, said in a letter to Microsoft.

Fernandez said Microsoft could be sued if it sticks more ads on city property.

A public relations spokeswoman for Microsoft, Kathy Gill of the Waggener Edstrom agency, said the software company received a city permit to place the blue, green, orange and yellow butterflies on streets and sidewalks.

Gill didn't say which city agency issued the permit, and Cocola said the DOT has not seen it.

The decals were part of a splashy promotional campaign for the company's release of an upgraded MSN Internet service stocked with Disney's content.

Many of the decals were clustered on sidewalks near Central Park, where Gates and Walt Disney Co. chairman Michael Eisner announced the deal Thursday.

"It's a real coup," Gates said during the kickoff spectacle, flanked by Eisner and a pair of extras in Mickey and Minnie Mouse suits. Pop star Lenny Kravitz played an invitation-only concert at the event.

Neither mentioned the sidewalk decals, which seemed to mimic the New York promotions by Nike and Snapple.

[elensil]

Ow no, the flying butterflies of DEATH

[MrMacMan]

I remember when IBM did a team up for linux, I saw all the spray paint and it was Even funnyier when they Had to pay for the clean up.
But it MS's fault with all that adspamming. I mean who needs to hear BUY NOW, 'CAUSE WE SAID SO, so many times?

[Gelfin]

Just exactly what is the deal with that butterfly dude anyway? It looks like a genetic fusion of The Tick and Arthur.

I'm telling you, somebody in charge of Microsoft's PR has simply cracked. There's no other explanation for the complete mess Microsoft's ad strategy seems to have become lately.

[medea]

Microsoft also drew the ire municipil authorities in Sydney, Australia after it spray painted the Xbox logo on the city's streets.

damn vandals........

[applemacdude]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHA!

[sparkleytone]

Originally posted by medea
Microsoft also drew the ire municipil authorities in Sydney, Australia after it spray painted the Xbox logo on the city's streets.

damn vandals........

australia is just not a good place for m$ xbox right now. the countries legal system just ruled to the effect that modding an xbox to get around region restrictions is perfectly legal.

[G4scott]

Okay, if so many computers out there are microsoft computers, why don't they just advertise with their OS? Heck, why do they even need to advertise? MS is so stupid...

[748s]

Originally posted by medea
Microsoft also drew the ire municipil authorities in Sydney, Australia after it spray painted the Xbox logo on the city's streets.

damn vandals........

they also had a large truck driving around town, with the xbox logo all over it. the truck would stop on major roads, blocking traffic, the occupants claiming they were waiting to be towed, because the engine stopped working [blue screen on ms trucks?].

[g3ski]

They should restrict the marketing in the city if a company does something so blantantly wrong and destructive. M$ and IBM really don't care about a $120K fine when they are doing multi million dollar ad campaigns. In fact, the buzz created by the clean up is worth more than the fine.

If M$/Nike/IBM/Snapple was then forced to remove all ads relating to that event for a period of 30-60 days, then they would think twice about such pratices. Imagine if NYC ruled that M$ had to remove every trace of MSN 8 from the city streets; including billboards, stickers on lampposts, ads on the side of buses, ads on park benches, etc. That would really hurt the campaign and make a significant impact on M$. It would be much more potent than the silly fine that probably doesn't even cover the cost of the work the city employees will do to deal with this.

my 2¢