Dance Video Proves Microsoft Stores Officially Uncool
Dance Video Proves Microsoft Stores Officially Uncool
Posted 11/17/2009 at 2:53pm
| by Bart Salisbury
15
Comments
Print
It’s sort of hard to classify this one. Gizmodo has linked to a video of staffers at the Microsoft Store in Mission Viejo, California, dancing. Not just one or two, and not just a shuffle step or two, but a full-blown, choreographed (?) routine involving all the staffers--and while the store is open for business.
What’s most surprising about this? That staffers would put up with it? (Pay must be good.) That techno-geeks can dance? (If Texans can line dance, geeks can too.) Or that customers didn’t leave en masse from the spontaneous St. Vitus outbreak
Commenters on the video were less than kind. “Reason number 6751 why I avoid Microsoft products like the plague,” writes cance440. JohnMunsch notes: “If Joe’s Crab Shack ran your local Microsoft franchise.” SunsetChaser sums it up: “O good grief, Does everything microsoft do have to be so cringeworthy.”
Whatever the case, it doesn’t seem a particularly good in-store marketing strategy. Customers seem a bit confused by it. It is a distraction to serious shoppers. And business comes to a standstill during the 4-plus minute routine.
Let’s hope this is one of Microsoft’s ‘working out the bugs’ moment.
Image Credit: bkslavin/YouTube
More like this
Tekzel
November 18, 2009 at 10:37am
That was pretty damn bad. I felt embarrassed and I wasn't even involved!
Would have been amusing if it were 20-30 seconds at most, but 4 freaking minutes of that cringe inducing train wreck? Wow.
Bender2000
November 18, 2009 at 6:37am
Last time I saw this was at Johnny Rockets. They are struggling now, ever since they were bought by Redskins owner Dan Snyder. But what's the worst that can happen? ONE store goes under?
Maybe they should sell churros.
lunchbox73
November 18, 2009 at 6:23am
I was in a restaurant once where the entire wait staff stopped to do some stupid dance routine for a couple minutes. It was uncomfortable and obviously nobody got waited on while this happened. Lame there and lame for MS too.
JDK
November 18, 2009 at 6:03am
Yep.....another Microshaft cringe moment. Sort of reminds me of the Walmart cheer. Cheesiness never works for a company.......oh....wait.
Check this video out for "spontaneous" song and dance
1337Goose
November 18, 2009 at 2:25pm
Hey, hey... whoa.... Let's not say things we can't take back.
Sure, it's bad, but it's not "wear-a-black-turtle-neck-with-stone-wash-jeans-and-sit-in-a-Starbucks-telling-everybody-how-great-you-are" bad...
~Goose
Founck
November 17, 2009 at 10:49pm
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that watched nearly the whole video because of the girl in the green shirt. Really is a lame video and makes me glad that I don't work/shop there but if that's their idea of fun then I don't have a problem with it.
nduanetesh
November 17, 2009 at 8:00pm
This is not a microsoft commercial or a print ad or anything highly refined marketing effort. It's just some employees dancing in a store. Lighten up everybody.
I gave it 5 stars just for the chick in the green shirt with the big rack.
1337Goose
November 17, 2009 at 6:40pm
One of the dancing employee's facial expression reads: "I wish I was dead..."
Obviously this wasn't a Broadway style "Look how happy we are! Let's start dancing!"
~Goose
logicmaster2003
November 17, 2009 at 5:43pm
totally agrees with the person before me - Microsoft has the WORST marketing team ever ! From the Jerry Sinefield lame / corny / pointless commercial to everything else. LAME + POINTLESS + CORNY advertisement and yet Microsoft think its COOL.
What does it take to save the face of Microsoft ? Fire all your 70-year old fashion consultant / choreographer / advertisers. Whos in control of whats IN and OUT ? Teenagers or even 20 something, definitely not old people. Come on, its just common sense !
1337Goose
November 17, 2009 at 4:17pm
It's like a train-wreck, it's awful, but I can't pry my eyes away.
I don't know who to be more embarrassed for, Microsoft or those poor employees.
~Goose
Neufeldt2002
November 17, 2009 at 3:28pm
If you follow the "Bad publicity is better then no publicity" motto, then this has worked. Look at how many people are talking about it.
But, I think it is a failed attempt to be "hip, cool, withit, insert favorite word here"
Oh well.
I wanted a signature, but all I got was this ________
Connect with MaximumPC
Featured Content
We introduce Intel's latest class of tablet killers and review 4 of the first Ultra...
Where have all the memorable videogame enemies gone?
This month's issue
Feature
11 Hardware Hacks
Feature
Overclock Your CPU
How-To
Supercharge Your Smartphone
Build It
A Powerful $830 Rig
Most Commented Articles
Latest Max PC Tweets
- maximumpc: Here's what the @horse_ebooks bookmarklet (http://t.co/brE6898A) does to Maximum PC: http://t.co/Y6OhO6zk4 hours 3 min ago
- maximumpc: Microsoft on Patents: Can't We All Just Get Along? http://t.co/g0vginvG6 hours 24 min ago
- maximumpc: Google Drive Cloud Storage: Is Google Preparing To Muscle In On Dropbox? http://t.co/lCWzeYmS6 hours 48 min ago
