He that goes [to CNN for a product review] holds the wolf by the ears.

If you think any press is good press - or you just like watching Microsoft squirm - this is for you:

CNN ridicules Micosoft Zune

There is something dangerous going on in the high-tech marketplace these days. The next generation of electronic devices is upon us. They are currently starring in every mall across the land this holiday weekend: Video game consoles, high definition televisions, and cellular phones that take pictures, play music, browse the internet and, one presumes, make phone calls. By now most products have one brand that has become dominant, and most consumers have chosen their favorite brand - making any new entry into high-tech gadgetry a nightmare. The Zune is not only the latest expensive, state of the art media player on the market but is also the latest audacious attempt by Microsoft to eat another competitor's lunch. It will have to not only be competitive with Apple's Ipod, but with every other electronic device currently trying to be bought for Christmas. The need to spread the word about their new Zune is paramount. Getting a CNN review the day of its release should have been a stroke of brilliant luck. Instead, what you see in this disastrous - albeit hilarious - review is the result of not controlling the message.

Rather than talk about the Zune's various features, both the reviewer and the two anchors in the video manage to point out everything that is wrong with the device:

• It has a radio (which no one seems to listen to anymore)
• It has annoying digital rights management schemes
• iTunes files won't work, so you'll have to buy your songs all over again
• It is blocky

And then, just to drive the final nail into the coffin, out comes the "cute" Ipod shuffle. One has to wonder if Apple secretly purchased CNN in the last few weeks. This kind of bad press, quite plainly, is bad press. There is no good that can come from it for Microsoft. No one who sees this piece will say, "Wow! That Zune just got slammed by CNN! [Pause] I am SO getting one!" This just won't happen. Instead, what is needed are a series of positive reviews, and then to have those reviews published widely. They should also submit press releases detailing new software features that will be available for the device, or future compatibility with their Vista operating system, or how songs will be cheaper on their music store site, or all of these. Whether a company has the power to dictate or block a review is neither here nor there. (Though if it can be done, obviously it should be.) The point here is that a pro-active stance must be taken in any product marketing - if for no other reason than shielding against just this kind of press.

About the Author: Eric Reid

I am the Social Media Services Manager for Off Madison Ave. I've been with the company since 2006, when I was hired to do SEO, and link building in particular. When social networking sites started cropping up, at first I started using them to create backlinks - but they weren't the best for that, given all of the "nofollow" attributes. However, I did see the potential for all of the direct referral traffic they represent. Since then I've been actively pursuing both tactics for clients: Links that can help them for search, and social postings that get them involved in the conversation. It's about the coolest job you could ever get. ;)

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