Use of Student Plants to Pitch Products Rising 274
theodp wrote to mention a Seattle PI article about software and niche companies using college-age hucksters to get the word about their product out. From the article: "Microsoft is among a growing number of companies seeking to reach the elusive but critical college market by hiring students to be ambassadors -- or, in more traditional terms, door-to-door salesmen. In an age when the college demographic is no longer easily reached by television, radio or newspapers -- as TiVo, satellite radio, iPods and the Internet crowd out the traditional advertising venues -- a microindustry of campus marketing has emerged. Niche firms have sprung up to act as recruiters of students, who then market products on campus for companies such as Microsoft, JetBlue Airways, The Cartoon Network and Victoria's Secret."
This is the Victoria's Secret thread (Score:5, Funny)
I welcome our new overlords ... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:This is the Victoria's Secret thread (Score:5, Funny)
Great (Score:3, Funny)
-Satan
Re:This is the Victoria's Secret thread (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is the Victoria's Secret thread (Score:5, Funny)
College students with... (Score:2, Funny)
(check this [userfriendly.org] if you don't know what I am talking about)
Obligatory Negativity Towards Microsoft (Score:3, Funny)
Now you might say that I am biased against Microsoft (where you would get this idea I don't know), but hey, consider that I have had to put up with wormy networks and teach people how to configure 14 different versions of Outlook for years. "Daaahhh.. I can't print! ...". When I made my switch (mid 90's, thanks) I had to learn a little more (how inconvenient), but at least I have a lot of free time and cash now. You have to really admire an Operating System which you can set up and forget about for months if not years at a time. I know, very inconvenient.
The idea of sending out armies of college students to market their product is of course what one can expect from such an unscrupulous company. I wouldn't be suprised if Microsoft made these people tattoo the butterfly on their asses as a marketing ploy. At least the butterfly would get maximum exposure given the type of people who it would sport it... I know this one guy who uses his free time to write code to send to Microsoft as if anyone there likes him or even knows him. "Camel Balls" we call him, he walks around shoving his nuts out wearing pants that are too tight, ranting about how my firewall is pushing traffic out the wrong interface because someone told him how to use 'iptraf' and now he is a UNIX Expert. What a douche bag. Like alot of MCSEs he tries to tell me things about Linux and computers in general that have no basis in reality whatsoever. Incidentally he was incorrect about the firewall - he had no idea what he was looking at anyway.
The point is, whoever comes up to me better have a nice rack or I'll ruin their day. I'm just being honest. I don't like greedy companies and I can't stand people who support them for free. WTF is that??? Just give up your free time to work for Microsoft so they can make more money off of your dumb, broke ass. Give ME a break! At least OSS is given to the WORLD, not directly to some prick's pocketbook.
Warning: Do not mod me down or I will find you and hide a Windows ME box in the false ceiling on your network!
Re:This is the Victoria's Secret thread (Score:3, Funny)
Re:If this actually worked, then kids would vote (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, your honour, and that's how the baggie ended up in my jacket pocket.
Re:Already a term.. (Score:3, Funny)
I find astro-turfing particularly insidious
Re:In my school (Score:1, Funny)
But if you watch closely, they are actually watching the guy in the tight pants over there.
Not that surprising. (Score:5, Funny)
On a related note, I go to BU, and this past week, while crossing the street, I noticed a Microsoft OneNote ad chalked with a stencil on the pavement between the T tracks (the T is what Bostonians call their subway, i.e. train or tram).
From the article: "Many [student representatives] are specially trained, sometimes at corporate headquarters, Gossett said, as in the case with Microsoft."
The T runs above-ground through BU, but the first stop after the campus is underground. So if you are crossing the street and see this chalked advertisement (which is quite blurry and in fact barely legible, because, hey, it rains a lot in Boston and chalk runs), your natural response is to stop walking for a moment so that you can look down and and actually make out what it says. Specifically, you need to stop on the T tracks...50 feet from where the T goes above-ground. Perfect conditions for getting run over with a 20 ton subway car.
That's some nice training, there, Microsoft.
from our merchandising-the-greenhouse dept (Score:2, Funny)
Re:How many CRs here on Slashdot?. (Score:1, Funny)
I confess. I'm paid by Viagra to make impotency jokes and generally ridicule those with erectile dysfunction. It's something that I do normally, so getting paid to do it is a sweet deal.
Re:This is the Victoria's Secret thread (Score:2, Funny)
Re:As Einstein once said... (Score:1, Funny)