MS busted w/ fake switch ad

[zimv20]

gee, i expected better from those folks. ;-)

*Web users turn tables on Microsoft switcher*
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/technology/2329519.stm

text:

Microsoft has been caught using a fake advert that claimed people were switching from Macs to Windows PCs.

The advert debuted on Microsoft's website and supposedly recounted the story of a former Apple Mac user who had converted to using Windows.

But investigative work by net users revealed that the supposed 'switcher' actually worked for a marketing company employed by Microsoft.

The Microsoft advert was a response to the high-profile campaign run by Apple which showcased people who have moved from Windows to a Mac.

Stock taking

The page documenting the switch was entitled 'Confessions of a Mac to PC Convert' and debuted on the Windows XP Insider section of Microsoft's site.

It supposedly told the story of a "freelance writer" who had used a Mac for eight years but who had now switched to using Windows.

In it the switcher declared: "Windows XP gives me more choices and flexibility and better compatibility with the rest of the computing world."

Originally news of the article's existence was posted to the popular Slashdot website as a joke, but eagle-eyed users of the site found grounds to suspect the story behind it.

They noticed that the picture of the woman used to illustrate the story was a stock image from the Getty Library and unlikely to be a genuine customer.

Investigative work by a reporter from the Associated Press tracked down the person behind the story who turned out to be an employee of the Wes Rataushk & Associates ad agency.

This was the company that was employed by Microsoft to draw up the adverts about switchers.

Microsoft has now pulled the page from its website and said it 'regretted' its action.

But in its defence it said that the employee had definitely switched from using a Mac to Windows.

 

[drastik]

Man, what a bunch of jerks, I hate them so much (shakes fist), so much.

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by drastik
(shakes fist),

i LOVE the fist shake. never fails to get a laugh from me.

it's used to great effect on the simpsons.

 

[encephalon]

Google cached the page before it was pulled. This link should work until M$ makes google pull it.

http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cach..._setup.asp+windowsxp_setup.asp&hl=en&ie=UTF-8[/url]

Oh and here is the stock image they used. The woman on the left, i think.

http://creative.gettyimages.com/sou...d+"Coffee:Hot+Drink",389,257,1,&hdnCurrPage=4

 

[job]

I think there are already several threads on this issue.

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by hitman
I think there are already several threads on this issue.

doh

 

[Gelfin]

Apple spokesman Nelson Muntz commented, "Ha-ha!"

Microsoft spokeswoman Charmaine Gravning reportedly muttered, "[Microsoft] would have gotten away from it if not for those darn meddling Slashdot kids."

Ironically, if Microsoft didn't insist on burying so much unnecessary personally identifying information in their document formats, this never would have happened.

 

[Jays]

Originally posted by encephalon
Google cached the page before it was pulled. This link should work until M$ makes google pull it.

http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cach..._setup.asp+windowsxp_setup.asp&hl=en&ie=UTF-8[/url]

It has been pulled!!!

 

[Megaquad]

This should work:
http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cach..._setup.asp+windowsxp_setup.asp&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

 

[gandalf55]

losers

 

[topicolo]

Heh, I KNEW that no self-respecting, good-looking person would switch to windows and stay there. I guess that's why I own macs.

 

[solvs]

You guys do know that the lady in the picture isn't the "real" person right (the real person was hired to do PR by M$)? The image they used is stock. Wasn't even by the stock image company owned by Bill Gates, it was a competitor:

http://creative.gettyimages.com/sou...d+"Coffee:Hot+Drink",389,257,1,&hdnCurrPage=4

 

[PretendPCuser]

OFF TOPIC - the fist shake

a la the simpsons

"They're gittin away" (fist shake)
"Shake harder boy!!"

 

[chewbaccapits]

"I was up and running in less than one day, Girl Scout's honor." ...Day....whatever....try a couple of hours on the mac, biatch....What a bunch of jack holes!!!!

 

[AssassinOfGates]

cant get the pic

Can anyone attatch the stock image? I clicked the link but it said it was not available for download in my region???

 

[shadowfax]

this has got to be the most classic manifestation of M$ cheesiness i have ever seen. the activation bull was annoying, the ME advertising was misleading, and this is just all that and more. it's like... fascist propaganda *hiccup* did i say that?

go M$, hahahaha





seriously, where would we get laughs without them?

too bad they steal so much market share. i would rather them be small like the green party.

 

[Gelfin]

Heh. I'm glad somebody found a cache that worked. Thanks Megaquad. I find it interesting that they keep comparing Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office on Windows to Netscape and AppleWorks on the Mac, despite the fact that the most common browser and productivity suite on Macs are... Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office.

I also found this statement interesting: "AppleWorks (previously called ClarisWorks) pales in comparison to Microsoft Office XP."

Now I'm sure we remember that Microsoft bCentral article from a few weeks ago, written by the nice lady journalist who swore she tried the new iMac and decided she didn't like it before Microsoft started signing her paychecks (honest!). The talking points in that article were identical to this one. The woman in the first article, I'm sure you recall, claimed to have forgone the lightweight "ClarisWorks" suite on her iMac, and got reamed here and elsewhere for the glaring error. And now the line I quoted above reads like somebody trying to correct the mistakes from the other article!

Note to Microsoft's PR firm, for next time you need to fake a gushing testimonial: There has not been a ClarisWorks in YEARS. And I remember back when it was originally AppleWorks before that. What is your hangup on that name? I mean, it's like saying, "Internet Explorer 6 (formerly Spyglass)," or "1.25MHz PowerMac G4 (formerly PowerMac 8100)." But by all means, be sure to keep talking about "ClarisWorks" so that we know when you're lying to us.

Note to Microsoft: You are employing idiots for a PR firm. By all means, continue. Would that all your underhanded schemes were exposed so easily through sheer incompetence. The fact that you have to have advertising people create a bogus grassroots backlash against Apple's "switch" campaign is incredibly telling, especially since a lot of people think the "switch" ads aren't really all that good to start with.

 

[shadowfax]

if you go to http://www.spymac.com, go to the galleries, and search for M$ or microsoft or lie you will find a screenshot of the article, if any of the caches go out.

 

[eric_n_dfw]

Slashdot

Not to take viewers away form here, but Slashdot has a pretty humors thread going on this. Even have, supposedly, the lady's address and the fact that she weighs 200 lbs (obviously not the stock model shot on M$'s page).

http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/10/14/1232229

Read there, but post here to support Arn!
(Posting on slashdot sucks anyway - they're all geeks, unlike us!)

 

[redAPPLE]

Originally posted by topicolo
Heh, I KNEW that no self-respecting, good-looking person would switch to windows and stay there. I guess that's why I own macs.

you are good-looking? eh?

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Well, they aren't the only one to do the 'switch' ad in reverse. There was that one on Mac Gaming and even a couple of the switch entries for our contest did a reverse switch.

But it is amazing that as a corporation that they went and did something like that. Sure Microsoft is part of the reason to switch to a Mac, but its also the hardware as well that makes a difference in my opinion.

D

 

[irmongoose]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Well, they aren't the only one to do the 'switch' ad in reverse. There was that one on Mac Gaming and even a couple of the switch entries for our contest did a reverse switch.
D

Sure, but that was for fun.. it was pure parody.. this thing Microsoft did actually started as a real switch experience going against Macs...

stupid freaks


irmongoose

 

[Kid Red]

They got busted. CNN reported it yesterday, however, they mentioned the girl works for M$ but did not mention the photograph was a stock image. I was disappointed they didn't let everyone know that not only was it B$, but they used a stock image as a 'person who switched' to add to their disgrace.

 

[vniow]

Update:

Ballmer said today that MS might consider sanctions against that puplic relations consultant who wrote the article.


click

 

[Gelfin]

Re: Update:

Originally posted by edvniow
Ballmer said today that MS might consider sanctions against that puplic relations consultant who wrote the article.

Translation: Microsoft is still trying to decide whether it's more effective to bury the whole incident, or to make a scapegoat and pretend that Microsoft knew absolutely NOTHING about any deceptive marketing campaigns being conducted in their name.

We all know, of course, that any "sanctions" will not be for unethical conduct, but for getting caught at it.