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Blur’s bassist Alex James has turned desperate — after shilling his cheese to all and sundry in every possible newspaper and magazine (and throwing a festival that’s now been dubbed “Worstival”), he’s now pimping Windows Phone with Microsoft, lending his name to a new social-rewards campaign called Into.
I can’t think of a worse name for the project, nor a more unsuitable ‘sleb to partner with. Nonetheless, if you’re interested in being rewarded for getting unsuspecting friends to buy a Windows Phone by sharing stuff on social networks and unlocking “exciting offers and experiences” (if you deem content created by Alex James as “exciting”), then by all means, go for it. Download the Into app from the Windows Marketplace, and rack up the points by liking and sharing stuff on Facebook, tweeting, or inviting pals to use the Into app.
If you really want to win the big kahuna (that would be the trip for two people to Finland, plus two Nokia Lumia 800 phones, not the “unforgettable evening hosted by Alex James”) then Microsoft would like you to demo “the best bits” of Windows Phone, by passing their handset to a friend, and asking them to enter their Facebook log-in details. From there, an animation will demo the highlights of the WP7 platform.
Honestly, the only way Microsoft could make me sell their products for them is to pay me cold, hard cash. [Into]
Image Credit for Alex James: Clash
I can’t imagine a situation where someone is going to be in two minds as to which handset to get, see Alex Jame’s face and think “well that’s the one for me then”. How do these PR people keep their jobs?
Truly it is said “You can always find a D-list celeb to advertise your tat”, they would have been better getting a former big brother winner then an anonymous cheesemonger bassist.
“I can’t think of a worse name for the project”
Really? Michael Barrymore, Gary Glitter, O.J. Simpson, Piers Morgan….
Having said that, I agree that it is a stupid decision and is more of a disincentive to consider WP7, but then no celeb endorsement would incentivise it for me.
At least they didn’t go for any of the X-factor, etc winners/contestants/voters/judges aka those suffering from ‘the Mass Lobotomy’ which seems to have been performed on people these days. That would have ruled WP7 out completely.
For you yes (and me and many others too), but remember those people are popular with the equally lobotomised general public.
Your right, it’s easy to forget just how many idiots are out there. I sometimes think how embarrassed I’d be if aliens ever landed at just how moronic the majority of our species is.
I don’t know, the continuing poor sales of Windows Phones shows their is some hope for us yet.
They probably couldn’t afford an X-Factor celeb.
My understanding was that Microsoft were putting up a large chunk of this add campaign http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-14/tech/30278508_1_andy-lees-microsoft-and-nokia-microsoft-s-windows-phone £20 million should have got them someone a bit better than this.
Maybe he can use the money from this to pay back this school… http://www.cotswoldjournal.co.uk/news/local/chippingcampden/9302191.EXCLUSIVE__Primary_school_owed___7_000_after_promotions_company_goes_bust/
Yay, a man that makes cheese, telling us to buy a mobile phone..
Anyone with even an ounce of common sense will know how rubbish Windows Phone 7 (Windows CE) is .