Friday, December 07, 2007

Microsoft launches a viral promotion

Pandora.com online radio features ads that I usually ignore. But, for some reason, this morning as I went to turn it on, I clicked on the ad:



















Clicking brought me to the following page, complete with faux video "debates" (see left side segments) and a faux "children's book" (lower right corner)--complete with $5.95 price and properly coded bar code on the back cover--that utilizes a visual and verbal style that mimics children's "how are babies born" books so well, one almost has to laugh:






















Probably the most boring part of the entire presentation is the "offices are boring" spread in the Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House? children's book:




































The text on the next page reads, "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much . . . "

But you'll have to turn the page to find out what happens!

The entire site is unbelievably tongue-in-cheek.

Concerning the book's author, Dr. Tom O'Connor, we read:
Just so you know, Tom O'Connor does not actually have a Ph.D. He is also not actually a person. And the entire premise of this book is fictional. But on the bright side, a Windows Home Server is a real product. Perhaps you'd like to buy one!

You can find out more about Windows Home Server at . . .
And in a sidebar:





























Back cover copy tells us O'Connor "first gained prominence in the '80s with his pioneering work on electric pencil sharpeners in the home. 'Mommy' is his eighty-seventh book."

Clearly, I think this is viral-worthy marketing: humorous, shareable. . . .

Enjoy!
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