Yes. Yeeeeesssssss, stare directly into the Windows 8 logo…
On the kitchen counter. On the hood of a hot sports car. On your girlfriend’s lower back. These are all places you can expect to find a Windows 8 ad this holiday as the software giant prepares to spend a gargantuan amount of skrilla making people aware of their new Metro-themed tile-based, tablet-friendly operating system. Launching on October 26th, eleven years after the still-dominant Windows XP debuted, not only will you be able to purchase a copy for your current computer, but you’ll be able to own Microsoft’s new ARM-based Surface tablet in the same trip. In case you were unaware, Windows 8 is kind of a big deal.
A billion dollars is a lot of money for you or me, but even as Microsoft’s most important product launch ever – one that simply cannot fail lest harsh marketshare penalties fall on the company – it’s still pricey. Microsoft’s key price point in the past fifteen years has been $500 million, used on the following campaigns.
The original Xbox. Facing stiff competition from the PlayStation 2, Microsoft brought us another big, black console with green accents. First ads included weird talking orbs and a prophet who scratches X’s on walls fortelling the future of gaming.
The Xbox 360. Launching alone, the competition still a year away, Microsoft had the entire 2005 holiday to themselves, then failed to use the amazing ad above.
Zune. We all know how that went.
Kin. Ugh.
Kinect. Ugh.
They’re not all winners, but Microsoft is more than happy to throw its mouth where its money is. Wait, the reverse.
Also: Windows 8, Windows 8, Windows 8. This sack of money will do just fine.
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