Many have scoffed and scolded Microsoft for their new $300 million marketing campaign, but I applaud them. Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s first TV commercial for Microsoft was a smashing success, IMO. It created buzz and left many wondering what their next move would be and that was the whole point. I, for one, cannot wait to see what Seinfeld and Gates will do next.
However, I’m not so sure about Microsoft’s initiative to bring 155 ‘Gurus’ into retail stores like Best Buy and Circuit City to assist potential customers in a face-to-face situation by the end of the year. 25 of these so-called Gurus have been tested out in the US and Europe since last year. The main objective will be to help answer questions about PCs, MS products and offer demos to try and tie everything together, so consumers are aware of what they’re getting themselves into. It could and should work, but I think a showdown between the Geek Squad agents and Gurus would create more buzz.