Microsoft Faces Nightmare On Xbox HD DVD Marketing Street

[BBlue]

Microsoft Faces Nightmare On Xbox HD DVD Marketing Street
by Laurie Sullivan, Friday, Feb 8, 2008 10:34 AM ET

THIS WEEK, MICROSOFT SLASHED THE price for the Xbox 360 HD DVD disc player from $179 to $129, using the company's Gamerscore and Major Nelson blogs to market the $50 price cut in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. There are plans to spread the news with Xbox 360 Dashboard banner ads, e-mail newsletters in late February, and limited retail store advertisements.

A marketer's worst nightmare remains finding reasons for consumers to buy products being phased out or ones that will become obsolete, especially for a technology brand. New product cycles are about every six months.

Some view the price cut as a desperate move by Microsoft to revive the HD-DVD brand, following decisions by movie studios, producers and retail stores to side with rival Blu-ray format.

Industry experts wouldn't speculate on when Microsoft might discontinue manufacturing HD DVD disc players as an accessory for the Xbox 360, but did weigh in with marketing advice when products appear doomed to failure.

http://publications.mediapost.com/in...&art_aid=76070

[Blu-Beard]

I feel real bad for all the consumers that don't ever do their own research on products and just fall victim to these "get rid of stock" tactics.

[KenThompson]

Microsoft doesn't care about the consumer, just the bottom line.

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

Microsoft doesn't care about the consumer, just the bottom line.

True. I mean does anyone here have a 360 that has been sent back more than once? The only truly positive thing about "big bucks" Bill is that he gives Billions to health and reserch for curing cancer and AIDS and yet he doesn't take time to listen to the consumer. Why doesn't just drop HD DVD and give what the smart 360 owners want.

[sj001]

How much money is M$ losing on each of these I wonder?

Probably clearing them out, and then they will announce a BD-drive add-on in a few months, that would be something.

[EricJ]

"One, two, Sony's com-ing for you..."

(...Hey, you try making contextual sense out of the headline! )

[Blu-Raider]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

Microsoft doesn't care about the consumer, just the bottom line.

You want free enterprise and entrepreneurship this is the price that's paid. Microsoft, just like any other, isn't a non-profit organization.