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Jeff Bell gets a new job as DOmedia chairman
When marketing superman Jeff Bell parted with Microsoft last year to pursue his "life's passion," many of us just assumed he would turn up one day on a kiwi farm evangelizing brand strategy for delicious, edible berries. Boy, were we ever off. Bell has instead resurfaced as the chairman of online marketplace DOmedia, an outfit that professes to link up buyers and sellers of "out-of-home and alternative advertising media."Now, we won't pretend to know exactly what all of that means, though a press release announcing his new position says Bell is expected to help DOmedia grow as he "oversees the overall strategic direction for the company." It all sounds very involved; leaving little time for Bell's other lifelong passion: rocking out to Rush's "Tom Sawyer" like nobody's business.
Michael Delman to replace Jeff Bell at MS
Microsoft today announced that replacing Jeff Bell as vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business will be Michael Delman. Bell recently announced he was leaving the company, though not our hearts. Delman is currently the corporate vice president of the Global Marketing Communications Group at Microsoft and will be assuming his new role (and presumably donning his new Xbox branded boxer shorts) in August. Conversely, we're guessing that Jeff Bell will officially call it quits in August. We're eager (very eager) to see if Delman will be able to fill Jeff Bell's loud, well-spoken shoes.
Delman replacing Bell as Microsoft VP of global marketing
Microsoft has announced that Michael Delman will become the company's new vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business (for the three of you not intimately familiar with Microsoft's corporate structure, that's where Xbox lives). Delman replaces the beloved – yes, we said beloved – Jeff Bell, who recently announced his departure from the company to "pursue a passion outside entertainment."Delman, who is currently VP of the global marketing communications group at MS, will officially take the new position in August. Hopefully, we'll be introduced to Mr. Delman at next month's E3 and be able to ask him, in honor of Jeff Bell, one simple question: "And your contribution to society is ... what?"
Marketing exec Jeff Bell is leaving MS
Some things are just so shocking that there are no words to describe them. You can add to that list the following words: Jeff Bell is leaving Microsoft. It wasn't even a year ago that Jeff Bell appeared on the stage at E3, leaving everyone asking, "who is this guy?" Not long after that, we were befuddled by his attempts to spoil Harry Potter for millions of innocent children (and those who are young at heart). Truly, a strange inroduction (followed by other strangeness). And yet, somehow, at the end of the day, you can't help but love the guy.Bell has decided to leave his role as the vice president of Global Marketing for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business saying, "The time is right for me to pursue my life's passion of consumer brand marketing and the creative and services that drive it." Exactly which industry he will befuddle and subsequently enchant remains unknown.While Joystiq has chosen to use a video of Jeff Bell's performance of Tom Sawyer as a gesture of farewell, we have chosen something we think is more appropriate. Find our heartfelt goodbye after the break.
Xbox marketing chief Jeff Bell leaves Microsoft
Yes, Jeff Bell fans (or as you're known on the street, "Jeff Bell fans"), you read that right: Jeff Bell, VP of global marketing, is leaving Microsoft to "pursue a passion outside entertainment." Bell will remain with the company through the summer. You may remember Jeff Bell as the ghetto fabulous exec who tried to sound hood, or from his turn as a rad internet troll or, most likely, from the time we totally turned the corner and fell in love with the guy.Filling in for Jeff Bell at Microsoft until a replacement is found will be Matt Barlow, Charlotte Stuyvenberg and Jim Merrick. Filling in in our hearts? Nobody. We know of no better way to say goodbye than to listen to Jeff Bell sing Rush's "Tom Sawyer" one last time, right after the break.
US 360 shortage acknowledged by Microsoft
After weeks of reports that Xbox 360s were nowhere to be found in the United States -- we've been discussing it on the Fancast for about a month now -- Microsoft has finally owned up to it. Speaking to Reuters, Microsoft's head of global marketing and comedian extraordinaire Jeff Bell cleared the air saying, "you could say we misjudged demand." Bell noted that many retailers have no stock at all, and in fact are dismayed by the state of affairs. Bell even says that 360 sales are likely to see a dip for January and possibly February, but he expects that Microsoft will be able to meet demand as spring approaches. We won't have to wait too long to find out just how much the shortage affected Microsoft's sales either, as NPD numbers are expected to drop later today. You can bet we'll be here to report them when they do.For the moment, at least, it seems that any rumors of a new 360 model (or a new SKU entirely) have been put to rest.[Via Joystiq]
Microsoft drums up its very own Xbox 360 shortage
The word on the street, nay, the word straight from Jeff Bell's mouth, is that the Xbox 360 is experiencing stock shortages, which could hurt sales for January and February. We'd already heard of Elite shortages, but now they seem to be more widespread. "You could say we misjudged demand," said Bell, head of global marketing for Microsoft games. "We're literally out of stock in many stores. We think this will have an impact on our sales." Apparently the 1.3 million Xboxen sold in December didn't leave many sitting around for the rest of winter, so we could be seeing shortages through February, according to Bell -- but they should be able to meet demand by spring. It almost sounds like Microsoft is playing hard to get like a certain other console we know of, but we'll bite our tongue until we can get a tearful confession out of Major Nelson. Or, you know, two straight years of stock scarcity. [Via Joystiq]
Jeff Bell talks HD DVD, 360 pricing and more
Microsoft's own Jeff Bell (better known by the X3F moniker Mr. "Harry Potter dies") sat down for a quick chit-chat session with the 1UP crew during the final days of CES to discuss all things Xbox 360. And after grilling him about his forum outburst a while back, 1UP was able to get tiny hints to where the 360 is headed. Specifically, Bell is questioned about Microsoft's support of HD DVD and if it were to fail, would Microsoft release a Blu-ray peripheral for the 360. Bell danced around the question a bit, but didn't rule out the possibly of such a peripheral being developed saying that "you never say never". Bell also touched on the topic of Xbox 360 hardware pricing, further re-iterating Microsoft's commitment to cost reduction and passing the hardware savings onto their customers saying that "we're prepared to be competitive on value for our consumers". And we can't complain about that.Click your way to 1UP to read the complete Jeff Bell interview to see what Bell thinks about the Nintendo Wii, where Mass Effect is headed, what his most anticipated games of '08 are (hint: no Gears of War 2 mention) and read why Jeeps and Xbox 360s are similar. You know, if it isn't already obvious enough.
Mass Effect amasses a million in sales
Never let it be said that lesbian sex scenes don't sell video games -- and epic space opera plots don't hurt either. Wysteria Lane's street-hardened Microsoft executive Jeff Bell reveals to GameDaily that Mass Effect has affected one million in global sales over the three weeks since launch. In the same breath Bell also said that Halo 3 has reached the five million sales mark. There's still no word if the rest of the Mass Effect franchise will still be Microsoft exclusive, but with sales this strong we're pretty sure MS is going to try and keep Mass Effect all to itself. We'll see if some exclusivity money changes hands -- and if Sony decides not to partake in the process.
Jeff Bell recognizes Joystiq's contribution to society
So, check this out, blogger's prerogative: We've totally flipped on Jeff Bell. Sure, when we first met Jeff Bell at E3, we rushed to judgment, laughing up our sleeves and revoking his Ghetto Pass. But as things went on, our understanding and appreciation of Jeff Bell (or, as he's known on the streets, "Jeff Bell") continued to grow.First, he goes all troll on the message boards, asking a user what his contribution to society was, which was undeniably funny. Now, he's starring in the above Mass Effect take-off straight from Microsoft HQ. Bell's performance in the clip, a clear indication that he's got a good sense of humor, would have been enough to win us over. But it certainly doesn't hurt that his monitor is clearly displaying everyone's favorite video game blog. Your check's in the mail Jeff Bell. That's right, the rumors are true: Microsoft is on Joystiq's payroll.
Microsoft's Jeff Bell gettin' feisty on message board?
No doubt we've heard quite a few calumnies come out of the mouths of high-ranking company officials before (yes, even those at Microsoft), but this one takes things to a different level entirely. Just days after Peter Moore abruptly abandoned ship and swam elsewhere, it seems that frustrations are getting the best of the firm's VP of Global Marketing as well. According to a number of sleuths who used the "bell801" member name to link back to Mr. Bell, the executive actually private messaged a NeoGAF member who was "especially critical of Bell" during an E3 press conference and blurted out: "And your contribution to society is...what?" Yeah, that'll show 'em, Jeff.
