Zune Parties: Too Much Too Soon?

[Damion Chaplin]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://lamp.dailypennsylvanian.com/blogs/index.php?page=post&section=2&id=1005' target='_blank'>http://lamp.dailypennsylvanian.com/blogs/index.php?page=post&section=2&id=1005</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&quot;Zune, Zune, Zune. Anyone who attended Sigma Alpha Epsilon's Saturday night shindig saw Zune everywhere. Hanging on the walls, giant posters screamed Zune. Partygoers received glowsticks with the Zune name all over them. Professional photographers and a man with a video camera filmed Penn students as they partied down. This wasn't normal sticky floor SAE party. Microsoft sponsored this soire. Microsoft recently revamped its Zune mp3 player, trying to take a bite out of the iPod's success. However, name recognition is low, and Microsoft is trying to create a buzz. College campuses are a main target.&quot;</em></p><p>Microsoft's marketing strategy lately has been &quot;Party Hearty! Woo-hoo!&quot;, and I have to say I'm starting to find it mildly offensive.&nbsp; Why can't you just plaster a subway station like a good PMP maker?&nbsp; What do you think?&nbsp; Is Microsoft's strategy a good one, or one that's sure to fail (or at least backfire horribly)?</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

[Crystal3]

http://lamp.dailypennsylvanian.com/blogs/index.php?page=post&section=2&id=1005


"Zune, Zune, Zune. Anyone who attended Sigma Alpha Epsilon's Saturday night shindig saw Zune everywhere. Hanging on the walls, giant posters screamed Zune. Partygoers received glowsticks with the Zune name all over them. Professional photographers and a man with a video camera filmed Penn students as they partied down. This wasn't normal sticky floor SAE party. Microsoft sponsored this soire. Microsoft recently revamped its Zune mp3 player, trying to take a bite out of the iPod's success. However, name recognition is low, and Microsoft is trying to create a buzz. College campuses are a main target."
Microsoft's marketing strategy lately has been "Party Hearty! Woo-hoo!", and I have to say I'm starting to find it mildly offensive. Why can't you just plaster a subway station like a good PMP maker? What do you think? Is Microsoft's strategy a good one, or one that's sure to fail (or at least backfire horribly)?



IMHO, Zune should start trying to appeal to the masses, not just kids in college. I still haven't seen a single ad for Zune in a public place. This is why the iPod is so popular. It's everywhere. In this respect, MS should take a page out of Apple's book.

I think this current Zune approach will fail.

[Alber1690]

These "parties" are most likely coming from the Zune Masters, or whatever they are called. But I still believe that they should really re-think their marketing campaign; I've only seen ONE tv ad, and one poster board. Besides that, it's like whispering in an Apple iPod party. Microsoft needs to realize that Zune is new, and so is the brand, and new brands needs to be established.

[Aaron Roma]

I definately think Microsoft needs to find a more mainstream marketing approach. Right now, most of their marketing material has aimed at one sliver of the overall market segment, and that needs broadened. Of course, of more importance, Microsoft needs an improved product and broader product line to market! :)