The “Zune Insider Blog,” from Cesar Menendez, a Microsoft employee working on Microsoft’s new music project, “Zune,” has posted five TV commercials for Zune that, in our opinion, further pave the way to Zune’s inevitable failure. These five spots all fail on many levels. They are boring, overly obtuse, try way too hard to be “with it,” and fail to inspire any feeling whatsoever of wanting or needing a Zune. These are not good ads. This is not a good advertising campaign. This whole Zune thing is shaping up to become quite the debacle. Zune is “MS Bob” for the 20 Aughts.
We asked our own SteveJack (16-year TV vet) to watch the ads and comment. SteveJack said, “Awful. Truly awful. Where do you want to squirt today?™ When will the rest of the world finally see that Microsoft is a failure masquerading as a success?”
As we’re fond of asking, “What’s brown and squirts?”
Picnic (90-second spot):
Battle (60-second spot):
Concert (30-second spot):
Dog Scratch (15-second spot):
Couple (15-second spot):
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “mango” for the heads up.]
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Those commercials are incredibly boring … and what’s with the dogs …
They almost remind me of the first artsy car and perfume commercials from the early nineties. Hard to tell what it’s about. That will appear to some, I suppose because it’s “like totally counterculture, man…”
“… Dude…
They’re… how do you say… “earthy” – as opposed to the slickness of Apple’s iPod commercials. Not sure about what this says about the product…
wow those are HORRIBLE.
I mean I was kinda impressed with the xbox 360 commercials but these real suck on so many levels, maybe it is a targeted market thing and I am not with it but still, yuck.
also really you need to stop with the whole brown and squirts thing it is just really repulsive.
funny, but please stop
This is just really poor marketing.
Many viewers who are not paying particular attention (which will be most…they are ads, after all) will probably unconciously see iPods. Thanks, Microsoft!
Compare that to the original iPod commercial where he is listening on the Computer, then leaves the apartment with the iPod on…high energy, looks like it is fun.
these people look bored and the music tracks are slow and painful.
Why would you bring your Zune to a concert? Wouldn’t you want to hear the artist perform?
These have no cool factor. The only people that will notice these and sit through them will be grandparents. I guess they may need an mp3 player. Seriously I hate the slogan “Welcome to the social”. MS sux, they will sell some but will never get any marrketshare from Apple. They will beat out the small timers and that is it.
What we’re there is the world gathering of Zune owners.. All of them. They think it’s great that they can squirt at each other. And there you have the loser that DIDN’T buy a Zune, but got into the action by picking up his dog and squirting someone else. Works the same way for the same purpose I guess…
This is actually foreshadowing…
Zune owners will have to put ads in papers, craigslist, and blogs to get people all in one area so that they can squirt music at
eachother. Because they will never run into eachother in the wild.
And even if you did see some one huddled over their Zune on the bus, would you really want to get close enough to be able to share music with someone hunched up in a ball trying to watch a movie on what, from fifteen feet away, looks like he’s coveting a dog turd?
Very un-cool
I have to admit that the white one looks nice but these things are massive.
My 30GB 5G ipod is probably only half the size of the Zune.
It will fail because of the size
Not much connection between the onscreen action and the product. What a horrible color scheme for the commercials and the product – ick!
Objectively these commercials come across as trying real hard to be hip, cool, whatever. Typical MS corn. I don’t see these commercials inspiring anybody to buy the Zune, but perhaps the real question for MS is, will they actually inhibit anyone from the Zune?
BTW the new ipod Nano commercials are a lot better
No cool factor
I loved the whole grandparents thing! Ha, ha, ha!
I watched all of them. That’s 12.5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back. (After the dog scratching one I had to take a shower)
Interesting.
What I noticed was how many transitions there were. The video was fast paced. So fast that you loose track of what’s happening. There’s no single story, just a bunch of people. Take these ads and compare to the iPod ads and see how it’s different. In the iPod ads, Apple uses very few people, and much better visuals.
Do you remember that spoof on if Microsoft marketed the iPod? The one where they over did the packaging. Well, it looks like it’s coming true, at least for the TV spots, so far.
oh…. come on. just think about it second. when you listen to music, nobody like commmercial especially with compact mp3 player. plus, the wilress share music is not going to happen like you expect. it’s wasted. commercials are just wrong. even when you are with lover, or girl friend, will you put earbud on your ears? if she talks to you? total concept of socialization is missed for what kind of product commercial. they’re all like PBS AD.
Don’t think much of the dogs bottom sniffing in the first one.
And amateur video is meant to be cool now is it?
Shoddy, uncool, like the product, like the company.
DOA.
Welcome to the Social. What?
I can’t even be bothered to really comment and go into on what’s wrong with those ads and what they’re trying to sell this wifi functionality as being.
I thought they were commercials to try and bring back the grunge movement. I like most here was completely confused. I dont even want to waste time watching them again to try and find out what they mean.
Who wants to take bets that Microshaft will “take a page”(maybe the whole book) from Apple’s playbook on commercials:
“Hello, I’m a Zune. And I’m an iPod…”
I’m not sure how much “brown squirting” they can do on prime time TV, but it might just work
“Welcome to the social…”
…disease.
They’re good enough commercials, definitely appeal to the younger crowd (though I don’t know the last time me and my friends breakdanced in the middle of a park…)
The problem?
They’re only showing one feature… sharing.
And really, what else differentiates this player from the iPod?
When the iPod was released, it had a whole bunch of new features, and it continues to build on them today. The Zune? Only has the wireless sharing feature to call its own, and it’s fragile at best, considering terms of use and other people using Zunes.
Good try, though. It’s going to be interesting, nonetheless…
Picnic: Love the beastiality innuendos. Yes real dog balls, licking. Lots of crotch shots and typical American style, no pussy to be found for miles except for the one licking and foreplaying the dog. No wonder so many of you yanks are off to war. They should make an Iraq commercial for Zune.
Battle: Yup, people prefer vynil and live rock concerts except for the two losers who can’t get inside and have to listen to Zune. Love the “Seig Heil” symbolism and the total lack of pussy on the stage.
Concert: I see two girls got those zunes from the losers in the battle commercial. They try it, then one climbs on stage to be with a live musicians. Now there is a winner (she dropped the Zune for someone who can crank out a tune).
Dog Scratch: I sure got the message, “find your audience” the zune should go well with gay dog f**kers.
Couple: Now this is a powerful commercial. What will the guy (obviously a soldier cause of the hat) do???? Stay with the blind babe or go to war to Iraq. Decisions decisions, will he be able to take his Zune there?
Great commercials, with a lot of appeal to the market they are targeting, hoping to win the battle and kill the enemy. At least we know that if the Zune doesn’t sell well the enrollments to Iraq will go waaaaaaay up.
The only one I got was the one with the dog. All the others barely even show or relate to the product.