http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSTRE50L2XB20090122
They paid Jerry Seinfeld $10,000,000 to appear in two commercials for their failed operating system, one of which was never seen and the other hardly at all. Why do businesses think like this? Why didn't they take the $10M and invest it in fixing their product, or designing a new one? Hell, why didn't they just spread the money out for discounts on Vista?
"Hey, Joe, it looks like our new operating system is a dog that no one wants to buy because it's bloated and poorly executed. Should we fix it? Naw, let's give $10 million to a comedian in the hope that he can help us con more people into buying our crap product."
Please, stop the lies.
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7 comments:
It is way easier to throw 5K people off the payroll than it is to admit, then fix, a problem.
The corporate types are always worried about their "image". What a joke. No consumer cares about a corporation's image. All they want is a good product at a decent price.
People would have more respect for Microsoft if they came out and said: "Sorry, Vista sucks, we're discontinuing it, and we will exchange it for XP to anyone who wants it".
People do things as employees that they would never do in their personal lives. I know very few people who regularly scam, cheat, or lie to other people in their lives, but they'll do it on the job without hesitation. "It's business," they say. Why is "business" exempt from ethics?
I know, I'm an idiot. Things like SC Johnson marketing Glade to people in shanty towns in Africa bother me. Many of those people don't even have running water, but their shacks will smell overpoweringly sweet thanks to J-Wax. I shouldn't care. Other human beings exist only to be exploited.
AA -
I disagree with you. Image does matter quite a bit. Electronic Arts has in the past had the image of a company that puts out poor quality products, and many people still refuse to buy EA stuff because of it. Another example is Apple. Everyone wants an Apple product - Ipod, Iphone, MacBook. These products are not necessarily any better than some of the lesser known products, but they are flashy and cool, and everyone wants it. And they are willing to pay a large premium to get it.
As for me? I'm going to buy a Palm Pre if it comes on the Verizon Network, upgrade my system to Windows 7 when it comes out of beta, and will probably buy an IRiver player now that ITunes has dropped the DRM on my music.
I know it sucks for the 5,000 that have been let go, but Microsoft is a business that largely has not laid off people in the past. Until the IT market jumps back, I don't think Microsoft had any choice.
I don't know JAK... I think to some people, the name is the biggest part. To others it is product quality. I see kids all the time with other name brand mp3 players and everyone just calls them i-pods... Sort of like all tissue just being Kleenex.
I personally prefer something that reflects quality. I love a bargain. To me, name doesn't mean anything if it is junk.
I have to go along with the quality thing.
It reminds me of Schlitz Beer, some exec back in the 60’s changed the formula. He really fudged that up, sales dropped so bad they quit brewing it.
Now, they are producing it with the original 60’s formula and it’s hard to get. Many places cannot keep it on the shelves it sells out so fast!
I try to stay away from name brands as much as possible. Too expensive and sometimes too much hype. My son wanted these Heelys shoes so bad. After much arguing,I finally caved in and bought them. They only lasted maybe three weeks. The next pair I bought him were some $20 off brand from K-Mart. They lasted seven months.
I go for best value...which does not necessarily mean highest cost. I have a good stereo...could have bought a better one, but after a certain point, it just gets hard to hear incremental improvements in sound quality as price goes up quickly! My philosophy is to find the best you can before the price really skyrockets.
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