LOL Video: Windows 7 Sells Itself, Tupperware Party Style

Nicole Martinelli ()

To help launch Windows 7, Microsoft is enlisting PC people to hold house parties to promote the new operating system.

For the October 22 launch date, Microsoft enthusiasts around the world just got selected to show off their new software at home with parties, sort of Tupperware style.

Naturally, the company has a few ideas of how these launch parties should go. A short sample party agenda, from the above talking heads: first, have a drink and mingle. Then shoot 20 or so photos. “Then when everyone was settled, I showed them my favorite features from the new Windows 7.”

“It only took like 10 minutes. Everyone just crowded around the computer in the kitchen.”

Andrew Coates, developer evangelist for Microsoft, told the Sydney Morning Herald the idea behind Windows 7 was to bring back the “sense of mastery” to software users.

“We have done a lot of work around why people weren’t feeling comfortable with software any more. People felt like they weren’t in control.”

Party hosts also have “a good chance” of winning a Windows PC worth $750, according to Microsoft.

“In a lot of ways, you’re just throwing a house party with Windows 7 as an honored guest,” says one of the actors in the video.  “Sounds easy and it is.”

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Whatever they’re smoking in the Microsoft marketing department, I’ll have some.

Via Sidney Morning Herald, hat tip to CoM reader Brett McCurdy.

40 comments »

About the author

nicole_martinelli

Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on Twitter , Facebook and Google+.

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  • http://53degrees.wordpress.com Eoin O’Mahony

    Welcome to The Matrix!

  • Scott B.

    For god sake, Next they will be having a Croquet party with promise of
    Lucy and Desi reincarnated.

    I hope they have the Green Jello with the tiny Marshmallows, Then we can all sit back and listen to the Texaco Theater Staring Bob Hope and Milton Beryl. ;-)

    Oh Boy…..

  • Greg W

    FFS thats truly awful, surely M$ could have hired some better actors for a start!

  • MacSheikh

    What. The. F#*$.

  • Kevin W

    wtf…. ? that noise was my jaw dropping. I think the lady in the middle of the shot brought the mushroom tea!

  • Tice

    Why do I expect the whole video that they all take off their clothes and start an orgy? Did I watch to much online-porn? ;-)

    Gee, that video is .. well no words!

  • thanx_al

    Please tell me this is a joke. How fucking lame. This video really says that only dorks and old people who have no life use Windows 7. Those are the types who would throw a party for an OS. What a joke.

  • ksk

    ummm…
    Do I laugh, cry, or just pretend this never happened?

  • Tyler

    haha, I cant believe this … nice find :)

  • Wintermute

    It likes the infomercial for the Magic Bullet.

  • solar

    I challenge you to find a media spot where MS has done well. Who are the marketing geniuses that think we behave this way? Still, the masses continue to buy the products!
    And the naming schemes!
    Premium Bronze Home Student Edition 7 for Professionals.

  • bubbakush

    uhhmm,
    this makes them look desperate.
    windows 7,i tried it its ok surely they dont need to resort to stuff like this?
    all respect …..out the window s

  • Fuzzypig

    “In a lot of ways, you’re just throwing a house party with Windows 7 as an honored guest,”

    Yeah….Ooooookayyyy….I’ll be leaving now, you seem to have some issues to deal with. Look, here’s a number for a guy I know, just call him up, arrange a session have a chat through some of those things that might be bothering you. Please as a friend, just give him a call?

  • Giogio

    Watching the video I get the strong feeling that also the actors are ashamed of what they are doing. Their acting is so forced, this can not be a true spot, it is a joke isn’t it?

  • Ken

    They are imitating Apple again, only this time Apple’s customers, not Apple itself. It’s a time-honored tradition to have an unboxing party for a new Mac; Microsoft wants people to have unboxing parties for the Windows 7.

    There is a significant difference. Apple indirectly caused the unboxing parties by producing fabulous products and creative packaging. Microsoft is trying to drum up enthusiasm artificially with a marketing technique.

    Obviously, Microsoft believes that Apple’s products and services are the best, otherwise they would not be imitating them so closely. It means that Microsoft acknowledges that their knock-offs aren’t as good as the real deal. So let’s follow Microsoft’s recommendation and buy Apple products.

  • Dr.Evil

    I can’t wait for MS to get the “Slapchop/Shamwow” guy doing infomercials for them.

    Linguini… Bikini… Windows Sevenini…

  • Doug

    Check it out:

    At 13 seconds in, the geek tries to open the laptop and lifts the entire thing up by accident. Ten bucks he’s a Mac user that has become accustomed to no latch on his laptop!!! LOL

  • Kate

    Is this a joke? I could only stand a minute, so does it end as a joke?

  • jboster@me.com

    I think this is Microsoft’sBEST idea yet!!! Wow this should weed out any doubt of the total retards about to install Win 7! Are they really this retarded? This has Steve B. written all over it, yet again the dumbest idea I think I’ve ever heard of and seen. I honestly have to agree with what Kate said above… is this a joke? I didn’t watch much more then the first min at best, just to retarded to watch. If this is someone spoof, then it’s probably worth watching to the end lol.

    If MS is relying on this marketing to launch Win 7, I can now believe Apple will in fact continue to take over large chunks of MS market share. If it’s really this bad, this MS video will be the laughing stock of all marketing firms worldwide. Unbelievable.

  • shawk

    This has flop sweat written all over it.

  • Rob

    “They are imitating Apple again, only this time Apple’s customers, not Apple itself. It’s a time-honored tradition to have an unboxing party for a new Mac”

    Wait, are you being serious here? People have parties for unboxing a new Mac?!?!? Good lord, I’m glad I don’t know anyone that utterly lame.

    And this video = FAIL.

  • azjohnnyo

    Umm…REALLY????? I need some aspirin…

  • easyE

    wow there is a site called cultofmac? And people here are making fun of people’s enthusiasm for a product??

    Hmm… this is thought provoking.

  • Merkin

    “Oh well I let everyone fool around with snap for a little while”

    Grand Ma… I’m blushing!

  • Rob

    @Doug lmfao, you are right he really does lift up the whole laptop whilst trying to open it’s lid. You’re right he’s gotta be a macbook user, just gotta be, nice spot.

  • Fuzzypig

    I had to stop at 2:30 mins, it was just too embarrasing for words….

  • Thommas

    ULTIMATE FAIL

  • http://atomicon.net David

    This is just sad.

    For the actors, I mean.

  • Tice

    I was right – or at least not the only one who thought of something else:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyas7BrbUFY

    ;-)

  • Rob

    This is the best viral video yet. Thousands of hits and thousands of forwards per hour. The joke is on us. Classically bad acting, cheezeball scripts and PC Cast (Where is the Asian – he must be episode 2).

  • CJKpi

    The best part was when the black guy said “I’m not a salesman.”

    I never knew that Geraldine Ferraro was selling Micro$oft software now.

  • http://53degrees.wordpress.com Eoin

    Anyone else notice that they luagh periodically after each feature is announced? Like they’re kind of embarrassed to be there…..

    It might be a viral but it won’t get me to crack open a few cold ones for the launch of an OS.

  • Matias

    IS THIS THING REAL????
    What the f*** are they smoking?????

    Microsoft can really make my testicles laugh….

    Have fun at your party… FREAKS!

  • http://mr63.com mmmark

    Where can I sign up for the party Steve Ballmer is going to throw?

    Gosh would I love to be in his kitchen (its size is probably equivalent to my whole house) and hear him tell me why I should have Windows7. Actually he is probably not telling why I should buy M$ but more why I should not buy Snow Leopard as he has no valid arguments to sell on the strength of Windows 7 so resorts to bashing others: marketing by confusion shall we say?

  • weatherguy

    Wow, that’s pretty bad. And what’s with the random shake to the camera – and crazy zooming. Why? What does this add to the ad?

  • frogmorton5

    I’ve never seen anything quite so pathetic.

  • HardenStuhl

    I am not a Microsoft hater by any means but they really do need to fire their ad agency and marketing department. They suck more than suck itself.

  • http://snapageno.free.fr Henri de Feraudy

    Someone sent me this video by mistake, it wanted to make me puke.

  • Nigel Tufnel

    I’m a huge fan of Macs, and I know a lot of other Mac user and fans, but I’ve never once seen an “unboxing” event or given/thrown a launch party for an OS. Please. I keep telling myself this video/concept is so obviously lame it just can’t be real, but the evidence seems to point to yes. Amazing. I can’t believe big-time marketing people in this age could have such a tin ear.

  • http://davidschor.net David S

    This is the most pathetic marketing scheme out of MS in some time. They don’t even have a decent theme for the parties – where’s the hook?

    Why would any self-respecting person have anything to do with such an event?

    This just makes an already desperate and inferior company look simply clueless. People don’t want parties and prizes – they want a computer that just works.

    I suppose M$ gets a little credit for trying – but it looks like their marketing department is almost as dysfunctional as their software.