Microsoft pays NFL $400 million for product placement of their "Surface" tablets, Announcers proceed
58 replies, posted
[quote]Prior to the season, Microsoft and the NFL struck a 5-year, $400 million deal with one of the major components being that the Microsoft Surface would become "the official tablet of the NFL" with coaches and players using the Surface on the sidelines during games.
But Microsoft and the league ran into a problem during week one of the season when at least two television announcers mistakenly referred to the tablets as iPads giving a huge rival some unexpected exposure.
The biggest blunder for the league came during the nationally televised Monday Night Football game when ESPN's Trent Dilfer joked about how long it took Cardinals assistant head coach Tom Moore to "learn how to use the iPad to scroll through the pictures."
[/quote]
[URL]http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-nfl-surface-ipads-2014-9[/URL]
I bet Apple's marketing team is pretty happy right now.
400 million for that is...
too much? like really
You can't undo years of forcibly-engraved marketing that easily, it's no-wonder this happened.
I bet microsoft are furious right now
i think the announcer that said that is kinda done
[QUOTE=KillerLUA;45954249]You can't undo years of forcibly-engraved marketing that easily, it's no-wonder this happened.[/QUOTE]
Everyone I know, kids, teens, adults. They just call them iPads since it's easy.
Last couple years for some reason the announcers/media have really been emphasizing the switch from second by second shots to tablets. I understood the first year but it's been 2/3 since it was first done
The worst is when you call all tablets 'tablets', and people with iPads go "No it's an iPad!" because they think tablet only applies to Android devices.
At home we just call them 'gadget' or 'dubris'.
Someone isn't getting their cut of the 400 million.
[QUOTE=Mobon1;45954282]i think the announcer that said that is kinda done[/QUOTE]
Severely doubt that, outside commentators aren't employed by the league unless they worked for NFL Network.
This was ESPN, and I doubt they would fire Trent Dilfer over something like this, seeings how he has been working there since 2008.
Pretty sure the most they could do is send a strongly worded letter to ESPN.
Oh man, someone at MS must be all kinds of pissed right now.
One may not like Apple products, but one HAS to admit they are amazing at marketing.
Nearly all their products have the Kleenex effect
[QUOTE=Riller;45954384]The worst is when you call all tablets 'tablets', and people with iPads go "No it's an iPad!" because they think tablet only applies to Android devices.[/QUOTE]
up until iPads ~revolutionized technology~, "tablet" was what you'd call the pen drawing things like Wacom's Intuos or Cintiq products, iPads didn't even qualify for the name tablet PC/laptop back then, being naught more than a giant iphone
this whole mixup is a marketing nightmare and the NFL is definitely getting sued for what amounts to breaking contract to advertise a competitor
This same thing happened with PC's, Microsoft Windows is the assumed OS and competitors have no hope gaining any real market share. Kinda like how MS can't succeed in the phone/tablet market.
$400 seems like so much money for "just" another product placement
[QUOTE=CapsAdmin;45954973]$400 seems like so much money for "just" another product placement[/QUOTE]
this is the NFL. Superbowl commercials are notorious for costing millions of dollars for 30 second ads. Football is pretty much THE most universally watched thing in the US, the potential revenue from so many people seeing your ads is well worth it to the companies
[QUOTE=Riller;45954384]The worst is when you call all tablets 'tablets', and people with iPads go "No it's an iPad!" because they think tablet only applies to Android devices.[/QUOTE]
You either have an iPad or a tablet, like how you either have an iPhone or an Android.
[QUOTE=dai;45955057]this is the NFL. Superbowl commercials are notorious for costing millions of dollars for 30 second ads. Football is pretty much THE most universally watched thing in the US, the potential revenue from so many people seeing your ads is well worth it to the companies[/QUOTE]
Yeah I sort of understand that. I was trying to say it's weird to think about how something that we wish we could skip and go away costs $400k. (I'm assuming most of facepunch don't like watching ads and knows how to spot product placements.)
[QUOTE=deggemannen;45954246]400 million for that is...
too much? like really[/QUOTE]
You're not from America. This is really not a lot for this kind of thing.
Its a pity really that Microsoft doesn't get more coverage, I've been using a Surface Pro 3 as a laptop replacement for college and I love it. Pressure sensitive screen, included applications for note-taking, amazing battery life while writing/watching movies, and Windows 8 actually works well with the touch screen.
It can even manage to play Civ V at mostly high settings, though it seems to get rather hot doing so.
[QUOTE=deggemannen;45954246]400 million for that is...
too much? like really[/QUOTE]
400 million to pass your tape on their show, and they get it wrong
gg
I'd rather have a Surface Pro than my current Nexus 7 for the sole purpose of Civ V.
This could work in MS's favor. If they paid the money, and the announcers either didn't talk about them or called them tablets, no one would notice. Well, some would but not many.
But now, because of these mistakes the announcers have made, many more people are going to be hearing about these Surface devices. On the other hand, it doesn't help Apple because EVERYONE already knows what an iPad is.
People on the sideline are using Bose headphones now, does anyone notice or care? No, since there's no controversy.
[QUOTE=Mobon1;45954282]i think the announcer that said that is kinda done[/QUOTE]
It's not as big of a deal enough to remove a well established announcer over.
[QUOTE=Riller;45954384]The worst is when you call all tablets 'tablets', and people with iPads go "No it's an iPad!" because they think tablet only applies to Android devices.[/QUOTE]
I don't know what Apple has done to me, but even I sometimes call tablets iPad's and I own a Nexus. It's always a mistake but I still do it sometimes.
It was Troy Aikman I bet it was Troy Aikman.
[QUOTE=KillerLUA;45954249]You can't undo years of forcibly-engraved marketing that easily, it's no-wonder this happened.[/QUOTE]
Most definitely. From work experience, many many people out there don't know the difference between device types. They just think that every Tablet/Smartphone is an Ipad/Iphone. That's why I'm not surprised at all by this mistake.
it sucks because surfaces are awesome computers
source: i have a surface pro 2
[QUOTE=Riller;45954384]The worst is when you call all tablets 'tablets', and people with iPads go "No it's an iPad!" because they think tablet only applies to Android devices.[/QUOTE]
I know some of those people. When I want to mention their iphone I always call it "cell phone" or just "phone" since I say the same to my cell phone (I don't have a smartphone).
Some of them actually get upset trying to explain it's an iphone. That's the point where you have to act dumb and just say "But you can call people with it? That makes it a cell phone!".
It just feels great.
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