Archives for posts with tag: windows 7

So thanks to Twitter, we’ve been told a couple dozen of times about this year’s Best Viral Videos, care of Mashable.

We’ve seen most of them, but the one that we hadn’t already been blown away by was the hugely misguided video for Microsoft’s “Windows 7 Launch Party Planning Guide”:

This neutered, oversensitive corporate crap-pile really is amazing in the sheer volume of “don’t get it” on display here. I’d like to say this feels like an infomercial, but I feel like it’s disrespectful to the careful showmanship of Billy Mays and Ron Popeil. In fact, it’s doubly impressive that this isn’t just a bad web video, it’s also a really bad 90’s-era infomercial. Maybe it’s a union thing — where do all the infomercial actors go when everyone just wants to make another “Will It Blend?”

Ron Popeil defined the infomercial for me in the 1990’s. I cannot count how many times I was lured into the drama of “Set It And Forget It.” His pacing and tone were reminiscent of old showmen, and if Ed Valenti invented “But wait, there’s more!”, Popeil brought it home. Maybe it’s just me, but his classic infomercials are seriously compelling, even against a sea of viral videos. Something about Ron’s endless salesmanship and lack of guile that get me excited — as in, HOLY CRAP $39.99?? I brush off most YouTube videos that are longer that 45 seconds, but I would hang around on Sunday mornings for a good two hours of RonCo goodness. Just saying.

Okay, just to prove that we are not a group of grumpy hermits who detest anything that doesn’t involve Star Wars or Kanye West, I submit this for your approval:

Yes, I know its been around for a while and yes, I know its schilling Windows. But, c’mon! It makes the three of us (AJ, Roman, and Chris) emit a collective “awwww” every time Kylie flubs the line, “Snappy and Reponcuslive.” Also, this is the perfect example of a viral ad – its got an adorable child, “The Final Countdown” (which is a waaaaay over done cliche, but we’ll let it slide), and pictures of kittens and bunnies either wearing hats or lounging in a bed of pillowy marshmallows. How could anyone not want to watch this a hundred times in a row, tell their friends, and then try to produce cute children of their own? Or, you know, go out and buy Windows 7, despite the snarky Mac guy ads featuring John Hodgman.

For the record, we are avid Mac users, but we still love this ad.