Wake Up Zune: A Marketing Suggestion

By Joe Haygood | May 5, 2008

The Zune conjures up images of an ugly albatross that keeps flapping around the neckline of Microsoft. Its not that it is a bad player, but it just seems to sit in the shadow of the iPod, trying to find a way to a ray of sunlight.

So why does it sell so poorly? I mean it has a lot of neat features, and it looks pretty cool, but it just does not seem to have that IT quality that makes the iPod so wanted. It also seems to have one of the most uncharismatic marketing teams behind it. I mean look at that picture of J. Allard and tell me he looks happy, or even makes you want a Zune. At least Bill is trying to look happy, but Allard just looks like he thinks he is going to catch a disease from the Zune that he is holding.

So I was kicking around the thought of getting a portable player and I have been considering a Zune, because I just do not feel like buying an iPod, because they will just release another version I will want every five to six months. I am also a big Microsoft homer, so I have a desire to keep brand loyalty to them. My problem is that I cannot find a great enough reason to select a Zune, but I thought of a pretty cool idea that could move the device…maybe.

As I was buying my latest crack addiction, Rock Band DLC, I thought about how much I like the music that has been in this game, and in the Guitar Hero series for the most part. So it dawned on me that I would pay extra on the marketplace to have a way to get these songs in a portable format. Microsoft, having deep pockets, could use this as a way to get people sold on the Zune. All you would have to do is plug the Zune in, and get your music tracks right from the game. It just seems like a no brainer. Thank you Microsoft, make sure to put some zeros on the end of that number when you send the royalty check. And J. Allard, cheer up, it can’t be all that bad.