Microsoft Surface Product Placement

Published on May 24, 2008 by PPN Staff · No Comments

Timing is everything in the world of Branded Entertainment and Product Placement — and it appears as though Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has a nice dose of it.

Microsoft Surface is Microsoft’s first surface computer and it provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural hand gestures, touch and physical objects.

The Surface is new technology and with new technology there is always an adoption curve. AT&T spent well over $100 million on their ‘M Life’ campaign to get Americans interested in text-messaging, but text messaging did not catch on until being integrated into Season 2 of American Idol.

Enter CNN Election Coverage.

Since Super Tuesday, CNN’s John King has been standing in front of a huge ‘magic-map’. He pokes, touches and waves at the screen with each motion resulting in zooming maps and flying pie charts.

This would have been perfect timing if the ‘magic map’ was indeed a Microsoft product, but it was not. The Wall was invented by Jeff Han, 32, a computer scientist who for several years tinkered with the idea of creating a touch-sensitive display monitor. Han developed the idea while he was a researcher at NYU; he left the school last year to start Perceptive Pixel, which markets the device.

But this is new technology and as consumers, this is our first exposure to this touch screen or surface technology.

Perceptive Pixel is a small 10-person company and I am certain they are filled with orders — but Microsoft has the power of AT&T as a retail partner. Beginning April 17, customers can experience Microsoft Surface in select AT&T retail locations, including stores in New York City, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Francisco. Based on the success and learning from these initial pilot deployments, plans for further expansion across AT&Ts 2,200 U.S. retail stores will be determined.

Gates should realize that come election night, all eyes will be on the ‘magic map’ and that it would be well to not only have customers ‘experience’ the Surface, but have it available for sale.