Volvo could star in online Microsoft comedy
Since the advent of digital video recorder technology (i.e., Tivo), advertisers have sought to keep viewer's attention by involving their products within programming instead of just airing their messages during commercial breaks. Volvo has found a willing partner in Microsoft, who seeks to go head-to-head with Google's YouTube in the online video wars.
Together, Volvo and Microsoft are teaming with Ben Silverman to create a comedy series called, "Driving School." Craig Robinson of "The Office" is slated to star in the online series, but not much else is known. A prominent product placement by sponsor Volvo is expected, but again, details are scarce at this point.
Silverman is best known for his work on "The Office," "Ugly Betty" and "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader," but has also done previous online advertorial work for Microsoft's MSN Entertainment site.
An online video series starring a car is nothing new of course. BMW did it way back in 2001 with "The Hire." One difference in this case is that if the series proves popular, Silverman has the option of taking them off the Internet and onto the television.
[Source: AP via Forbes]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
proud like cow 6:03PM (5/09/2007)
what in gods name make microsoft think that they can compete youtube? its already perfect, there is nothing to add and its already the established leader.
its going to take a lot more than a commercial (that will end up on youtube anyways) to get people to go anywhere else.
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TKA 11:08AM (5/19/2007)
YouTube perfect? Tag-spam, comment-spam, flame-wars, lg15 and the fact that 99% of what's on there is complete utter trash?
YouTube is indeed the leader, but as a Mac user, I agree that competition is good for the consumer. If a competitor can prevent Google/YouTube from becoming complacent, then all the better. I would hate to think that The Universe decided that since Microsoft's OS is the consumer desktop "leader", that my Mac was no longer necessary (although, of course, Microsoft's OS is as far away from "perfect" as you can get, so that's a significant spot where the analogy fails).
Having said that, I doubt Microsoft will actually do any good or make any dent. Nothing they have done lately is working (which, again, I'm a Mac user, so yay for Microsoft failing) - the Zune is a complete flop and it's only accomplishment has been to anger their "Plays For Sure" licensees, Xbox is not making any money and their recent lockout of modded consoles will simply discourage people from buying them at all, Hotmail's much vaunted and publicised upgrade has turned into little more than a new skin, Vista (speaking of only skin-deep) is not winning any fans, as it has extreme bugs in it and consumers are turning off the only feature that makes Vista any more secure than XP, and Office 12 is alienating everyone with its, well, alien UI that doesn't make any sense, a design that they also applied to IE7.
So, I say, let them try. What could it hurt? It will be announced to great fanfare, be delayed, then gutted and neutered, and finally launched with nothing compelling and only a shadow of its original potential. The Microsoft fanbois will initially trumpet Google's pending demise (like they've trumpeted Apple's, Sony's, Nintendo's and Linux's), the public won't care, and the only people who will use it will be those who only use the icons that Microsoft gives them and think that msn.com is the entirety of the Internet. The fanbois will move onto Microsoft's next "killer" initiative and conveniently forget about the stumbling giant's latest failure.
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