a launch party for windows 7? really? is that like a wake, or more like a funeral?

[trochee]

not really sure where this insane marketing idea came from, but Microsoft is trying to get you to throw launch parties for Windows 7 (here it's mentioned on Mission Mission).

The video for the promotion is in the hilariously bad infomercial mode, with fake informality (three stereotypically Seattle white people, and their token black friend!), and -- right at the beginning, they remind you to install Windows 7 before the party (accompanied with "isn't that obvious" laughter). Which, of course, means this has to be a "show off the features of windows 7" party, not an install party... or a sales party, unless it's to be combined with gold parties, because it costs at a minimum $120 a pop, more likely twice that unless you want the crippled 'home' version.

Here's the funniest response I've seen: the same party planning, but s/Windows 7/[beeep]/g;.

what's mind-boggling to me is to remember that Ubuntu costs you a CD blank, or they'll mail you one free (you can re-use it), or possibly as much as $35, if you want 20 copies shipped (say, for a party).

Comments

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

oh my god these poor actors in the video... i watched the first 4 minutes and the writing didn't get any better. it was so directed, I could almost hear the director saying "okay, here you want to all respond and laugh. you want to keep talking to the camera, but make sure you make it look like you're just casually hanging out with your friends."
Yeah, I'm sure they got paid good money, but eesh... soul-less job.

If windows 7 is the same debacle at windows vista, it won't be worth having a party that's for sure.

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

did you see this remix ?
http://www.cabel.name/2009/09/windows-7-party.html

it's silly but oddly satisfying.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

yeah, that's the one I linked to as the 'funniest response'. I agree -- silly but oddly satisfying.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

the actors -- oh, i got the sense that I could see the deadness behind their eyes, saying "everybody's gotta eat". Awfully hard to talk to the camera and to each other.

If I were shooting this video, I think I'd do it without trying to maintain the fiction that the viewer is in the kitchen with them. that just comes out creepy.

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

Oops sorry, didn't click that second link ! :)

[beckyb.livejournal.com]

This is very funny. But I feel a little dirty now.

[blackwingedboy.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Because... this must be one of the worst things I have EVER seen :)

EVER.

Yukkko!

[trombo2.livejournal.com]

I just looked at this monstrosity YouTube for the first time (and NEVER again!). It reports over 20,000 viewings. More interesting, it says that the ratings for this video "have been disabled" (No stars filled in) ... and "Adding comments has been disabled for this video."

So who is covering whose back ???

[gentlybreathing.livejournal.com]

I'm still kinda gobsmacked by this. I mean, it's just SO BAD. Is it somehow intentionally that bad? Are they trying to make it kind of shaky-hand-held-camera bad? Because if it's actually intended to be good, real, inspiring, fun, er, something normal people might think is a good fun thing to do, then that is pretty much an epic fail. I mean, even if it's supposed to be deliberately awkward and weird, it's still an epic fail. Mainly I'm just left frowning and scratching my head and wondering what the hell...

[lunacow]

My mind is indeed boggling at both the concept and the video. The remix is hilarious, though.

Here's the party info page with thousands of comments from people who are excited about the launch and the party idea. They can't possibly all be sock puppets, but I can't even get my head around the fact that they're real:
http://www.houseparty.com/party_talk/posts/3158

I guess if this was a MacOS launch I wouldn't find it weird. But the promotional video would be a hell of a lot better.