Read blog from the guy behind the viral marketing of microsofts origami

[mouser]

http://origamiproject.com/blogs/team_blog/archive/2006/03/09/19.aspx

O.K., if you are reading this blog chances are you’ve in one way or another heard about the “Microsoft mystery” project named Origami. You probably also know by now that Origami was the Microsoft code name for the Ultra-Mobile PC project.

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I was a primary driver of the buzz campaign, I thought I’d set the record straight by using a timeline to illustrate how events unfolded.

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Origami Project Timeline
Dec 05 – My team and I have an idea about doing a buzz/viral campaign to get enthusiasts interested in what we’re announcing at CeBIT. I pitch the idea to Michael, our marketing guy, and he agrees it’s a good idea so he and I start planning it.
Jan 06 – We hired a creative agency to begin work on the viral campaign. We tell them to leave it vague and open to speculation to generate interest.

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all companies seem to do this these days.. am i the only person who finds this stuff depressing?

[jgpaiva]

Ok.. The important (and stupid) question here: what's "viral marketing" about?

[mouser]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing

Viral marketing is sometimes used to describe some sorts of Internet-based stealth marketing campaigns, including the use of blogs, seemingly amateur web sites, and other forms of astroturfing to create word of mouth for a new product or service. Often the ultimate goal of viral marketing campaigns is to generate media coverage via "offbeat" stories worth many times more than the campaigning company's advertising budget.

[jgpaiva]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing

Oops.. i suppose i could have done that before asking. Sorry, i really need to add that wikipedia search alias in farr

Then, i think this thread is in the same wavelength of this one.
It's a shameful way to do publicity, specially because it can make even bigger mistakes on people's heads then the normal publicity.
If some guy says on a blog that the origami will have this or that feature, and then the someone buys the origami thinking he was well informed but then the origami doesn't have it, it was just "some guy" on "some forum" who said that, no way to blame noone for that.

I think that more and more, when you buy something, you have to test it first, and have good, reliable fonts of information, other than just a search on the first results on google, you might end up with a wrong idea of the product you're buying.