As a card-carrying member of the Upload Generation, your
Kin is about a lot of things: chilling with your peeps and BFFs, taking pictures and video of all of life's most awesome moments, keeping tabs on your MySpace pals, and documenting the fascinating story of your nipples without a pesky American Apparel V-neck getting in the way. Or wait... maybe not? Microsoft has just pulled a Kin ad briefly featuring a young gentleman snapping shots of his PG-rated parts underneath his t-shirt in response to
Consumer Reports' concerns that the move encourages "sexting" -- a growing problem amongst the world's technologically-savvy (and hormone-riddled) youth -- saying that it "takes the issue of sexting very seriously and it was never our intent to promote it in any way." It looks like Microsoft has kept the commercial around on the Kin site and just removed the offending portion -- it was only about a second long -- so hanging out in underground speakeasies with fake hipsters is still okay, apparently. Follow the break for the original, unedited video.
posted April 17th 2010 1:27PM
I liked it :\
@CJisohsocool Looks like the Manchester United kit. V for victory.
@CJisohsocool imagine if it was ballmer doing that. *vomits*
@CJisohsocool : I called it!
SO wait? No more unlimited sexting plan? Topolsky lied to me!
@CJisohsocool The advert actually rocked...but the powers that dont like MS thought it was too cool...so they searched for something to get it off the air..."taking pictures of your abs" call the cavalry ROFLMAO
@CJisohsocool Hipsters and furries, oh my!
@CJisohsocool
I liked the ad too. Consumer Reports can shove it.
@CJisohsocool
I'm not going to lie, I hate this ad. And people thought APPLE ads where appealing to hipsters... Yes, this may be seen as a "hipster's" phone, but I think this is just a bit too much.
I facepalm at Microsoft for this...
@CJisohsocool
OHH MICROSOFT HOW STEAMY!
@DreyerSmit Actually if you watch closely, it's a photo of a geek's man boob.
Microsoft likes PBRs, Animal Collective, and Parliament cigarettes now.
"Am I cool yet?"
@ComboBreaker It might have added new meaning to the term "rollover minutes." Just maybe.
i LOVE b00bies
@erik1080
I couldn't agree more.
@CJisohsocool
That was basically a failed attempt at trying to be "cooler" than an Apple ad. Microsoft just keeps copying Apples advertisements, first with their "I'm a PC" ads, and now their new marketing style is all "hip" and whatnot.
Too bad they suck at it.
@Darkroom They also need to hire proper drivers that understand RWD SUVs tend to oversteer into turns when you go into them at 90 miles per hour.
Seriously, do companies treat this group of senile morons as God or something?
@Jabriiiz
You do realize this is a dude (albeit in a tight pink v-shaped top)
@Jakintosh
Ah, buy Apple fallacious and outright deceptive "I'm a Mac" campaign was great, wasn't it?
Apple fanboys = disingenuous and hypocrite.
@CJisohsocool
Microsoft: Proud supporter of underage porn.
How will a hipster buy this phone? Everyone know's Hipsters don't admit there Hipsters. This will...
@CJisohsocool be careful on sexting, you don't want to be like this girl. Who commit suicide with it. http://bit.ly/jessica-logan-case-opinions
@Jabriiiz
there is a bracelet that says that and i were it everyday to a private Christian school :)
I'm really surprised that got through the initial "brainstorm" session at Microsoft. What were they thinking lol
@TwiggenBerries
they were thinking "how can we add sex appeal to the kin, appeal to a young feminine audience and mitigate any opposition? Sexting Disney style!"
@TwiggenBerries
Yeah, what were they thinking at :50, teenagers hook up with grannies?
You'd think someone along the line would have realized this before it got all the way to the website.
@DanMan I think this was all done on purpose. Noise marketing at its best.
@DanMan
No, I wouldn't think that because I don't see how this is "sexting." He laughs after taking the picture, she laughs when she receives it. And how is a guy's "breast" sexy? An under-the-shirt shot in those lighting conditions would either be a dark blog of fuzz or, if there's a flash on it, mostly just a blob of pale white.
I really can't believe anyone has a problem with this. It's supposed to be two people joking around, but some old creeps in Consumer Reports think it was sexy, apparently. If anything, that's the inappropriate part.
I've noticed some strange things in the past few years about Microsoft's marketing communications.
1st: When they released the Zune, the tagline was: "Welcome to the social. I thought: " the social"? WTF?
2nd: When MS announced "Kin," I thought back to the Zune launch, and it started to make sense to me: sure, there will be lots of "Kin"-folk at "the social."
3rd: I thought this could just be a coincidence, but when I heard the hillybilly-hipster music that was playing during this commercial, I knew what was going on: Microsoft is trying to bring Appalachian culture into the mainstream!
Conclusion: Microsoft's marketing team must have grown up on Walton's Mountain.
@willengage
you've finally caught on. do you want the blue pill?
@bolezhinkov
Yes, please.
@willengage The cake is a lie!
Bad Microsoft, bad!
@SolidSnake
is anyone really offended by the 2 seconds that this is on screen? Next thing you know people will go nuts over the interracial couple in the same ad kissing.
@SolidSnake. I think this is Microsoft's step deeper into the darkside. First they overthrew their emperor gates, then photoshopped a Caucasian's head onto an African's body for an ad, then they revolutionised sexting. I believe they have the potential to be the power fullest Sith Company in the World
@SolidSnake
I have no real problem with this; I am a teenager, not a crotchety old man. BUT, this could turn into a negative PR firestorm that the Kin may never escape from..
@LAY
I was more offended when they wanted to "squirt" music at each other.
@SolidSnake
I'm more offended by the furries
Dey r just wong fa dat
@ashleythehottiest I would think it would take longer to go out of your way to spell every word wrong than to just spell them the old fashioned way -- correcty. Odd...
@MCV
- correcty. Odd...
oh the irony :)
@ashleythehottiest
obvious troll is obvious
@spaz4322 irony indeed. :D
@spaz4322
LOL!!! Funniest reply I've seen all weekend! : )
If you saw a guy taking a picture of his chest in an advertisement, would that make you more inclined to buy the product?
Would it make anyone???
@Johnny Rockets
Obviously you and I aren't the target audience for the Kin. You know it, I know it.. so let MS put out their girl-love in peace.
i don't have anything against the product here but i am beginning to hate the culture and imagery surrounding it.
@kojo87 Ditto.
@kojo87
Same. Now, whenever I'll see someone with a phone like that, I won't be able to stop the flashback to this. I thought it was horrible overall.