Did anybody see that obnoxious Frasier episode?!

[jove]

Hello,

I was flipping through the channels the other night and I saw the non-photogenic Bill Gates on Frasier. The dialog went something like:

Roz: Oh my, all the lights are lighting up!
Bill: I'll take all the calls.
First caller: I just purchased the XP CD. Do I need to create a boot disk to upgrade?
Bill: Just insert the CD and it will do the rest.
Second Caller: THIS IS SO COOL!
Third Caller: How do I use the multilingual user interface.
Bill: ???

I turned off the TV in total disgust from the blatant product placement. Even if it wasn't M$, I'd still be insulted.

Is M$ that desperate to pay for the world's richest and dorkiest man to endorse their product on a ,for some reason :-), popular show? But then again M$ owns NBC :-(

[fryke]

Riker: "Sir, we've got contact!"
Picard: "On screen!"
The screen shows a rotating Apple logo, followed by the smiling face of a familiar face.
Picard: "Q?!"
Steve Jobs: "No, Captain Picard. I'm not almighty." His grin tells otherwise. "My name is Steve Jobs."
Picard: "And what do you want?"
Steve Jobs: "Oh, I just wanted to show you some of the new gadgets we've been developping in the past few months, if you allow. We intend to send them back in time, say, into the year 2002, just to see whether we can still avoid the Borg from taking over the world."
Picard's face lightens up. "You mean the XP attack?"
Steve Jobs nods. "Exactly. I guess we'll start early. A few days before XP is unveiled, we'll place the coolest media device of the time. We'll call it iPod. But the real thing is going to take place early in 2002. We're going to unveil the PowerMacintosh G5, which'll outpace a Pentium 4 at 4 GHz, which of course is only available at the time in theoretical tests. And that's not the Photoshop test we'll run on OS X, this is the Excel test." A big smile enters Jobs' face. "And then we'll unveil the new iMac. As well as the PDA that'll bring the Borg to their knees: The MessagePad X. Finally a PDA that has all the features you'd want, runs fast as hell and is only compatible with Mac OS X. We'll write Linux drivers that we'll spread in the underground, of course, but we'll make sure no Windows compatibility is there for half a year. But by that time, 50% of the world's computer users will have bought a MessagePad X and also an accompanying iMac or even a PowerMac G5. Gone is the threat. But by that time, in July 2002, we'll also deliver Mac OS 11. And we'll buy the Macintosh Business Unit off the Borg - and finally do things right."
Picard nods. "Energize!"

[edX]

If you ask me, this is yet one more case of M$ following Apple. Ever notice how many computers on TV and in movies are imacs? The most famous in my mind is Mimi's on Drew Carey which seems to change colors every month or so !! And I was watching an old disney movie at the dentist the other day and there was a close shot of a kid pulling off amazing things on his performa with speeds that would make all of us drool. Apple has been playing the blatant product placement game for a lot longer and it is probably more responsible for saving them than any superbowl commercials. It has certainly been a great way to reinforce their commercials if nothing else. Speaking of commercials, have you seen the new ipod commercial yet? It has a Jeff Goldblum lookalike burning tunes to his ipod from his titanium w/itunes and then dancing (?) around his apt. before he leaves. I loved the small print that said "don't steal music" across the middle of the screen towards the close ! My guess is M$ will come out with a Micropod some time next year and sell it like its the first of its kind, just like their direct TV commercial that makes it sound like programming something to record a TV show at a specific time is something new they invented. Funny, my vcr has done that since the 80's. (and excuse me if i'm wrong, but didn't TIVO appear first?) Once they committed the original sin and copied the mac os, they seem to have decided they can claim everything else as theirs too. In the fashion industry they refer to companies like this as knock-off artists - no talent of their own but they have a great knack for stealing the best of other's ideas. I have to guess that kids made fun of Gates when he was a child for constantly being a copycat. (of course he still hasn't learned to dress himself but that is another matter)

[AdmiralAK]

1) Fryke that was hilarious
2) Apple has their products in movies and shows but its not so blatent. It blends in the backgroung and no one stops to say "oh isnt OS X great?"


Admiral

[uoba]

Apple = class, when it comes to brand placement in the media (and all other things as well)

Nice one fryke, I liked that very much!

[jove]

Hello,

Placing a product seems to be standard practice; Pepsi, Apple, and countless others do it. Bill actually appeared on a sitcom and altered the script to plug his product. But anyhoo.

The iPod commercial guy is as corny as the those flying XP people.

Ok, maybe I'm just in a grumpy mood :-)

[zootbobbalu]

Actually, Apple's marketing department shouldn't get credit for all of Apple's product placement because there are many instances where the producer of a show/movie is a Mac fan and likes to put a Mac in the scene because Mac's look cool.

[Shotokan]

Quote from Jove: "But then again M$ owns NBC :-("

People...how many times am I going to have to hear an Apple fan say that M$ owns NBC? This is ridiculous. Just because M$ and NBC have joint ventures (i.e. MSNBC) does not mean one owns the other. Please, for your own good, pick up a Wall Street Journal once in a while, or even a Business Week, anything!

NBC is owned by GE (General Electric), one of the largest corporations in the world. Compared to GE, M$ is a spec of dust. They have their fingers in more pots that Microsoft has employees.

http://www.ge.com/businesses.htm

Go there and check it out, and those listed are only the ones they WANT publisized.

I like Apple just as much as the next fan, but please stop saying that M$ owns NBC, it makes Apple users seem ignorant.