MSFT: Feedback for the Vomit Ad Was Quite Good
Apparently a lot of the feedback Microsoft got about the most recent IE8 ad was actually pretty positive.
Because Dean Cain was in the commerical too.Earlier in the week we wrote about Microsoft’s latest Internet Explorer 8 TV commercial, which we believed was in bad taste and should never have made it past the drawing board of Microsoft’s marketing department. It involved a woman throwing up three times in under a minute -- once on the floor and twice on her husband (who had fallen in the original pool of puke and wasn’t standing up for who knows what reason). Originally meant to highlight the advantages of private browsing, most people just thought it was gross, prompting Microsoft to pull the ad.
However, instead of just removing the video and leaving at that, a Microsoft spokesman has said that much of the feedback about the ad was positive. The Redmond company told CNET that the reason they removed the video from the IE8 YouTube channel was because a few people found it disturbing but mostly, people liked it.
"We make a point of listening to our customers," said a Microsoft representative. "We created the OMGIGP video as a tongue-in-cheek look at the InPrivate Browsing feature of Internet Explorer 8, using the same irreverent humor that our customers told us they liked about other components of the Internet Explorer 8 marketing campaign. 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."
Do you think Microsoft was right to remove the ad? Let us know in the comments below! For any curious commenters who have no idea what we’re talking about, the commercial is still available here. If you’re not into seeing women throw up multiple times in under a minute don’t watch it.
Most likely she puked after seeing that her 'computer nerdy' husband used IE8!
Seeing him lay there she probably vomited over him again as a repellent to that awful browser!
You got to know most people go to the kitchen to eat something or to a bathroom break when ads and commercial is on. No sane person loves watching ads. But I stand amazed MS didn't get sued yet, for nearly choking someone to death after they got shocked seeing the commercial and their brownie got stuck in their throat!
Not all of us stayed that way after school, with most of us becoming productive memebers of society and good, accepting people. However, we can't ignore the fact that we don't understand the common man - we are nothing like him. In MY opinion, we are better, but of course I would think that. Point is, when a marketing ad like this comes along that is designed to speak to the common man, we find it base, stupid, gross and immediatl predict that it will be ineffective and fail. But, since we don't really know what we are talking about, we cannot at all speak for the common man. Hence, you get an ad like this, that we flame and yet is actually effective at communicating a feature set in ways that even joe average can understand. Perhaps it is time we recognize that we represent, at best, a fringe of society and our views will often differ greatly from the market as a whole and thus any judgements we make have relevancy only to our own community.
Stay classy, THG!
Geez, second time I made that flub in a day. Thanks! Should be all fixed now.
But I thought the AD was unprofessional, not really funny and that she was throwing up on the guy because she hit a site was just looking at called "2 girls 1 cup" or something worse
There is a funny little video on the net somewhere, I forgot the name. But its these two dorks on a blind date. Barf is involved and its funny. I can't remember the name. I think it starts with a C. They are eating Mexican food.
IE8 still sucks... so it doesn't matter what they advertise.
Well, they did what they knew will have to be done.
The ad is insulting, in my opinion, and still, bragging about an overwhelming positive reaction is even more of an insult.
They could have done it in a more acceptable way, for example:
-she takes the computer and asks why there's nothing saved in the browser's history
-he says he didn't want her to see what present he bought for their anniversary (looks at the camera and blinks)
-and that famous actor comes to say "you don't need to do that, there's a private browsing mode in ie8 now"
But that would be no shock and awe for us, and this is the only effective strategy for marketing their browser. (also, why start a campaign to advertise IE?).
gnesterenko is right. it's long since I've last time seen an IT professional preferring to use IE. We know what we want and where to get it from. Those not such tech savvy are the majority, the ad is for them, and I still believe they didn't deserve that.
Maybe they're just going for the myspace crowd.. that's a lot of people.
I'm a big fan of Family Guy (ipecac episode anyone?) and South Park, and I've seen every episode of each. However, one big difference is those are animated. It's no surprise that the MS ad offended a lot of people. Personally, I can't stand to see vomit IRL. Plus the lengthy, beeped-out URL was kinda annoying.
Overall the ad was more like a clip from MADtv, which might be ok for a late-night laugh (which neither MADtv nor SNL have been able to produce from me for years now,) but it doesn't really work for professional, mainstream advertising.