Winextra – What’s cool for Google is an ethical question for Microsoft

I remember when Google surprised everyone who was attending one of their conferences that had to do with Android with a free smartphone that had the current Android OS installed on it. They did the same thing when the Nexus was launched much to the delight of the attendees.

At no time when this was happening did anyone do anything but cheer Google on for coming up with a great marketing idea and ya it was a great idea.

Yet when Microsoft does the same thing like they did at their E3 event to announce the new Xbox 360 suddenly we have CrunchGear suggesting that there are ethical questions that we should be considering (emphasis mine)

However, another treat came when they announced all the media at their press event will be getting XBox 360s immediately and that they would be showing up at their domiciles and places of business posthaste. Ethical issues aside, this is an interesting marketing effort.

At no point was this question of ethical issues raised when Google gave away smartphone – more than once – yet we should be all be talking about Microsoft’s give-away and its ethical issues over this.

Sorry but that doesn’t wash. First I don’t see how there are any ethical issues raised by what is nothing more than a clever marketing move. Second if there is going to be any discussion about ethics on this then Google should be included. Anything less is just bullshit.

8 comments 0 people listening

Comment help
Get Livefyre

Comments have been disabled for this post.

Sort: Newest | Oldest

Marius

Perhaps the ethical questions CrunchGear is referring to is a different approach in how the gifts were delivered. Now I wasn't there at either of the events, but as far as I understand it Google gave the phones to attendees immediately or at the conference, rather than at their places of business or their hotels (the wording is a bit unclear, could they even mean private homes?). I don't really think it is a big ethical issue either way, however there is some difference in the approach and when I read earlier today, that Microsoft apparently even went into the hotel rooms of some of the people, putting marketing stickers on their mirrors I was taken aback a bit myself, and considered that at least a slight infringement on people's privacy. Regardlessm, I'd like a free XBox.

share flag

spam
offensive
disagree
off topic

Pierre

It's not as though a free giveaway had never taken place anytime before… from yogurts and lollipops to consumer electronic gadgets, I've seen it happen all my life. As a matter of fact, it's rather less frequent nowadays than it used to be. Raising the "ethics" flag for one specific happenstance looks more like an attention-getting ploy by CrunchGear than any other thing – and that's unethical.

Ben Taylor

Where the Google events press events too? There is a difference between giving swag to press versus giving swag to paying punters.

Interframe

Completely agree. Technology journalism is pathetic and horribly biased.

I don't really think it is a big ethical issue either way, however there is some difference in the approach and when I read earlier today, that Microsoft apparently even went into the hotel rooms of some of the people, putting marketing stickers on their mirrors I was taken aback a bit myself, and considered that at least a slight infringement on people's privacy.

Regardlessm, I'd like a free XBox.