Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Looking For Xbox Moms
WillAffleckUW writes "In a New York Times article republished here in International Herald Tribune, Microsoft says it is desperately seeking moms to play XBox games, and has a marketing campaign for women gamers. Apparently not satisfied with its target audience of 17-24 yo males, they are even giving away thousands of free consoles on the radio. Most analysts doubt that the FPS and combat-heavy XBox gaming selection will sell well to women though." From the article: "This time, Microsoft is planning a wider attack. Brochures being sent to major retailers like Best Buy prominently describe the 360's ability to double as a DVD player, play music from an MP3 player through a television's speakers and even display digital photos on a TV. Its game functions, while impressive, are only part of the message."
And it sounds like an advertising message.
We've been inundated recently with Xbox stories and they're suspicious. For a start, the spelling and grammar has been too good. Look at that sentence above: the word "its" doesn't have the customary (yet incorrect) Slashdot apostrophe. The paragraph cuts to the point and is coherent. It is entirely unlikely anything I normally read on Slashdot.
Only 24 hours ago was another story where Allard was saying there would be shortages. The very unsubtle message from Allard was "Buy your Xbox 360(tm) immediately because otherwise you'll miss out". Another uncharacteristic story that reeked like a hidden advertisment.
24 hours before that, another Xbox story. I don't even recall what it was about, I just know that each day I open Slashdot and there's another fucking Xbox story. This looks to me like an astroturfing campaign. Microsoft has done this before and I wouldn't be surprised if they're doing it again.