Saturday, May 26, 2007

Zombie Ads

Microsoft has combined two things I like--zombies and cool advertising---in a new spot appearing in tech magazines.

Touting Microsoft Forefront® enterprise security software , the ad features a guy clearly from the IT department facing down a hoard of undead attackers. (I'm no bigger fan of Microsoft than the next guy, but I do appreciate creativity.)

The message notes it's easy to stop zombies, lumbering, brainless oafs that they are, and even easier to prevent malware on a network with Forefront.

It's a great approach for the message's audience.

No doubt inspired by The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z and the "Living Dead" franchise, the ad points to a supporting website, easyeasier.com.

It's a microsite requiring a fast connection, and one flaw I see is that there's not a clever time-killing icon to occupy you during the download.

Otherwise the website provides lots of fun as it dramatizes and expounds upon the zombie-fighting pointers from the ad such as "4. Find a weapon, any weapon." The funny bits culminate with a sales pitch about Forefront and options for additional info on the software.

I've only seen the zombie print ad but the site features other enemies, so I suspect more ads with a James Bond-style spy, a gray alien and a Ninja will be coming in future issues of Network World.

That I shall look forward to.

Addendum
An omission: I should have noted earlier that the new Forefront campaign was created by Mccann Worldgroup.


(No rights to image implied.)

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Yes, Zombies are funny, but has anyone ever considered "their" rights? I see a movement afoot to stop the humorous exploitation of cavemen, so maybe soon the Zombies will have their own movement.

RK Sterling said...

Oh, Sidney - didn't realize you were a zombie fan. You'll be pleased to know then, that in a WIP I have, a young boy named Sidney becomes good friends with a zombie named Charles. (Which why I just had to laugh out loud at Charles' comment - I guess some things are just meant to be.)

Sidney said...

If they go the caveman route I guess they will get their own sitcom soon. :-)

Kate, sounds like another touching story of a boy and his zombie. I will look forward to it.

Clifford said...

I was in a trendy bookstore the other day and there were tags under some of the books with employee recommendations. Beneath a zombie book (can't remember which one) was the following recommendation:

"Zombie's are the new pirates!"

To add to that, last week a large group of people, dressed as Zombies, walked through the downtown area, walking into stores, dropping bloody body parts and looking for brains! A picture in the press showed a zombie in the Apple store, biting an iMac.

Zombies, you gotta love em!

Sidney said...

I love the "Zombies are the new pirates!" line. Almost a meme!

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