I’m taking a little bit of a break from positive things this week, as I’ve been getting increasingly pissed off at how fucking stupid this world is becoming. Here then, as a kind of homage to the great George Carlin, is something that’s really pissed me off.
It’s apparently OK to shamelessly profiteer, as long as nobody notices
Recently, Microsoft (that company everyone loves to hate for some reason) came under some serious flak for posting what was regarded as a “crass” and “insensitive” tweet via their UK Xbox 360 PR firm. Keep in mind, then, that this was not a tweet from someone at Microsoft proper, this was from their PR firm. Also worth bearing in mind is that I am *not* in any way condoning what was written, as it was a poor excuse for marketing. I’m even more annoyed that I can’t get a job in videogames, whereas the cabbage who decided this was a good idea is probably in a comfortable position.
What was said, then, that was so heinous? Well, luckily I happen to have a screenshot that I obtained using Windows 7’s Snipping Tool. I used Google to find the image - relax, fanboys. Googling is a hard habit to break, even though I’m getting increasingly sick of the company’s recent whining about patents.
On that subject briefly, why are Google surprised that Microsoft are after increasing their patent library, considering that they just got butt-fucked for 290 million dollars over technological patent litigation? That’s the tech business, Google, grow the fuck up. Anyway, here’s a picture of the tweet in question:
Pretty shameless, right? Well, yes, as I said it's not great PR (even more so given the reaction), but let’s bear a couple of things in mind:
1) This was, first and foremost, about remembering Amy Winehouse’s memory. If you need a clue as to how to figure that out, try the first three words.
2) Though it is on the less-than-sensitive side, you’re limited by space when it comes to Twitter. I have recently discovered this, as I can now be found @RobWadeVision. There’s only so much room to type a message, and the job of a PR firm is to increase sales and revenue for their product, which in this case is the Zune Marketplace on Xbox 360. It's not exactly possible to gush in 140 characters, for the same reason that greeting cards tend to be quite wordy.
3) This is probably the most important one of the lot. For those up on their high horse about this issue, there are two things to bear in mind. Firstly, if you have never done something you felt vaguely uncomfortable with at work, you’re a fucking liar or a horrible person. Secondly, and this is a really vital distinction to make, the above tweet and the below image are the exact same thing in different guises.
The image above was taken from the iTunes Music store within the three days after Amy Winehouse’s death. You know, the iTunes Music store run by Apple (the tech company that a lot of people inexplicably love). That company that now has more cash in reserve than the United States of America thanks to their massively margin-hiked hardware, the company who never pays out to their shareholders, and whose figurehead doesn’t donate billions of his own personal fortune to good causes every fucking year. Or even millions. Or even one million. At least, not that he talks about, I could be wrong. Let’s be realistic though…
Bill Gates FTW. It doesn’t get said enough. Steve Jobs seems like a cool guy, and he comes across as pretty charismatic, but there’s no Steve Jobs foundation that gives millions to the world’s poorest. Apparently OSX 10.7 Lion is Apple’s idea of generosity, though a quick web search would suggest that not all users agree on their definition of “generous”.
To re-iterate back on topic, the MS tweet and the Apple picture are one and the same: Two companies trying to shamelessly profit from the death of an inexplicably popular walking anti-drug campaign. Don’t get me wrong; she was OK, but nothing special for my money. Anyway, to suggest that either one is in any way worse than the other is to suggest that companies shouldn’t advertise. Ever.
Now, while some hippy types might suggest that this would be an amazing thing, ultimately in the real world it would lead to even more job losses, and in order to be a truly fair practise, nobody could advertise, including the NSPCC. Essentially, hippies who support the abolition of advertising are content for cases of neglect and abuse in children to just be swept under the rug.
And for those who say “Well, that’s an extreme example, everyone knows that stuff happens, it’s just done to raise awareness”, well guess what? People need that awareness to happen, because a common mistake (particularly among the arrogant) is to assume that what *you* know is common knowledge, and that anyone who *doesn’t* know, regardless of education or opportunities to facilitate self-learning, is a fucking idiot. I suppose, in hindsight, it’s why I have such an issue with atheists. Anyway, people need advertising in some form, OK? Don’t let E14’s shiny ad-free exterior fool you into thinking that we don’t promote. Our lack of advertising is as much a symptom of our review-based fascination with sex toys as anything else.
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Get caught in the action, WIN Quarantine 2: Terminal on DVD
We’re giving you the chance to grab a copy of the brand new zombie-horror; Quarantine 2: Terminal when it’s released on 15 August.
We have three copies to give away to lucky Emotionally Fourteen readers, so that they can sit on (or behind) the sofa and watch the body count climb, as the passengers and crew of Flight 318 fight to stay alive.
This sequel, directed by John G. Pogue, picks up where the first film finishes – with the discovery that the undead virus hadn’t been contained and is spreading on the now-doomed flight out of Los Angeles.
As the clean-up crew puts a new quarantine in place at a disused airport terminal – to what lengths will people go to stay in the world of the living?
Quarantine 2: Terminal is released on DVD (cert 15) on Monday 15 August (RRP £12.99), courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
To be one of our three winners, answer this simple question:
Q) To avoid infection, people in quarantine zones would normally wear?
a) Pinstripe Suits
b) Birthday Suits
c) Bio-hazard Suits
For your chance of winning, send your answer, name and full postal address to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Monday 15th August, making sure to put "Quarantine 2" as the subject. The first three correct entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a free copy!
Don't forget to put "Quarantine 2" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.
Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.
© 2011 Destination Films Distribution Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
It’s apparently OK to shamelessly profiteer, as long as nobody notices
Recently, Microsoft (that company everyone loves to hate for some reason) came under some serious flak for posting what was regarded as a “crass” and “insensitive” tweet via their UK Xbox 360 PR firm. Keep in mind, then, that this was not a tweet from someone at Microsoft proper, this was from their PR firm. Also worth bearing in mind is that I am *not* in any way condoning what was written, as it was a poor excuse for marketing. I’m even more annoyed that I can’t get a job in videogames, whereas the cabbage who decided this was a good idea is probably in a comfortable position.
What was said, then, that was so heinous? Well, luckily I happen to have a screenshot that I obtained using Windows 7’s Snipping Tool. I used Google to find the image - relax, fanboys. Googling is a hard habit to break, even though I’m getting increasingly sick of the company’s recent whining about patents.
On that subject briefly, why are Google surprised that Microsoft are after increasing their patent library, considering that they just got butt-fucked for 290 million dollars over technological patent litigation? That’s the tech business, Google, grow the fuck up. Anyway, here’s a picture of the tweet in question:
Pretty shameless, right? Well, yes, as I said it's not great PR (even more so given the reaction), but let’s bear a couple of things in mind:
1) This was, first and foremost, about remembering Amy Winehouse’s memory. If you need a clue as to how to figure that out, try the first three words.
2) Though it is on the less-than-sensitive side, you’re limited by space when it comes to Twitter. I have recently discovered this, as I can now be found @RobWadeVision. There’s only so much room to type a message, and the job of a PR firm is to increase sales and revenue for their product, which in this case is the Zune Marketplace on Xbox 360. It's not exactly possible to gush in 140 characters, for the same reason that greeting cards tend to be quite wordy.
3) This is probably the most important one of the lot. For those up on their high horse about this issue, there are two things to bear in mind. Firstly, if you have never done something you felt vaguely uncomfortable with at work, you’re a fucking liar or a horrible person. Secondly, and this is a really vital distinction to make, the above tweet and the below image are the exact same thing in different guises.
The image above was taken from the iTunes Music store within the three days after Amy Winehouse’s death. You know, the iTunes Music store run by Apple (the tech company that a lot of people inexplicably love). That company that now has more cash in reserve than the United States of America thanks to their massively margin-hiked hardware, the company who never pays out to their shareholders, and whose figurehead doesn’t donate billions of his own personal fortune to good causes every fucking year. Or even millions. Or even one million. At least, not that he talks about, I could be wrong. Let’s be realistic though…
Bill Gates FTW. It doesn’t get said enough. Steve Jobs seems like a cool guy, and he comes across as pretty charismatic, but there’s no Steve Jobs foundation that gives millions to the world’s poorest. Apparently OSX 10.7 Lion is Apple’s idea of generosity, though a quick web search would suggest that not all users agree on their definition of “generous”.
To re-iterate back on topic, the MS tweet and the Apple picture are one and the same: Two companies trying to shamelessly profit from the death of an inexplicably popular walking anti-drug campaign. Don’t get me wrong; she was OK, but nothing special for my money. Anyway, to suggest that either one is in any way worse than the other is to suggest that companies shouldn’t advertise. Ever.
Now, while some hippy types might suggest that this would be an amazing thing, ultimately in the real world it would lead to even more job losses, and in order to be a truly fair practise, nobody could advertise, including the NSPCC. Essentially, hippies who support the abolition of advertising are content for cases of neglect and abuse in children to just be swept under the rug.
And for those who say “Well, that’s an extreme example, everyone knows that stuff happens, it’s just done to raise awareness”, well guess what? People need that awareness to happen, because a common mistake (particularly among the arrogant) is to assume that what *you* know is common knowledge, and that anyone who *doesn’t* know, regardless of education or opportunities to facilitate self-learning, is a fucking idiot. I suppose, in hindsight, it’s why I have such an issue with atheists. Anyway, people need advertising in some form, OK? Don’t let E14’s shiny ad-free exterior fool you into thinking that we don’t promote. Our lack of advertising is as much a symptom of our review-based fascination with sex toys as anything else.
Like This...
Or This...
We fucking love ‘em. Not as much as some, granted...
Get caught in the action, WIN Quarantine 2: Terminal on DVD
We’re giving you the chance to grab a copy of the brand new zombie-horror; Quarantine 2: Terminal when it’s released on 15 August.
We have three copies to give away to lucky Emotionally Fourteen readers, so that they can sit on (or behind) the sofa and watch the body count climb, as the passengers and crew of Flight 318 fight to stay alive.
This sequel, directed by John G. Pogue, picks up where the first film finishes – with the discovery that the undead virus hadn’t been contained and is spreading on the now-doomed flight out of Los Angeles.
As the clean-up crew puts a new quarantine in place at a disused airport terminal – to what lengths will people go to stay in the world of the living?
Quarantine 2: Terminal is released on DVD (cert 15) on Monday 15 August (RRP £12.99), courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
To be one of our three winners, answer this simple question:
Q) To avoid infection, people in quarantine zones would normally wear?
a) Pinstripe Suits
b) Birthday Suits
c) Bio-hazard Suits
For your chance of winning, send your answer, name and full postal address to emotionally14@hotmail.co.uk before midday on Monday 15th August, making sure to put "Quarantine 2" as the subject. The first three correct entries out of the electronic hat after the competition closes will receive a free copy!
Don't forget to put "Quarantine 2" in the subject line. Incorrectly labelled or blank entries will be discarded.
Entries limited to one per household. Offer open only to postal addresses in the UK and Ireland.
© 2011 Destination Films Distribution Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Some valid points there Rob, until you start pummelling a straw man.
ReplyDelete"Anyway, to suggest that either one is in any way worse than the other is to suggest that companies shouldn’t advertise. Ever."
Patently ridiculous! I can't even see what thought process connects the two assertions.
What I will say is that advertising and marketing are fundamentally crass things; the dividing line between what is tolerated and what goes too far is remarkably fine. There is no shortage of PR agencies who capitalise on this by generating irritating memetic characters (or so I hear, not being a TV watcher - I like to sing the Go Compare song as it drives many people apoplectic).
Anyway, yes, the MS and Apple examples you highlight above are very close indeed. The main differences are that one is a picture within a store that simply says "Remember Amy Winehouse", whereas the other is a message shot out to followers and random browsers saying "Remember Amy Winehouse with Zune". I.e. One's passive, the other's active, and one of the two draws a direct connection between the deceased pop singer and the product, whereas the other merely implies it. I agree that these are marginal differences but, bearing in mind that this sort of thing is fundamentally crass, those slight differences were evidently enough to put people over the edge.
(Personally I dislike most advertising, but I recognise its necessity in any sort of capitalist society, and also how it's not so far removed from any other form of information dissemination. So *shrugs*, it is what it is.)