Diggnation Hosts Do Zune Infomercial
Jul 14th, 2008 | By James Lewin | Category: Internet TV, iPods & Portable Media Players, Making Money with Podcasts, Video
In this video, Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose of Diggnation do a demo for Microsoft’s Zune digital media player.
Yeah – it’s an informercial. What makes it interesting, though, is that Microsoft is turning to video podcasters to help get the Zune some geek cred.
This wouldn’t work with all products, and this sort of product placement risks trashing podcasters’ credibility.
In this case, though, it’s a good example of another way podcasters are making money with their shows.
One problem that I find with these guys shilling for Microsoft is that when they do live shows, their live commercials get boo’d by the live crowds. I think if Microsoft stays at it and doesn’t stop sponsoring the show, they have a chance to at least rain the respect of the Diggnation audience, but the negative reaction from the audience during the advertisement would scare me off if I was Microsoft.
This actually makes the Zune look OK – but it turns me off of diggnation.
Funny when Microsoft sponsors something like Digg, it’s corporate “shilling.” When Apple does it, geeks pop chubbies. Hypocrites.
They seem to genuinely like the Zune, and I’ve been extremely happy with mine. I actually find it’s a superior product to the iPod. So let them be sponsored and shill about the products they like — killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.